With our weekly newspaper Brant News closing, it is NOW dead… consumed by a desperate province-wide agreement between Post Media and TorStar headquarters.

Radio news, ‘The Jewel’ is a shadow of its former presence as an understaffed news department with two excellent News Reporters, John Wehrstein and Rob Curwain, combined broadcasting on air around 20 minutes each day, between 5:30am and early afternoon. The late afternoon, evening and weekends have no news staff and with the broad reach of the Evanov signal from Pittsburg to Barrie and Waterloo uses less than 30% of that daily news broadcast schedule about 6-7 minutes with any emphasis on Brantford. At one time they had 7 full time reporters and a News Director often sent out into the field covering local stories, city hall and sports events. Sadly, there is zero radio field work anymore for AM or FM.

The Brantford Expositor is left as a vehicle for flyer distribution as editorial staffing has been decimated, printing outsourced to another community and their right-wing global perspective news considerably relegated to corporate national editorialists, and Toronto Centric or U.S. Sports. The average 20% local emphasis is primarily the images from one incredible photographer and a handful of overworked journalists tasked with advertorials and edited stories from news releases struggling to keep Johnny and Joannie’s sports achievements scattered throughout the week. Even ‘Letters to the Editor’ frequently are torn from other papers outside Brant.

What happens to the complete local news in Brant discourse from various angles? Will the events held at Paris Fairgrounds like the Brant News story about the ‘Great Dane Rescue Organization’; Or the investigative reporting like the Brant News report about ‘Mayor Friel’s F-word’ outburst towards a native delegation that holds our local politicians’ feet to the fire for their decisions; Or the not-for-profit celebration and awareness like the Brant news story about the over $110,000 raised in one day by the late Clark Merritt from Mount Pleasant for ALS; Local public opinion and engagement like the Brant News story of the ‘Brant Community Healthcare System Investigation; Promotion of small business and service club initiatives; Event calendar; Local Athlete’s accomplishments?

With Brant News closing does the County of Brant, (including Paris, St. George, Burford, Bishopsgate, Burtch, Cainsville, Cathcart, East Oakland, Etonia, Fairfield, Falkland, Glen Morris, Gobles, Harley, Harrisburg, Hatchley, Langford, Lockie, Maple Grove, Middleport, Mount Pleasant, Mount Vernon, New Durham, Newport, Northfield, Northfield Centre, Oakland, Onondaga, Osborne Corners, and Scotland) Six Nations reserve, New Credit Reserve, or the city of Brantford not deserve its voice to be heard and shared more broadly?

With Brant News closing.
There is a platform for Citizen Journalism.
Get your voice included in the local echo chamber.

4BRANT is 4YOU