Nature strip gardening prompts conversations with passers by. Mostly about the weather, gardening, and dogs. But when J stopped for a chat, he was animated by a podcast he’d just listened to about civic discourse. It reaffirmed his commitment to it – in life and in his work which requires disciplined reasoning. You put forward your reasoning, as does the other person, and some shared understanding emerges. Sounds simple.
In August, Sean Car, editor and publisher of CBD News, Docklands News, Southbank News, Inner City News and North West City News let readers know that from September, all those local papers will be folded in to a new paper, The Melburnian. While the papers are available online, print copies are widely distributed.
Car took over Docklands News when Shane Scanlan, the first editor and publisher, died. Docklands News had been started to help grow a sense of community in emerging Docklands.
The papers are not intent on rage bait, click bait – although fishing may feature. The articles inform. They don’t focus on or foment controversy but give space for civic discourse. There are no gotcha moments. The tone is respectful, always. His interviews give space for people to share their thoughts.
The authoritative ‘Words by Sean Car’ denote a subject deserving attention.
Car is stern when critique is warranted, particularly about Docklands. Since Docklands News was born in Docklands, it has followed Docklands highs and lows, and always kept the vision and aspiration for Docklands alive.
When the tall ship Alma Doepel had to move from its berth to make way for further development, he wrote ‘the belief that living heritage matters most when it is seen, touched and used. The farewell to Docklands heritage fleet is not simply about vessels moving berths. It is about a precinct losing its memory, and a missed opportunity to let history continue to inform its future’.
Car takes a similar oversight role of Fishermans Bend as he has to Docklands including his recent article Has the government stopped caring about Fishermans Bend?
Car gives generous space to local groups to talk about the issues that matter to them in their own words.
The papers are local, but not parochial. They respect local as legitimate and important. As he says: local people are interested in local news’. He is committed to ‘a dedicated local newspaper interested in the detail of this place’. There’s also room for dogs, for business, and for profiling locals.
Commentators in the US observe an association between the lack of local papers and the spread of misinformation contributing to the breakdown of trust in institutions.
Port Melbourne is in a news desert. Port Melbourne facebook groups do not fill the gap.
St Kilda has TWISK, This Week in St Kilda. It lands in your inbox faithfully on a Sunday evening. It’s remit is St Kilda, so it can’t be blamed for not covering Port.
I look forward to the first issue of The Melburnian.
