Short profile:
An insatiable sense of curiosity and strong opinions have always been character traits of Prince Edward Islanders, and no doubt are two of the reasons Charlottetown residents have always been loyal newspaper readers. When it comes to Islanders and their opinions, perhaps city poet Milton Acorn summed it up best when he said, “The Island’s small ... every opinion counts.” The Island’s first newspaper was the Royal American Gazette and Weekly Intelligencer of the Island of Saint John, which was published in Charlottetown in September of 1787. It lasted less than a year but was quickly followed by many more, such as the Royal Gazette and Miscellany of the Island of Saint John, the Prince Edward Island Gazette and the Weekly Recorder of Prince Edward Island. “For many homes, outside of the Bible, they might not have had much else to read but the paper, ” says Island historian Ed MacDonald, referring to the Charlottetown of the 1800s.
Keywords:
newspaper, information, news, local, headlines, article, advertising, daily press, journal, business news
Detailed description:
Today’s media world is complex, filled with every imaginable technological option, from print and radio to TV and the blossoming Internet world. But in Charlottetown’s early years, newspapers were the only game in town. If someone had a message to deliver, their options were limited. They could climb onto a soapbox and shout at passersby. Or, they could rent a hall and put their oral powers on display. But if they had the where with all to do it, the most effective option was to launch a newspaper. “If you wanted to put your voice out there, if you wanted to be read, there was no radio, no TV, there was no medium of advertising that was going to put your views in every hall and school in the province, ” said MacDonald. “The newspaper was your voice. And a lot of people were there to listen.” The UPEI professor and author of If You’re Stronghearted, published in 2000, says although the early newspapers were gobbled up by the readers, they needed sponsors to survive. “They were the organ of a particular kind of viewpoint, ” MacDonald said, explaining that the newspapers of the day were affiliated with a religious or political point of view, or some other cause. ADVERTISE WITH THE GUARDIAN At a time when many media outlets are facing significant audience losses due to fragmentation, The Guardian continues to deliver one of the highest reach levels in all of Canada.
