Got a smartphone in your pocket? A Facebook account? Congratulations – you’re a publisher, just like us.
Well, not exactly. Hear us out.
Once the ability to reach a large audience with the written word was restricted to those willing to buy massive printing presses and hire small armies of writers, typesetters (yes, that was a job… Google it) and carriers to write, print and deliver the news to a community.
But today, in an era where practically everyone has the ability to reach an audience of potentially millions online through social media, the definition of what a publisher is has changed dramatically.
And so has the business model of publishing, to the point that Facebook and Google enjoy positions of dominance no press baron of the past could ever dream of.
While social media performs a critical role in connecting individuals, what they don’t do is employ journalists – especially at the local level. There’s only one organization in this community that pays multiple full-time professional journalists whose sole job is inform you: the one you’re reading right now.
Without those journalists, there might still be plenty of content about Squamish – but sustained and regular coverage of what’s happening at our local government, and how issues on the regional and provincial stage affect us here at home? It simply wouldn’t be there.
Neither would exposure to other perspectives. Facebook’s algorithm is fantastic for connecting you to information and people you already agree with – but it runs a serious risk of becoming an echo chamber, making contentious community debates more polarized and less civil. Community media like The Chief provide a town square where those on both sides of an issue can come together and learn from each other.
Our ability to do those jobs depends on your support – whether it’s by buying us on the newsstand, by paying for an annual subscription or by frequenting our advertisers and letting them know who sent you.
The benefits of a strong community newspaper go far beyond being well informed. Your support allows us to support dozens of community groups in turn with tens of thousands of dollars worth of free advertising, helping them provide services and put on events that make Squamish a better place to live.
With your continuing support – from one publisher to another – we can keep telling those stories, bring our community together and make it better.
–The Chief
