When the first edition of the Herald hit the streets in 1908, journalists roamed the streets and a century of history started.
The then editor, Mr C.V. Bates could surely not have fathomed the changes that this community news-paper would undergo in the 100 odd years that would follow. They say change is as good as a holiday. The landscape of the press has been changing since that day, more than 100 years ago. Telephones were introduced and were widely used to get information from sources much more easily. Desktop computers replaced typewriters.
The longest-serving editor of the Herald, Mr Hennie Stander, readily tells of his experience when the switch from typewriters to computers happened.
To him, it seemed like something futuristic, almost like something from a science-fiction film. Film cameras and darkrooms gave way to digital cameras. The internet became a requirement for newspapers; more recently, social media has started becoming a necessary tool for papers to get information to people. The Herald adopted all this technology, not only as a cost-saving measure but as an adaptation to the way people communicate.
In short, the Herald has changed and adapted to the environment it has operated in over the years. Hours of debate could be had about the pros and cons of the various technologies. The fact remains that how people communicate has changed drastically and is still doing so.
The Herald recently announced that it would distribute the Herald for free. This was another change from the norm, another adaptation to an ever-changing environment.
The Herald is now moving into another era, one that some other businesses have already embraced successfully. A shift that was probably on the cards, but hastened by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The Herald’s offices, which have been closed during the lockdown, will not re-open. While the physical office space will not be used in future, the Herald, as you, the readers and the community, know it, will remain.
We are simply embracing the technology at our disposal to ensure that the quality of the newspaper the readers have come to expect from us stays the same. The staff will be working remotely; in many cases, much closer to the community than before. In 1908, the Herald had a mission, to bring relevant community news to the residents of Potchefstroom. Since then, this mission has not changed. In truth, it has always been the guiding light, the one constant in a changing world.
