It’s now been more than seven months since Postmedia closed The Selkirk Journal, however, The Journal made headlines today as it was recognized with an award.
During the Better Newspaper Awards, the Manitoba Community Newspapers Association handed The Journal the 2019 award for top editorial page in the circulation category of 10,000 plus.
I would like to congratulate all the staff, who worked at The Journal. As many of you know, The Journal was very near and dear to my heart. I loved every moment I worked there from Nov. 10, 2010 to May 7, 2020. I often think about my nearly 10 years with the local community newspaper. What comes to mind the most is the people I had the honour of working with and the friendships that have remained. I think about Dennis Furest, who was the rock of The Journal for so many years as he worked for the local paper from its inception in 1985 to when he retired in early 2019. He’s inspired me in so many ways while we were working together and he was a constant source of news tips.
I am thankful for my former boss, Winnipeg Sun editor, Mark Hamm, who promoted me to group editor of Interlake Publishing. It was a position that I embraced as it enabled me to work more closely with the editorial staff and gave me an opportunity to be more of a teacher for the reporters and interns I had the opportunity to work with.
It’s because of my working experience with The Journal that inspired me to launch the Selkirk Settler Times once The Journal ceased operation. I am passionate about the local communities of Selkirk as well as the RMs of St. Andrews and St. Clements. I have met some amazing people over the year and I continue to feature these amazing people, such as Selkirk mayor Larry Johannson. I regularly feature the local mayor on the Selkirk Settler Times in the menu category called the Mayor’s Corner.
Once you work at a newspaper it becomes part of you and the pure joy or wanting to share wonderful stories from the local community continues to be a focal point. You want to do all that you can to keep sharing stories through the wonderful world of media and that’s why I launched the Selkirk Settler Times. It’s a way to highlight these amazing people in the Tri-s Area through not only the written word, but also through photographs and videos.
I am always grateful for my family and friends, who continue to encourage me to follow my dreams, especially with the launch of the Selkirk Settler Times.
