Editorial: Time to thank those little old ladies

Remember how the little old ladies bring us the news ...

Often when I've taken someone's photo for the Chronicle, they'll ask what day it will be in so they can make a special effort to go buy a copy.

"I usually just read it online," they will say.

Not surprising in this day and age.

But when I get back to the office, there at the front counter is a little old lady (or man - don't want to be elder sexist) paying her invoice for the paper that arrives in her letterbox every day.

The common belief is that old people don't understand the internet and younger people do. But what about news?

The fact is, the little old lady is a pillar of the local news that many people read online.

She is the one who helps pay for a reporter to sit through a council meeting to find out how much we spend on such things as, dare I say it, wastewater.

She is the one who helps pay for a reporter to find out what that great big hole in the cycleway is and how much it is going to cost to fill it.

She helps pay for a photographer to take a picture of Little Johnny when he wins the swimming cup so nana can be proud to see him in the paper next day.

She also helps pay for those Chronicle articles that appear online so others can read them for free.

When that little old lady dies, it will get a little bit harder for the news to get to you online.

But once all the little old ladies (and men) have died, you can rely on Facebook or Google to give you all the local news written by their reporters here in Whanganui. Except that they have none. Not one, full stop.

If you like reading local news online, hope the little old lady lives longer than you because she paying for you to be able to read it.

And next time you're walking down Victoria Ave reading the news on your mobile, think of the little old lady next to you who knows nothing about computers.