PAPERS OF RECORD BEST SOURCE FOR LEGALLY-REQUIRED NOTICES, NOT GOVERNMENT WEBSITES
EDITOR/PUBLISHER’S NOTE:
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
MUSKOKA — District and municipal governments are grappling with ways to provide legally-required notices — particularly around planning issues — now that the last hard-copy newspaper is no longer being dropped in driveways.
After a major town and district mix-up this month on the public announcements regarding proposed changes to the bylaws pertaining to how permanent and seasonal residents — and other interested readers — receive and learn about notices, I read and submitted the following statement in response, at a Gravenhurst planning council meeting Tuesday January 23, to assist and improve the process.
A similar letter was sent to the District of Muskoka for consideration in its process.
Delegation to Gravenhurst council
on new public notices policy 2024:
Thanks, you know me. I’m Mark Clairmont, publisher and editor of MuskokaTODAY.com (30 years this May) and as always I’m here to help you — now and forever.
And to speak truth to power. That’s what I do.
As a member of the Fourth Estate — along with the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government — the press / media / and now online news / remain pillars of democracy.
Without us you get Trump, fake news and frivolous social media that fails to give proper notice of what governments are required by law to provide in a, timely, transparent manner.
Papers of record are wider-read, more respected and trustworthy than your direct emails, which end up in junk mail as spam.
I’ve been a reporter in Gravenhurst for 55 years — my father Hugh and grandfather Walter likewise before me — covering news across Muskoka.
Indeed, my great grandfather Joseph sat as mayor in this same Opera House council chamber over a century ago relying only on the Banner weekly newspaper — of which I later became editor — to provide notices.
Indeed, as a past town and district councillor myself, I can empathize with your plight, emerging challenges — and best your opportunities for change.
Our job has been to speed the dissemination of news and government affairs, not only within the entire community — but by spreading them farther beyond the Gateway to Muskoka and to those who would love to understand who and what we are — and where we’re going in 2024 and beyond.
And we do this honestly and fairly.
Like MuskokaTODAY.com since 1994, newspapers remain the go-to source for public information and notices, with the most reliable and widest reach.
Your websites and emails can’t touch us. They’re boring, bogged down and impossible to navigate. They don’t grab readers nor command them to go where your notices will easily be seen with us.
In addition to our past vital role in sharing your notices of planning and of community interest and importance — in which we’ve bettered Gravenhurst — we remain best suited to continue that core service in this emerging era.
No one but us can serve your needs.
I propose on our home page we dedicate a drop-down tab with a direct link to your notices page.
As an industry under assault by Google, Meta and Facebook, we welcome your cooperation and partnership to help us help you do your job in spreading your word.
That said, we’re a local business. We can’t do that if we’re not in business. Like all town businesses, we both benefit from government cooperation.
Being already in the ad world, we’re also best suited to market and promote your brand to the widest audience, given how hard it is to capture readers with all the click bait rabbit holes misdirecting your need for notice searches.
MuskokaTODAY.com has had a news website with our hard-copy paper pages available in PDF form for three decades — long before smart phones were ubiquitous hand extensions.
For centuries lawmakers have required public notices to be published in newspapers, because they offered the best opportunity to reach local, civically-engaged readers who are most likely to have a personal interest in the plans and activities described in the notices.
People in need of notices don’t easily find them or go looking for them on town websites. What you’re proposing limits your exposure, which we already have and offer you again. Your determination to inform citizens about your plans by posting notices in obscure corners of your website is not workable and isn’t adequately nor sufficiently, legally transparent enough.
Simply, people go to our news websites more than yours.
It’s a mistaken assumption that people will regularly visit town websites — and thus will miss timely and important notices that later prompt appeals.
This, of course, is all in addition to the valuable service ‘Local Journalism’ provides every day, with trustworthy news not only of council meetings.
Again we can’t do that if we’re not in business, to help you, help the public.
Every day this month, in our annual January subscription drive, we’ve been receiving kudos from people buying or renewing subscriptions, like these few comments alone this week I’ll share now:
“Keep up the terrific reporting, Mark.” — Karen & Steve Richards
“Thank you for great reporting! Enjoy reading your paper, always balanced, fair and interesting.” — Elizabeth Porter
“Thanks, Mark, for all your hard work. Keep it up, please!!!” — Jane Templeton
“Thank you, Mark, for your services to our community.” — Laurie Dixon
“Keep up the good work!” — Brian Whitehead
Those are people near and far who read us online and would see your notices if posted with us as we work cooperatively to build and boost Gravenhurst.
I’m here to give NOTICE that we can do that.
As always, yours in news, notices — and $25 subscriptions
Mark Clairmont, MuskokaTODAY.com
Gravenhurst’s oldest and only independent newspaper in town
720 Bay Street, 705-687-5777
www.muskokatoday.com, news@muskokatoday.com
