Local journalism matters more than ever.
When the Meridian Source announced its shift to a digital-only platform, skeptics were quick to claim our most loyal readers — Lloydminster’s seniors — would be left behind in the print era.
However, after a two-hour session at the Legacy Centre with local residents, it became clear that while the medium is changing, the community’s appetite for local journalism is stronger than ever.
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The goal was to help seniors familiarize themselves with the newspaper’s new digital-only platform. For members of our team, the session was eye-opening.
About 30 seniors attended the Thursday, April 9 class, hosted by myself, Christian Apostolovski and Jacie Borrebach.
The reception on social media has been somewhat rocky since the Source announced it was ceasing print operations in late March, but I’m pleased to say everyone we’ve spoken to in person has been supportive.
Readers told us they understand why the decision was made and that it couldn’t have been easy. Yes, a local newspaper is a service to the community, but at the end of the day, it is still a business.
Those were the sentiments shared by one senior in attendance during Thursday morning’s class.
Many comments on the paper’s Facebook posts about the shift to digital-only suggested seniors don’t have cellphones, tablets or computers. Well, dear reader, I can confidently say many do.
Ambitious seniors arrived eager to learn, with smartphones and tablets in hand. They asked insightful questions and showed a genuine interest in learning how to access local news from writers they’ve grown to trust.
My biggest takeaway from the class was that a little hands-on learning goes a long way. After a brief presentation on the paper’s history in the Border City, Chris, Jacie and I went around and helped individual attendees learn to navigate our website, access the e-edition, and find our new online Sudoku and Weekly Word Guess (Wordle) games.
We also made sure everyone understood the interactive capabilities of the e-edition.
Beyond helping attendees learn how to use our website and e-edition, it was also nice to sit and chat with them.
I sometimes forget our faces appear in the paper each week. People have come to know us on a personal level, and it was rewarding to connect with members of the community who read our stories.
We at the Source can’t thank the community enough for its continued support as we navigate these unknown but exciting waters.
Followup classes for those unable to attend will be scheduled at the Legacy Centre. The next session will be held in May, with the date and time to be announced.
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