“There is probably no task more trying, certainly none more thankless, than independent journalism, especially should the sphere chance to be a small, crude community.”
A clipping from The British Columbian newspaper from Feb. 14, 1863 makes it clear that, in some ways at least, community journalism hasn’t changed a whole heck of a lot in New Westminster in 160 years.
The New Westminster-based newspaper launched its third year in operation with a look back at its first two years — waxing at great length about how difficult the job of the editor was in a city full of critics.
The editor’s sarcasm game was clearly on point as he sat down to write.
“Every man imagines himself a critic, if indeed he does not constitute himself a censor, of the press. The wisdom of Alphonso the Wise, who regretted that he had not been consulted as to some of the details of the creation, has descended to multitudes of this generation,” he wrote.
“It is so gratifying to weak humanity to be able to detect, if not magnify, the faults and errors of others, while they are, at least to all outward seeming, stone blind to their own imperfections.”
But wait, there’s more:
“’Every man for himself’ would seem to be the almost universal maxim of modern times," the diatribe continued, many (many, many, many) words later. “Piggish pretentiousness appears to have entirely superseded that unselfish disinterestedness which should be the chief characteristic of our everyday intercourse with each other.”
Just when a reader starts to wonder why the editor of their community newspaper is being so terribly hard on them, though, there comes this little gem.
“But a truce to this melancholy moralizing, which is, after all, far more applicable to humanity in general than to this community in particular,” the editor wrote.
“We have not, it is true, been exempt from petty annoyances and party persecutions which are, we presume, the common lot of our profession. But such as been the exception, not the rule.
“We would be a very ingrate did we not acknowledge the generous support and kindly sympathy we have invariably received at the hands not only of the people of this city, but the entire Colony.”
The editor goes on to say that the publication of The British Columbian has been “a labour of love” — though not, reportedly, a lucrative one.
“We have, however, struggled on in hopes of better times. And if the pecuniary result has not been what we could have desired, yet the consciousness of having done our duty to the extent of our humble ability is our sufficient reward,” the editor wound up.
“Past experience has inspired a confidence which leads us to throw ourself upon the indulgence and liberality of our kind readers for the future, assuring them that no persecutions or oppression, whether emanating from the Government or the Bench, or from a party clique, shall ever deter us from a fearless exposure of what we conceive to be a public wrong, and the advocacy of principles and measures which we believe to be conducive to the best interest, both materially and morally, of this, our adopted country.
“And if we should at times differ with some — it would be obviously impossible to please all upon every question — we trust we shall do so conscientiously, and be none the less friends on that account.”
The TL;DR version?
When you’re running a community newspaper in a city full of folks with opinions, it’s easy to feel picked on and criticized. But, in the end, you keep on doing your best because you know you have the support of your community, too, and because you feel the job you do is important to the community you call home.
And honestly? That’s pretty much New Westminster journalism in a nutshell — whether it’s February 1863 or February 2023.
The current-day Record newsroom has a message for that long-ago past editor, though: Don’t time-travel into the future. Because if you do, you’ll discover social media. And if you think your readers are hard on you now? Just wait till you discover what they can do to you on Twitter and Facebook.
New Westminster is a city full of history — and that history includes a variety of community newspapers over its many decades.
In this new weekly series, we're taking a look back at the headlines from some of those newspapers, shining a spotlight each week on a notable news story, person or moment from this week in New West history.
Watch for it online every Thursday.
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Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
Email Julie, [email protected]
