By Stephen Vance, Editor
When we first launched the website for The Meaford Independent in November of 2009, the goal was simple – establish a locally owned, locally operated, locally driven news outlet for both residents of Meaford and those who visit the area from beyond our borders.
In the three and a half years since, The Independent has worked to stay true to the goal of putting local first. We have profiled numerous local businesses, service clubs, athletic teams, and local events like the annual Scarecrow Invasion and the always festive Christmas Window Unveiling.
We’ve also provided comprehensive news coverage and analysis of Meaford’s council, and community news that is of interest and importance to our readers of course. In fact, since we first launched, we have published more than 3,000 articles, all focused on local issues and events.
News reporting aside, we’ve also provided plenty of fodder for coffee house discussion and debate with our editorials and opinion pieces, and we’ve provided a strong voice for our readers through our letters to the editor section (we’ve published 500 of your letters in the last few years) all with the goal of putting community first.
Why do we feel that supporting local is so important?
In a world that has become immersed in global marketplaces, massive corporations, national and international headlines, and an entire industry focused on celebrity gossip, the local scene can be easily overlooked, yet what is happening in our own backyard, and the businesses and organizations attempting to make a go of it at the local level, are what touch our lives most directly, and have the greatest influence over our quality of life.
At the Independent, we believe in community, and we are steadfast in our determination to support local businesses, local events, and to serve our community as best we can. And we are very thankful, and appreciative of the readers and local businesses that have supported us as we have grown our little newspaper.
While The Meaford Independent website now sees as many as 30,000 visits each and every month, and in 2012 alone there were more than 1.1 million page views on our website, we know that we can do more to reach our community.
“What about those of us who prefer print newspapers?” we’ve often been asked over the last few years.
While much of the newspaper world is moving away from print by focusing their attention on the internet, at the local level there is still room, and likely always will be, for printed copies of newspapers.
So, today The Meaford Independent launches our print edition with the same goal in mind – a focus on local news, events, and issues.
As with our website, we have done our best to make our print edition crisp, clean, easy to navigate, and our focus on high quality content is as strong as ever.
In our print edition, which will be published on Fridays (a perfect addition to your weekend coffee on the porch ritual, or to take along on your boat, or to the coffee shop), you will find the same quality news reporting, and expression of opinion as many of you have become accustomed to finding on our website, but there will also be plenty of extras that will be featured exclusively in our print edition, or will appear in print first.
We hope you enjoy our new print edition, and we thank all of our readers for your ongoing loyalty and encouragement, and we thank all of our advertisers old and new for helping to make The Meaford Independent possible.
While we roll out this new paper, and work out the kinks and the various logistical challenges of publishing a hard copy of our newspaper, we will be publishing our print edition every two weeks before shifting to a full weekly publication before the end of summer.
Thank you for reading The Meaford Independent, and we encourage everyone to support local businesses and organizations as much as possible – after all, local includes you.
