Faces change with economic times
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Letter to Editor
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Updated: July 15, 2009 1:07 PM
As French classical author François de la Rochefoucauld stated, “The only thing constant in life is change.”
That adage is true here at the Salmon Arm Observer, where we are experiencing some staff changes.
On the positive side, editor and now mother of three, Tracy Hughes, is returning today from maternity leave after spending about a year with her wonderful twins and three-year-old daughter.
Although she’ll undoubtedly agonize when leaving her children, coming back to the newspaper may very well seem like a bit of a holiday after the hectic pace of daily life with three little ones.
We’re thrilled to have her back.
On a sad note, we are sorry to be saying goodbye to our sports and education reporter, Brent Mutis. Like many businesses, the Observer is forced to respond to changes in economic times.
Brent has been an asset to the newspaper and we will miss him, not only for his abilities as a reporter, but also for his voice imitations and other quirks that help to keep laughter in the newsroom. With a small editorial staff, we quickly become a family of sorts – albeit a tad dysfunctional – and saying goodbye to a family member is always tough. We wish him the very best and know he’ll do well in his next adventure.
We will, of course, continue to cover sports and education, and we will continue to encourage the public to send us story ideas, scores, game reports, etc.
I will be returning to my role as reporter, something I love and am eagerly anticipating. It’s always a privilege to hear and tell people’s stories. The perks of being a reporter include the ability to escape from the bluish glow of the computer and spend more time out of the office in order to attend events and interact with the public. If you see me on the street blinking and squinting like a mole exiting its burrow, you’ll know why.
In the bigger picure, while newspapers throughout North America are undergoing cuts, these cuts are occurring at the same time that governments are clamping down on the public’s access to information. This is true in the case of the B.C. government, whose dismal Freedom of Information record has been noted on many occasions.
The office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner has been the target of budget and staff cuts, while the time to fulfill Freedom of Information requests has increased, as has the cost. A report from the Campaign for Open Government notes that the office of the Alberta commissioner, with about one-quarter the workload, has a staff about double the B.C. office and almost twice the budget.
In this office we have noticed that government staff, who once could speak freely on local issues with which they were familiar, often now withhold comments or must have them vetted.
Then there’s the Stephen Harper regime, which has been outstanding in its rigid control of any comments from its MPs or other officials.
This state of affairs means it’s imperative that the public join journalists in demanding more openness and accountability from public representatives. It’s no secret that in a dictatorship, the first move is always to take control of the messages that the public receives.
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