Member News: Express enters new age and readers play huge part

Oct 14, 2009
By Graham Schofield, Red Deer Express
Since becoming the editor of the Express earlier this spring, Johnnie Bachusky has fallen just short of badgering me to craft a document that would sum up what the Red Deer Express is, what we stand for and somehow find the words that solidify our role in the community – a daunting task to say the least, especially for someone who isn’t a journalist.
While I’m big on setting goals and targets, this newspaper publisher has never been a fan of “mission statements” – they seem somewhat limiting and the last thing we need in a world where things change so quickly is a box to fit into. Rather than a mission statement, I’ve chosen some key words that could offer our readers some insight on where we’ve been, where we’re going and what the Express stands for.
Local: These days you can get your news from a wide variety of sources through a number of different devices. If you want to know the score in last night’s Oilers’ game or find out how your stock portfolio is doing there are much more immediate ways to do that than picking up a newspaper.
Knowing that, the only focus the Express has is on the news and issues that directly affect the City of Red Deer and surrounding communities. From gritty local news stories to the score in your sons’ and daughters’ soccer game – if it is local that matters to us.
A Voice: Having a newspaper that reaches over 35,000 homes every week is a huge responsibility. Part of that responsibility is to act as a conduit for the opinions of our readers. Whether we agree or disagree as individuals, we must offer the venue for any reader to have their say.
Part of being that voice is reaching out to those that can’t or won’t speak up about an injustice against those that are less fortunate.
We have always strived to do this with the Express newspaper and now we are doing it on-line. This month we launched our new web site (www.reddeerexpress.com) that will make the Express a 24/7 news service. What you see now is only the beginning of what will become a content rich, interactive site.
One of the best things about the electronic age is the way that it has changed the way media has been delivered. For a long time it has been a one-way street of information dished out by newspapers, television and radio. We hope that the technology of today and tomorrow will make our readers interact with the news we deliver differently, where constructive discussions emerge to enlighten others or spark debate on important topics.
Independence: As a free newspaper, we are forever dependant upon advertisers who see the value of reaching our readers. As vital as that relationship is with local businesses, the Express has and will continue to put its readers first.
Without you, we know that any advertising is simply ink on a page. The best thing we can do for our advertisers and our own business is to remain a strong and independent voice – to do so we need the weight of the thousands of weekly readers that have put their trust in us.
Balance: There are most certainly some strong opinions within the walls of the Express and we’re not afraid to make a stand. With those opinions comes an obligation to tell both sides of the story and provide equal exposure to views and opinions from all angles.
Depth: Being a weekly newspaper, we have the opportunity to dig deeper into the most important stories. Expect the Express to give you an intimate look at the news from a variety of angles.
Culture: We love the arts and the energy that it gives to our city. On top of that we just happen to have the best arts and entertainment writer in Central Alberta – Mark Weber.
Integrity: Possibly the most important and most over used word in business. At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, integrity means everything to our newspaper. From an editorial perspective, the trust we’ve built with our readers is our most valuable asset and is something that we will never take for granted or put at risk to serve our own agenda.
From a business perspective, playing by the rules isn’t always the easiest way to win in a highly competitive marketplace. I personally, would rather lose with my dignity than to win by cheating.
Passionate: Like you, we love this city. We celebrate our achievements and we’re saddened or even frustrated when things get screwed up.
So Johnnie, there you go. I’m glad you made me write this…while everyone at the Express knows these things deep down, it takes some time to put is all together in writing and make it a little more tangible.
As the Express embarks on a new frontier of online journalism, we will take the same spirit and values with us. We are still getting our feet wet, but rest assured that bringing our brand of local news to you daily online is our goal.

Express enters new age and readers play huge part