SNIE - the Small Newspapers Information Exchange
3 October 2003
'The more people who share a problem, is a problem halved.'
is what an editor was heard to say recently.
Publishers and editors of small newspapers of Commonwealth countries are the subscribers to an electronic listserve or e-forum called the Small Newspaper Information Exchange, or SNIE for short. It was launched on 3 October 2003.
The formation of such an e-forum was one of the key points on a training 'wish list' compiled during a breakout session at the CPU's Commonwealth Editors' Forum in Kandy in February 2003, chaired by Marc Neil-Jones of the Vanuatu Daily Post.
The CPU has not tried to define 'small'. A limit on the circulation figure of the paper has not been set. Some of those editors subscribed may therefore only have a staff of 10, others many more. Currently there are 160 publishers and editors subscribed from all over the Commonwealth. Gilbert Ahnee, Editor of Le Mauricien said: "What is the definition of a small paper? Can it be circulation? Should not circulation be related to the objective market size? Should it not be a comparison of the paper's turnover to the country's GDP? Some papers, like Le Mauricien in Mauritius are 'small papers' but within their context of operation, they are big companies and major players."
"Most small newspapers are relatively young and many struggle to survive, let alone be viable businesses," Ms Rangeley said. "Hopefully, SNIE will be able to help them. Not only will the listers subscribed to SNIE be able to compare notes but there will also be list members from more established newspapers who will be able to offer advice, and solutions to problems."
The moderator of the group is Mark Pearson, Professor of Journalism at Bond University, Queensland, Australia, and director of its Centre for New Media Research and Education.
Mark has taken over from John Schalch, Editor-in-Chief of Capricornia Newspapers in Queensland who said "One of the greatest values of listserves like SNIE is empowerment. Education is knowledge and knowledge is power, then a listserve that delivers the former duo can be, in some part, a catalyst for the latter."
Outside Australia, small newspapers throughout the Commonwealth are invited to come on board as well as training consultants and university academics and lecturers who have already worked with the organisation.
Momodou Touray, Editor of The Observer in The Gambia said "SNIE, in my opinion, should act as a kind of one stop service for small newspapers."
Editors who believe their papers fall into either the 'small' or 'smaller' category and would like to subscribe (from Commonwealth countries only) - for free, of course - should contact Jane Rangeley, the CPU's Training Director, at
jane@cpu.org.uk
