Postmedia sending 'radio silence' about future of St. John's Telegram, says union head and journalist

A photojournalist of nearly four decades says Postmedia hasn't shared its plans for the St. John's Telegram as the media company prepares to buy the newspaper and other publications in Atlantic Canada.

Keith Gosse, who also represents 37 of the company's employees as president of Unifor Local 441-G, said employees know only that the company will purchase the paper itself and its editorial operations but not the printing press or staff in other departments.

He's been part of takeovers before, he told CBC News on Monday, but this one feels different.

"It's radio silence from them. I've spoken to some managers and other people in the building, and no one is being told anything," Gosse said.

"Our print unit guys, they don't know if they're going to have a job in two weeks. You know, office staff, it's all just a huge question mark. I don't even know if I'm going to be working.… It's a horrible thought to think that, you know, your career or your job might be at an end, you know, in a week or two."

Last week, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia approved the $1-million Postmedia bid for the insolvent Atlantic newspaper chain SaltWire Network and Halifax Herald Ltd. The sale, which is expected to close Aug. 24, includes the Telegram.

With the printing press not part of the deal, Gosse said, staff are uncertain about what comes next — like whether the Telegram will continue to produce a print edition or continue solely online, or potentially exist as part of a consolidated publication with other papers.

"Postmedia could come in and lay off a bunch of people in the newsroom. And, you know, that's kind of what we're hearing," Gosse said.

"If we had some kind of indication as to where we were possibly headed, it would be, you know, a big help to alleviate at least some of the stress."

Gosse said the uncertainty has left him concerned for local journalism — especially for young journalists only recently hired.

If the Telegram were to stop printing, he said, Newfoundland and Labrador would become the only province in Canada without a daily newspaper.

"At some point if we lose another journalism outfit … who are the people who actually look into those dark corners of injustice and, you know, make sure politicians are acting properly? Or who will tell the good news stories about people overcoming, you know, illness or coming through a car crash and surviving?" he said.

"It's all stuff that we know that the public wants to know about. But, you know, the less people that are out there to tell the stories, the less the general public knows about what's going on in their communities."

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.