Northern Pride

Northern PrideThe newspaper business is a tough one to be in these days. Privately-owned newspapers are a rarity, so I’ve been impressed with the Northern Pride. Based in Meadow Lake, Terry and Tammy Villeneuve took a chance on expanding coverage to La Ronge in August. Unfortunately, advertising revenue from this area was not what they were hoping for, so they will be cutting back on local stories and limiting the complimentary distribution to once a month. It has been a real pleasure for me to contribute items of interest from La Ronge and area in the last few months. Many of these are stories that will never be told by the larger media outlets, and they do make a difference to a community. For example, it was very satisfying to hear that my story about the La Ronge Public Library’s English as a second language program has resulted in another volunteer tutor coming forward! That means one of the newcomers on the waiting list will now have someone to assist with language skills, which may increase the likelihood of employability – you see the ripple effect? Despite the wonderful world of technology, many people still appreciate holding an actual newspaper, and more importantly, like to see their own world reflected in its pages. Still, for newspapers to survive, they have to be profitable, so I understand their decision. It’s just too bad. There are many local stories worth sharing. But who knows? Maybe if there were more weekly advertisements coming from this area, they might reconsider. There are so many, many local stories worth sharing…