EDITORIAL: How to get involved in your new newspaper

GM Peter Dounoukos and Dipraj ‘Raj’ Das, who has come on board to help with deliveries, are seen here outside the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope on Aug. 14. /Peter Dounoukos photo

By West Northumberland Independent staff

Leading up to our July 31 launch, there may have been a healthy bit of skepticism in the community as the team started spreading the word about a new newspaper startup.

Let’s be honest, you don’t often hear about a newspaper startup in 2026.

A newspaper startup is an ambitious undertaking – there are a lot of steps behind-the-scenes to get your new weekly publication printed every Friday.

We started with a small team – three full-time positions wearing multiple hats across editorial, advertising, management, and circulation (and the list goes on) and one part-time position under graphic design. Today, we’re also juggling not just a print product, but online platforms.

We had to start somewhere, and the hope is we only continue to grow. And with that, we have welcomed a new part-time staffer – Dipraj “Raj” Das – to help with deliveries weekly. Prior to this, we welcomed freelance correspondents Alan Rivett under sports and photographer Tim Burgess.

Reflecting back to our inaugural edition of the Independent as the team – and even Publisher Stewart Grant and volunteers – rallied to help us get those first papers out on July 31, there were literal tears, and not just by the team, but in the community.

In truth, there are no words to describe what that day meant to us and physically getting our first paper into people’s hands. The community’s response so far has been nothing short of heartwarming – but we’ve also heard your suggestions and ideas and continue to welcome them.

Of course, we’ve had a few stumbles, too. They will happen but we promise to continue to get back up.

In the end, it’s your input that will ultimately shape the identity of this paper so please continue to reach out.

This Aug. 21 edition marks our fourth publication, and work continues to improve our coverage and product with your help in the community.

With this, the team also wanted to tackle a couple common asks and provide appropriate contacts and direction.

We’re often asked will you have obituaries, classifieds or places for birthday wishes or in memorials? Yes, we will allocate space for all, but people have to submit them. In these instances, please contact Peter Dounoukos via peter@granthaven.com.

Will you have letters to the editor? Yes, we have space for letters to the editor – but again, residents have to pen them and send them in.

If you want to send in a letter, please email editor Sarah Hyatt at sarah@granthaven.com.

All letters must be no longer than 350 words and include your name and phone number to verify your submission.

Residents should also note that Grant Haven Media reserves the right to edit and reject letters.

Under deliveries, Grant Haven Media operates a unique distribution model for this area offering free pick-up at various locations. This model will continue to be revised based on demand. If you’re a business looking to be added to the distribution list, you can reach out via peter@granthaven.com.

We’re also often asked about subscriptions. Yes, you can have the paper mailed through Canada Post. The price for a subscription is $78 per year ($74.29 plus GST.)

People wanting to subscribe are asked to e-transfer granthaveneast@gmail.com and include their full mailing address in the comments or you can send a cheque to the mailing address Grant Haven Media, 95 Millson Crescent, St. Marys, ON, N4X 1E3.

Are you online or can I get the newspaper electronically?

The answer to this is also “yes.” You can find stories and electronic versions of the paper on our website at www.granthaven.com/west-northumberland. Here, there is also a free e-newsletter subscription option.

Finally, let’s talk about our community event listings. Our graphic designer Melanie McGill so far has been scouring community calendars trying to show people what this page should look like. However, the intent has always been that people are sending in events to populate this page.

This space has been dedicated for free events (those charging no admission.) If you’d like to have your event featured, email McGill at info@wnuindy.ca and peter@granthaven.com.

Now, if you’re looking to promote your event but it involves admission, there is still space but there is a modest fee. Those submissions should be directed to peter@granthaven.com and jen@granthaven.com.

Moving forward, if there are no public event submissions, the space will be used for editorial and/or advertising.

We hope this answers some of your questions for now, and until next week.