Because I wasn’t here for most of 2011 and can’t take credit for this, I think I am the right person to wave the Chronicle’s flag a little bit.
We just found out Monday morning that the Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle is a finalist for Best All-Round Newspaper in our circulation class in the 2012 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards.
It’s pretty exciting news for everyone here, as this General Excellence category is truly a team category — the paper would not be a finalist if it wasn’t for the hard work, dedication and determination of every single person in this office — those who were here at the start of 2011 and have moved on, those who came to Ladysmith partway through the year, and those who were here through it all. That also includes all of our wonderful columnists and contributors.
You, our readers have also played a big role in this — sharing your stories with us, giving us ideas, contributing photographs and letters and giving us a reason to strive to be better. We want to give you the best product we possibly can, and I feel like being a finalist in a national newspaper competition is a sign we’re doing something right.
Now, of course, none of us are doing this to win awards. We do it because we love sharing the news with you, and whether we’re a finalist or not and whether we win or not doesn’t affect how hard we work, but national recognition sure doesn’t hurt. And it pushes us. We’ve set the bar pretty high, and we don’t have any plans to fall below it.
Congratulations also go out to other local newspapers in our area that are finalists in the Canadian Community Newspaper Awards, including the Cowichan News Leader Pictorial, Nanaimo News Bulletin, Cowichan Valley Citizen and Nanaimo Daily News.
— Lindsay Chung