The new Kingston Sub-Standard website launched last week is in protest of the decline of the once influential Kingston Whig-Standard.
The Make It Great campaign includes a petition and numerous YouTube videos of current and former readers outlining their frustration with the Sun Media daily.
Readers of the profitable newspaper are demanding a return to the glory days of the Whig-Standard when community news, sports and entertainment dominated the paper.
Out with recycled Sun Media content from well beyond Kingston's borders, a cause readers of many other Sun Media community newspapers understand all too well.
The Kingston Sub-Standard site - greatwhig.ca - says:
"The purpose of the Make it Great campaign is to demonstrate to Quebecor (the parent company of Sun Media, which owns the Kingston Whig-Standard) that the citizens of Kingston care about having a quality daily newspaper.
"The project is being sponsored by the CWA/SCA Canada – the union that represents reporters, advertising staff and others at the Whig-Standard – to give a collective voice to Kingstonians who, for years, have been expressing concern about the steady decline of the Whig."
I love the idea of the website and hope maybe, just maybe it might make a difference. I do have my doubts though.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone really think this website will matter to Sun Media/QMI? Does anyone think PKP really cares what readers think or say?
OMG! I'm glad I don't work at the Whig. I'd be so embarrassed by the website. Someone should start up a private paper there.
ReplyDeleteLike PKP will really care what a few people say about the paper. If it's still making money, that's all that matters to him.
ReplyDeleteThe site needs to know about why the Whig and other papers are now riddled with errors, short on local copy, etc.
Tell them about the Centres of Excellence with graphic artists now replacing veteran editors. Let them know how newsrooms have been slashed to barebones, so you get what you put into the product. Tell them about the atmosphere of discontent and low morale throughout the chain, led by an individual who is focused on greed and a lame-ass attempt at a television news station.
There are web sites like that throughout the company, not just Kingston.
ReplyDeleteNot that it is a good thing, however. A completely ugly design.
You can't really criticize the website design if you're trying to compare it to the mess that the current Whig and its former Osprey papers sites.
ReplyDeleteI think the union openly stating that they created the billboard and website was an idiotic idea.... the only thing the perpetrators can look forward to is the union being dissolved and a lot more people being fired.
ReplyDelete