While your reporter spoke to the two former editors of KDN, she put out what appears to be little effort to speak to anyone at KTW, where I work, other than to use one quote from editor Chris Fould which seems to have been taken completely out of context.
A bit of research would have shown your writer KTW was named the best community newspaper in the country last year by the CCNA. Two of us also received mention for our journalism during that awards ceremony. We have a larger newsroom than we have had in the past, expanding to 10 people. I’m not sure there are many other newsrooms in this country that are growing. We added a third print edition. I’m not sure there are many community newspapers adding editions. The list of editorial awards our staff has won in past years is very long.
But what I find most disappointing is your reporter’s assertion KTW does not provide much more than an online news presence and lacks coverage in the environment and education. We hired the Daily’s best environment reporter and he is doing the same stellar job for us he did for it. I know the level of educational coverage because I do that beat. A search of our website would reveal the many stories we have done on those beats as well as many others.
I was a senior editor at the London Free Press during the Blackburn family ownership days and am in my sixth year as chair of the Canadian Association of Journalists. My husband worked for the United Press and Canadian Press covering Parliament and now teaches journalism. We both know good journalism and see it in my colleagues every single day.
I would ask you to do some research of your own on our newspaper and then decide if the story you published was balanced and accurate.
About the author
Erica Lenti was the Spring 2015 editor of the RRJ.