MyCity Logan, a news site and newspaper, has officially hit the streets today.
Following a multinational corporate decision to close the Albert and Logan News print edition, MyCity Logan becomes the only 100% locally owned and operated weekly newspaper in the area.
It is also the only free weekly newspaper to cover the entirety of the City of Logan.
“Our mission is to create a news service people can call their own, and that they can trust is here for them,” editor and founder Simon Holt said.
“We recently went through a local government election where the majority of content was hidden behind paywalls. If people wanted to determine where their vote would go, it was a matter of crawling through Facebook pages or paying for the content.”
Mr Holt, formerly editor-in-chief of Brisbane Times, said MyCity Logan would be a celebration of the City of Logan, and the 69 suburbs which sit within the walls of the local government area.
“I live here too, and I love this area. It’s important that this news service accurately reflects the pride of the people who have chosen to make Logan their home,” he said.
“That said, we take journalism seriously and we appreciate that part of our role is to scrutinise issues which impact the way we live our lives. If we have to, that may mean asking the tough questions.
“It also means being in a position to report on the outcomes of those questions, to ensure our community is informed with fair, balanced and fact-checked data, analysis and commentary.”
Mr Holt said the media landscape had changed dramatically in the past 12 months.
More than 200 mastheads across Australia have closed their doors, and while the coronavirus outbreak can be partially to blame, it has long been the plan of large companies to scale down their print operations.
“There’s no doubt, journalism is a costly exercise,” Mr Holt said.
“But this is an opportunity for families – and MyCity Logan is a 100% family-owned business – to again be part of the media landscape without the prospect of being bullied out of the market by very large players.
“That’s great news for the community because it means a trustworthy news service. It’s great news for businesses because it means they’ll get the level of personalised attention they deserve.”
Community involvement was critical to success, he said.
“Pick up a free copy of the newspaper, tell your friends about mycitylogan.com.au, like our Facebook page, sign up to our newsletter, send us a news tip,” he said.
“Interact with us in whatever way is most convenient to you, support the businesses who are choosing to advertise with us, and be an active participant in your community newspaper. We’re here to support you. And we’re very much on your side.”
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