A Pakistani journalist is in the headlines in Canada as a hero, for a reason rarely seen in North America. He revived a dying newspaper.
It all started in December when Mohsin Abbas, while watching TV, when he learned about tiny Tilbury, Ont., losing its local newspaper and the huge hole it’s left in the community. Tilbury is a community within the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada
The journalist heard about the closure while listening to a CBC Radio special on what happens when the local news stops. Postmedia, one of Canada’s leading media conglomerate, shut down the Tilbury Times and a handful of other community newspapers in Ontario and Manitoba in 2020, citing falling ad revenues, reported CBC/Radio Canada.
But the demise of the Times gave Abbas an idea. “Abbas drove to the southwestern Ontario town of 4,800 that’s between London and Windsor. He knew he needed to revive the Times, which halted circulation after 136 years. Now, less than a month later, he’s the publisher,” added the report.
“I know the importance of local journalism,” he told CBC. “It’s our social responsibility.”
It’s nothing new for Abbas. He’s started up his own independent publications before, and worked in newsrooms big and small — in Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Currently, he’s a freelance contributor for BBC News reporting in Urdu and Punjabi, and runs another small news outlet called the Milton Reporter.
Abbas originally worked in Pakistan. He came to Canada as a refugee claimant in the early 2000s, when it was dangerous to be a journalist in his home country.
“Just imagine a guy in a prison, sitting in this Third World country and waiting to be killed in a police encounter. And then he leaves that place, enters Canada and he’s still alive and happy with a beautiful family 20 years later. It’s priceless,” he told the Canadian publication. “What I’m doing is nothing … I thank Canada for saving me.”
According to CBC, The Times reboot comes as a shock to locals, who have tried to find creative ways to stay connected since the paper closed, including local Facebook groups. Some even thought the paper’s revival was a joke.
Gerry Harvieux, the newspaper’s former editor, doubted it would ever return. But Harvieux spoke to Abbas and he’s rooting for him.
“He’s very sincere. I think he definitely has a passion for the industry,” he said. “If he can get through the initial startup phase, I think it will be really good for our community.”
Harvieux hopes to write for the new outlet occasionally and will share contacts with Abbas.
He knows there will be some local skepticism and Abbas will have to prove himself. He points to how Abbas lives outside Tilbury, 2½ hours away in Guelph. Abbas said he plans to be in town at least once a week.
“As long as he’s sincere, and people can see that he’s making a good effort and not just trying for a quick cash grab, I think it will be well received.”
Newspaper revivals ‘rare’
The new iteration will look slightly different. The paper used to be a weekly, but Abbas will mostly publish online. The website is already up and stories are trickling in. The plan is to put out a print version once a month, starting in March, to cater to people like Rogers.
He’s looking for freelance writers and wants to rent a small home in Tilbury that reporters can use when filing stories.
There’s even a new motto on the masthead — “for the times we live in.”
Revivals like this are “rare,” the report quoted April Lindgren as saying. Lindgren is a journalism professor at Ryerson University who tracks Canadian media openings and closures through her Local News Research Project.
“I’m a big fan of this. I hope that the community recognizes the commitment and is willing to step up,” she said. “I’m under no illusions that it’s challenging.”
She’s watched news outlets start up and fail due to lack of advertising. Right now, Abbas is using his own money to finance the paper. He’s looking for advertisers from town and wants to keep the website free for readers.
The news of Mohsin’s initiative evoked significant interest from Canadians, many of whom took to Twitter to thank him. “I spent 25 years in the #newspaper industry before becoming a #Recruiter. I understand the significance of local newspapers in communities across Canada. This story warms my and renews my faith in ppl. Thank you Mohsin Abbas,” wrote Gail Eckert in a Tweet.
“All power to Mohsin Abbas and everyone who is going to be taking over small town newspapers all across Canada as it seems like this is literally the only path forward,” tweeted Nora Loreto, a journalist and author.
Aura, a Canadian charity organization, tweeted: “A great example of the difference that refugee newcomers make in their communities. After hearing that Tilbury, ON was losing their newspaper, Mohsin Abbas a journalist from Pakistan is now reviving the newspaper.”
