The Meridian Source is correcting the record regarding its community reach and journalistic integrity following the publication of highly inaccurate web analytics and false reporting by an online blog.
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An article published June 4 claimed the Meridian Source received just 4,311 website visits in May 2026, citing third-party estimates from an online tool called SimilarWeb.
In reality, verified internal Google analytics show the Meridian Source received 99,300 views from nearly 40,000 unique users during the month of May alone.
The blog post also claimed readers spent an average of under 20 seconds on the site. Internal data directly refutes this, proving the actual average session duration exceeds one minute, with engaged visitors clicking through an average of six pages per session.
Based on these Flipsnack analytics, which host’s The Meridian Source’s e-edition, the overall performance numbers are impressive. Amassing 14,827 impressions and 5,275 views in May alone demonstrates excellent reach and a highly engaged digital audience, especially with an incredibly strong click-through engagement of 2,328 clicks.
Average Time Spent (3:54): Clocking in at nearly four minutes (3 minutes and 54 seconds), this metric is exceptionally strong for digital print media.
In an era of short attention spans where the average website session lasts less than a minute, maintaining a reader’s undivided attention for this long proves our audience isn’t just skimming — they are deeply engaged, thoroughly reading the articles and treating the e-edition like a traditional, immersive print newspaper experience.
Meridian Source editor and publisher noted that the blog writer failed to follow basic journalistic standards by neglecting to reach out to the publication for comment or verified analytics prior to publishing.
“The Meridian Source is, and always has been, a fact-based publication,” the editorial team said in a statement.
“We take great pride in our verified local reach and deep community engagement. We will not stand by and allow inaccurate information, slander, or libelous claims to be shared online to mislead the public.”
The blog post also attempted to critique the City of Lloydminster’s public notification process regarding a recent land-use public hearing on May 25, claiming that “no members of the public appeared at the hearing.”
However, Meridian Source representatives confirmed that the blog writer themselves did not attend the municipal meeting in question to accurately verify public attendance.
While third-party platforms like SimilarWeb rely on automated data models and algorithmic sampling — which often severely undercount local, community-focused digital media — the Meridian Source continues to maintain transparent, verified first-party audience metrics that prove its position as a leading source of local news in the Border City.
Unlike some media platforms that rely heavily on paid distribution or AI-generated content optimization, the Meridian Source’s digital audience is driven almost entirely by genuine, organic local traffic — a grassroots engagement that automated third-party tools like SimilarWeb frequently fail to capture accurately.
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