## Broken Hill's Barrier Truth Newspaper Closes After 130 Years
The Barrier Truth, Broken Hill's independently-owned newspaper, has closed its doors after nearly 130 years. The union-run newspaper, formerly known as the Barrier Daily Truth, was the town's longest-running news provider, having printed over 33,000 editions.
The closure is another blow to the mining town, which lost its nightly commercial news bulletin a year ago. On Tuesday, 15 staff were notified that the paper would not be published in the foreseeable future. The last edition was printed on Wednesday.
Barrier Industrial Council president and Barrier Truth board chair Roslyn Ferry said it "broke her heart" to cease operations. She cited the economic climate, a drop in subscriptions, and the recent breakdown of the local printing press as contributing factors. The additional cost of printing the paper in Mildura and transporting it to Broken Hill further strained the budget.
The closure comes amidst a broader trend of regional newspaper closures. Experts say Meta's recent decision to remove the News tab on Facebook is likely to exacerbate the situation. Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Canberra Caroline Fisher expects the move to negatively impact news outlets, as around 32% of Australians get their news from Facebook.
Dr. Fisher believes the government should step in to support rural and regional journalism. For now, the closure of the Barrier Truth leaves a significant void in Broken Hill's media landscape. As former employee Emily McInerney stated, "[The paper] keeps people connected, it keeps the community together."
The newspaper's board is seeking further legal and financial advice.