Final edition of The Courier a sad day for community

It is a very sad day for our community. After 113 years, The Courier is publishing its final edition.

For generations of families across Narrabri Shire and beyond, this newspaper has been part of the weekly rhythm of life. It has sat on kitchen tables, in lunch rooms, waiting rooms and on verandahs. It has recorded the milestones of our towns and districts through wars, droughts, floods, celebrations, grand finals, funerals, debates and enormous change.

The closure of a newspaper is not simply the end of a business. It is the loss of a community institution.
The Courier and the Wee Waa News represented something increasingly rare in modern public life. They were voices of reason and moderation. They understood that journalism should inform communities, not inflame them.

In a world where social media increasingly dominates public discussion, that distinction matters more than ever.

The business model of many social media platforms is built around what keeps people reacting, arguing and scrolling. Increasingly, the model is based on enragement. Outrage spreads faster than calm discussion. Anger generates clicks. Division drives engagement. And engagement generates enormous profits for billionaire American oligarchs and technology companies. Facebook and other social media platforms can be useful communication tools. Council uses them.

Businesses use them. Community groups use them. But they are no substitute for decent, fair and independent journalism.

A trained local journalist understands context, responsibility and balance. Good journalism requires discipline, fairness and professional judgement. Algorithms have none of those qualities.

An algorithm does not care whether a story is fair. It does not care whether a rumour damages a person or a family. It does not care whether a community becomes more divided or cynical. Its purpose is simple: maximise attention and maximise profit.

Just because loud voices make a lot of noise does not mean their opinion is reasonable or sound. Yet social media platforms often reward outrage over accuracy and emotion over evidence. That creates real risks for regional communities like ours.

I genuinely fear for local communities when well trained journalists are sidelined and replaced by systems designed primarily to drive anger and division. Without trusted local media, communities can lose a sense of shared understanding. Rumour can begin to outrun fact. Debate becomes more hostile and less constructive.

Importantly, local newspapers have also held people in public life accountable, including mayors like myself. That accountability is healthy. Democracy works best when scrutiny is fair, informed and independent.

I particularly want to acknowledge editor Dylan Smith. Over the past few years Dylan has made himself an indispensable part of our communities. His professionalism, calm manner and extraordinary work ethic have earned the admiration and respect of so many people across our shire.

I have also heard many discussions from community leaders and residents who want to see The Courier continue in some form, whether in print, online or both. That is indeed possible. But it will require a genuine commitment from all of us to support local journalism much as it has supported us over many decades.

That support means buying newspapers, advertising locally and valuing local content enough to invest in it. Good journalism costs money to produce, particularly in regional areas.

Narrabri Shire Council will continue to ensure residents are kept informed about local projects, decisions and community matters. Our regular newsletter, Council in Focus, will continue to be distributed across the Shire monthly, with electronic editions published every two weeks.

Narrabri Shire is a strong and supportive community. We have proven that time and again through droughts, floods, fires and hardship. We look after one another. We volunteer. We rally around neighbours when times are difficult.

For 113 years, The Courier helped bind this community together. It gave people a shared understanding of local events and local issues. It created a common space where community life was documented fairly and professionally.

To every journalist, editor, photographer, printer, advertising representative and staff member who contributed to The Courier and the Wee Waa News over many decades, thank you. Your work mattered. You helped shape the story of our Shire and preserved its history for future generations. I particularly want to acknowledge the Slack-Smiths, Mark and Susie, along with Ian and Wanda Dunnet for their enormous contribution to local journalism and community life over many years. I also want to recognise dedicated staff members such as Robyn and Sue, along with many others

who devoted so much of their working lives to serving our towns and communities. This is a sad farewell.

But let us hope that another Courier arises from this one. That is now up to all of us.

I hope we continue to value fairness over fury, facts over rumours, and thoughtful engagement over manufactured outrage. Because communities like ours deserve nothing less.