There is much discussion about the death of local news. I checked Google just to make sure I wasn’t making that up based on American headlines, but no, it’s true. There’s an article about it in The Walrus. (Seeing The Walrus website makes me feel bad for not consulting it more often. Looks like a cool place…)
Anyways. Local News. Do you know what there used to be in local news? Right now I’m going through the archives of French papers La Liberté and Le Patriote from 1913 to now. A small town called Aubigny is the subject of my master’s thesis and so combing through archives provides me with a feeling of the life that went on there. In the 60’s a church group called Catholic Women’s League formed a press committee and submitted short articles about what was going on in the town. There were hockey match results, and birth and death announcements. When a couple got married, the author would sometimes plunge into details about what the bride wore: “gorgeous in her ivory brocade dress which ended with a graceful train. Her short veil was fastened with a delicate diadem. She held a bouquet of white orchids.” Bridesmaids were also named and described: “they wore identical dresses in gold brocade. A golden rose adorned their hair.” Even the couple’s mothers’ attire was described: “the two mothers (…) chose brown ensembles with brown accessories and their corsages were orchids.”
Trips were also noted: people visiting family, going away on holiday, attending a retreat. Accidents were recorded, minor ones eliciting prayers or sympathy, major ones eliciting their own separate headlines to mark the tragedy. Church meetings were summarized and gatherings were described. The latter included card games, holiday concerts, children’s groups, wedding anniversaries, and teas.
But there were articles prior to the 60’s, and the Catholic Women’s League press committee, with town news. They were often more sporadic and the subject matter varied from year to year. A farmer, it was noted in 1915, had a bumper crop of wheat. Conversely, the parish priest submitted a question about why his harvest was so low. Student grades were listed! I could, if I wanted, find out what my mother-in-law received in French as a young girl.
As a historian-in-the-making, I enjoy all this detail. However, I have trouble imagining that I would enjoy being the subject of these articles. On the other hand, you could argue that social media accounts provide heaps of information in comparison. Maybe it’s the ownership of the information? While others commented on what went on in the village, providing this comfortable sense of community, I am loathe to have anyone report on my goings on, even though I am fine with describing them myself. I think the feeling could be expounded because it reflects some generational gap; perhaps a divergence between a feeling of community and a growing sense of individualism.