Newspapers a big piece of P.E.I.'s historical puzzle, archivist says
CBC
With an uncertain future facing P.E.I.'s two largest newspapers, the province's Public Archives and Records Office says the potential loss of those publications would leave a big gap in the Island's history.
Halifax-based SaltWire Network, which owns the Guardian and Journal Pioneer, is insolvent and sought creditor protection earlier this month.
Earlier this week, a Nova Scotia judge approved a plan for restructuring the company, which owns a string of other newspapers in Atlantic Canada, including the Halifax Chronicle Herald and the St. John's Telegram.
Although the future of SaltWire's publications is as fluid as the news of the day, the possibility of the Island losing a source of news has public services archivist John Boylan concerned.
"[Newspapers have] been such an important way that we have shared information for such a long period of time that I think pulling that out of the mix is going to leave a significant gap," he said.
"A decently resourced newsroom is always going to have a capacity that a lot of the alternatives just don't have."
SaltWire purchased more than two dozen newspapers in Atlantic Canada, including the two P.E.I. publications, from Transcontinental in 2017.
In early March, the company filed for credit protection after its largest creditor, Fiera Private Debt, said the media company could not make good on a $32-million loan. Court records show SaltWire's overall debts exceed $63 million.
On Monday, Nova Scotia Justice John Keith confirmed an interim protection order would be extended to May 3 to give the company's advisors time to come up with a plan for SaltWire's restructuring, and to seek out potential buyers.
Boylan said the Public Archives and Records Office has almost 200 years of newspaper records, along with other items like provincial government documents and materials from community organizations and businesses.
He said newspaper editions are added almost every day through subscriptions to current publications like the Guardian.
Boylan pointed out that the P.E.I. Legislative Assembly didn't have a Hansard service until the 1990s, so local reporters played a big part in recording what MLAs said in the legislature until that point.
And while public records such as court documents can paint some of the picture of history, he said newspapers and their reporters play a key role in bringing that history to life.