COLLINS: It’s been a sad two weeks for journalism
IT WAS A SAD DAY WEDNESDAY, as Kamloops This Week closed its doors, its newspaper and its website. Sad for all of us in the media and in the community.
Although we have been in competition for top stories, advertising dollars and other forms of bragging rights, the media have generally — though not always — been able to get along. In earlier times, there were gatherings of journalists in press clubs, informal gatherings over a libation or two. Those days are now a thing of the past. Individual relationships have built up, but that camaraderie of trading insults back and forth was fun.
Kamloops has always been a media leader in B.C., and that’s because of the level of competition. We have had a premier role in covering the news. I don’t think many will disagree that Kamloops has had the best newsrooms in the province outside of Vancouver. In the early days, Mel Rothenburger led a strong contingent of newspaper staffers, with top notch reporters like Ben Kuzma, Susan Duncan and Rod Mickleburgh, among others. Jim Harrison at Radio NL had Angelo Iaccobucci and, later, Bob Price. They were aggressive to the “nth” degree and always a force to be reckoned with. Our newsroom countered with people like Sandy Heimlich-Hall, Hudson Mack and the legendary Raffelina Sirianni.
I could drop names all day, but I would miss some people who should be included, so I’ll stop there.
