OPINION: From newsprint to Quinteist, whether this old school journalist likes it or not

The fate of print newspapers has been decided. The death knell has rung. Online is now the destination if you want to see and read stories that used to be in print.

A significant number of people don’t like it, including me. But, if you think the resurrection of newspapers is possible, no. There’s more chance of Donald Trump saying sorry calling our prime minister Governor Carney.

My journalistic resume is extensive – managing editor, city editor, sports editor, editorial writer, reporter and most recently a columnist with Postmedia, the owner of The Trentonian, Community Press and County Weekly News.

I rue the day.

I am an old-school journalist who started out on a typewriter, moved to early versions of computers with six-inch screens, and progressed through a variety of computers; these days, I type on a MacBook.

In June, Postmedia pulled the plug on the print edition of The Trentonian, along with the Community Press and County Weekly News.

There were mourners, but there was no funeral service, no wake.

Most columnists were cut loose, too, as Postmedia dropped them in the online edition; but unlike the rising Pheonix, the ashes simply mark the end.

Ah, but all is not lost.

Quinteist, an online source for news and community events in Belleville, the County and Quinte West, salvaged me from the wreckage of the three local newspapers. My job description now includes occasional columns, and any happening that is judged newsworthy and of importance to local residents.

My hope is that readers who followed what I wrote in the former newspapers will join me online at Quinteist.

There are advantages for online readers.

They do not get ink transferred from the newspaper onto their hands. No more getting rained on while retrieving the newspaper from the driveway, or receiving a soggy edition.

No more being upset because the carrier missed your residence.

If you need some specific answers to questions, no more getting out the encyclopedia, just Google your query. Spelling? No problem, just Google. Facts to put in a story? Just Google. Brain dead? Thank Google.

The news is now on the computer screen. Some newspapers charge for an online subscription, while others provide the news free of charge.

So, you just go from a physical paper to online. Tough to take online to the toilet, though.

But as incredible as it may seem in this day and age, there are people who do not own a computer for a variety of reasons. There are a significant number of seniors in this area, and while some have made the transition to online, I suspect a significant portion have not. They grew up holding a newspaper, not an iPhone, and they want that damned newspaper! Me, too!

There are people who are afraid of computers, just like those who are scared of the traffic in Toronto and so don’t go there. And there are those who cannot afford a computer.

The old-school journalist – me – has made the reluctant transition to a computer. I was forced to, because after that short time on typewriters at the beginning of my career, I had to learn and use their various iterations and programs as I moved from paper to paper.

But online is not filtered like newspapers. There are scammers online. There are idiots posting online. There is racism online. It is a question of finding the trust.

What’s next?

Canadian Alanis Morissette summed it up nicely in her song, ‘Hand in My Pocket’:

“And what it all comes down to
“Is that I haven’t got it all figured out just yet….”

But I want my newspaper.

Barry Ellsworth is a freelance reporter and columnist for Quinteist. Throughout his career, he’s worked for many publications in the region, including The Trentonian, Community Press and County Weekly News. Barry covers topics important to residents of the area, including Quinte West council, and will also share his insights via columns based on years of experience living and working in the Quinte region.