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Happy Wednesday and Happy 150th birthday to the Free Press!
I don’t remember a time when the Free Press wasn’t on my family’s dining room table growing up — maybe when we were really young and money was tight, but I can’t be sure. In the years that aren’t so fuzzy, I know the Free Press has been there as a constant fixture and a source of information, well before we entered the digital world.
My sisters and I would take turns with the comic section of the newspaper. The way we read them was usually in succession with our age: my older sister Heather always got to them first, then me, then Christina. I was selective in which strips I paid attention to: Blondie, Crankshaft, For Better or Worse, Family Circus, and Calvin and Hobbes were some of my favourites, even though the jokes or themes often went over my head.
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I didn’t just read the comics though. I’ve always been interested in news, especially local news. I remember bringing newspaper clippings for show and tell in fifth grade. The story was about a young girl, Candace Allard, who was attacked by two dogs on Manitoba Avenue. She was just a year or two younger than me, and I remember feeling moved by her story, hopeful that she’d recover from the horrific attack.
Editor Paul Samyn wrote a column marking this anniversary in today’s paper. He writes, “the history of the Free Press is one filled with courage and characters, wisdom and wordsmiths. Our newsroom will be forever grateful to those who came before us, the journalists who built a reputation of trust that is the core of the mission we deliver each and every day.”
An archive photo outside the Free Press office. (Winnipeg Free Press files)
As a long-time reader and subscriber of the Free Press, and someone who has the privilege of working and writing for the paper, I want to echo Paul’s sentiments and celebrate this incredible milestone.
Over the decades there have been so many important events and stories that have been told in the printed pages of the Free Press, and on the digital screens that many of us read on now. What is most incredible is that each of us has our own unique way in how we interact with the content. The Free Press means something so spectacularly the same, yet completely different to all of us.
For me, I love reading local news. I thoroughly enjoy seeing (and sometimes telling) stories about people in our community and about what’s happening in Manitoba. I enjoy the longer features and am delighted when I learn something new. I often read obituaries, especially in the Saturday edition of the paper. I am moved by the tributes and stories about the people who have passed on. Just recently I dug in the archives to find my grandparents’ obituaries.
My Amma always did the crossword every single day, and sometimes when she was bored, she would go through the paper, with a pencil in hand, and circle the typos. She always challenged me to do the same, but I never took her up on that challenge. I imagine that my tweets would be much cleaner and typo-free had I inherited her meticulous editing skill. The crossword puzzle reminds me of her still.
Thank you sincerely for being a huge part of the reason that the Free Press is celebrating its 150th anniversary today. If you are so inclined and have the means, I invite you to help us move forward into the next 150 years and become a Free Press patron here.
Have a wonderful week and stay warm.
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