Online news at Canadian community newspapers: A snapshot of current practice and recommendations for change

Community, or weekly, newspapers are the primary source of news for many Canadians, but remain an under-researched field. Though challenges facing daily newspapers in urban centres have been well documented, comparatively little is known about how smaller newspapers are responding to changes brought by the Internet. This article captures a nationwide snapshot of current online journalistic practice at Canadian weekly newspapers. A survey was sent to 776 community newspaper publishers in Canada to examine specific policies for news websites. Findings reveal a variety of approaches in Internet news distribution and website management, but a stronger emphasis and reliance on the printed edition. Enhancement of the online product is being stymied by a vicious cycle of poor revenues leading to poor quality online websites.