Scrolling through the headlines of 2017 reminds us, yet again, of how important – no, make that vital – people are to the life of this city and this newspaper.
The BurnabyNOW rolls into our 35th year in 2018, and it triggers a certain amount of reflection and pondering.
From the beginning, Burnaby has had a mixed relationship with newspapers. Several came and went before the BurnabyNOW took root. Some focused on just South Burnaby, others decided they could make a case for a North Burnaby paper. When our founders started this newspaper out of the ashes of the Daily Columbian, they decided we would be a paper for all of Burnaby. And we’ve held to that commitment.
Every day someone in this city takes a call from one of our reporters, or takes the time to discuss their media needs with one of our advertising representatives. Every day the people in this city let us into their lives – whether it be on a very personal level or on a business level.
The trust that readers and advertisers have shown us over the years has always kept us working hard. Simply said: We can’t do it without you.
Now, that doesn’t mean that every day someone drops a bouquet of roses on our doorstep. No. We take our fair share of criticism – deserved or undeserved.
We also don’t believe our job is to be unquestioning boosters of our city. We are not here to represent special interests, or turn a blind eye to mistakes made with your tax dollars.
We are, we hope, like an old best friend: someone who tells you like it is. Even when you won’t like it.
But we are keenly aware that we can only do our jobs with the trust and readership of our community.
We are also keenly aware that that trust is earned on a story-by-story and advertisement-by-advertisement basis.
Many of our news leads are phoned in, emailed in, or told to a reporter that someone bumps into during an assignment.
Our advertising representatives know that businesses expect results, and the BurnabyNOW continues to deliver customers in print and online.
The media is facing a sea change nowadays. We live on the web, on Facebook, and Twitter as well as in print. The “newspaper” is really just a term that applies to the business of journalism and advertising – not just a physical paper.
There’s no question that 2018 will bring fresh challenges for all of us – and particularly for those of us in the “newspaper” industry.
We’re here to continue the simple, but precious, tradition of sharing your stories, asking the hard questions, and supporting success in our community.
We thank you for reading us in 2017. We are grateful that you continue to reach out to us and rely on us for local news that matters in Burnaby.
