Believer in the value of local news

As newspapers across North America continue to downsize or fold completely, the inevitable result is the loss of legitimate news coverage. And as the remaining papers cut costs by relying on wire services for the bulk of their content, local coverage all but disappears. It’s a trend that Paul MacNeill is bucking. “The only thing we do well as local media is local coverage,” he says. “And that’s what we do, without using any wire stories.”

MacNeill inherited his love of community from his late father, Jim, who founded Island Press in 1963 and was a longtime voice for the Island. Now as co-owner (with his sister Jan) and publisher of the family company, the 43-year-old oversees two weekly newspapers (The Eastern Graphic and The West Prince Graphic), as well as The Island Farmer, a biweekly serving the large agricultural community, and Island Classifieds, a free biweekly classified-ads publication.

It’s the focus on community that keeps Island Press moving forward while other media outlets stall. “Our total revenue has grown slightly because we’re not as reliant on national advertisers,” says MacNeill. “We rely on local advertisers, and they’re still doing business. We’re strongly emphasized on community in all ways. But we have a second niche, and that’s to be a watchdog to keep the government accountable.”

Jack MacAndrew, a well-known P.E.I. journalist and Eastern Graphic columnist, mentions a couple of recent editorials by MacNeill that took the provincial government to task over its preferential treatment of rich immigrants through its nominee program. “Paul believes the purpose of journalism is to act on behalf of the community by constantly challenging those who hold political power, no matter what their ideology,” he says, “and to remain true to the trust placed in them through the democratic process.”

Now the single father of two girls, Katie, 8, and Erin, 11 (he became a widower six years ago), is looking to the online future of local news. With PEICanada.com he is creating an interactive forum for his readers, allowing them to extend their sense of community onto the Net. “We’re a news company; our main product just goes on paper,” says MacNeill. “I don’t have a problem envisioning a day when the news is downloaded onto plastic tablets. I think there’s still a great opportunity for local newspapers to grow in the future. The challenge is to transfer what we do well to a different medium.”