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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2017-12-14, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2017. Letter to the Editor Garratt thanks Roulstons for perseverance THE EDITOR, This past week has (again) demonstrated to us here in Blyth, the true debt of gratitude we owe to Keith and Jill Roulston for their unflinching integrity, and their abiding commitment to this community. As was thoroughly reported this past week, Postmedia and Torstar, in a shuffling of `assets' that is being investigated by the competition bureau, together announced they are closing 24 newspapers across the province. The decision to close these papers has nothing to do with their genuine value to the communities they serve, and everything to do with their perceived monetary value to the shareholders of these conglomerates. Make no mistake, the decision to close these papers was not a decision made in the communities that would be affected. It was made in Toronto, and any concern about who would be the journalists on the street in these underserved villages and towns, was simply not a deciding factor. I know that over the years Keith and Jill had the opportunity, more than once, to sell The Citizen to the same juggernauts. But thanks to their steadfast commitment, we are envied in communities across the country: and even moreso now. We have a bonafide local paper, one that puts our community front and centre, one that tells our local news, one that advertises local businesses to local consumers, one that diligently covers our local government, one that expresses local opinion and carries notice of events happening right here in our towns. The Pollyannas out there see this sale/swap/scorch as the death knell of print. Fact is, people have been foretelling the death of print since the invention of radio... (the same way they proclaimed the death of radio with the invention of TV). The death of live theatre was announced with the invention of cinema in the early 1900s; a hundred years later, there have never been more professional theatres in Canada. How easily we mistake novelty for innovation. Also, as a business that regularly advertises in The Citizen, we at the Festival are very aware, from a practical perspective, that there is a critical audience that is reached through The Citizen and only through The Citizen. The promise of digital and social media is great... but valuable as it may be, algorithm -centred online advertising is radically changing our ability to reach anyone, even through these platforms. Social media advertising may be highly targeted, but it's also highly targeted. Repetition very intentional. There is no doubt that online journalism will continue to become an increasingly relevant part of our lives. And I do believe we will be better informed about the world because of it. But we here in Blyth also have the privilege of being well- informed about our own backyard, something people in 24 communities across Ontario are right now worrying about. Thank you Keith and Jill, for standing your ground. I hope, as a community, we can continue to support the Citizen, and its staff, in the years to come. We are all the richer for it. Gil Garratt, Artistic Director Blyth Centre for the Arts. #1 And We �g 1 Still Try Harder! Recent circulation figures show The Citizen has the highest circulation in the northern part of Huron County, #3 in the entire county. 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