The news industry is in a constant state of flux, but some things also never change.
While the technology around news gathering has improved immensely and enhanced the immediacy we can offer, the end goal remains the same: To deliver the stories the community needs to hear.
The world is a far cry from what it looked like when I was a bright-eyed 16-year-old high school student, a freshly issued driver's licence in hand, working at my hometown newspaper as the so-called 'office boy'. That meant I was basically at the beck and call of anyone in the building, but primarily darting around the city to help the circulation department or filing clippings for the newsroom.
That was my first exposure to the hustle and bustle of a daily newspaper and chroncling stories in that city on the shores of Georgian Bay, even if it didn't result in a byline. I immediately caught the news bug and it has never left me.
Here at BarrieToday, more changes are in store. We are trying some new things to keep our loyal readers informed and up-to-date on what's happening around Barrie and the surrounding area.
Part of that is providing insight into how news stories develop, where and how changes need to be made in the areas we cover, and also getting reporters to chime in on things that are happening around us every day. That could be a humorous take or it could be a pointed critique. Like the news of the day, we want it to run the whole spectrum.
Our new membership program offers another way for readers to lend their support. As a member, you will get a peek behind the curtain, as the saying goes. No, this isn't Oz, but we’ll try to offer a glimpse into how we decide what we cover and, perhaps more frankly, what we don’t. We’ll take you behind the headlines to give you a sense of what goes into the work you read on our site.
We’ll provide a closer look at how stories impact the community.
And while membership has its privileges, it’s not a way to influence our coverage, but rather an opportunity to better understand what it is we do.
Thank you for your continued support.
Raymond Bowe is the community editor at BarrieToday.
