The Jasper Booster appeared on newsstands for the last time last week.

Though the two papers may have been rivals, we were fond rivals. There’s nothing like a little competition to keep a paper’s editorial staff on its toes and ensure that no event or issue is overlooked.

Reporters enjoy running into their peers. Having a fellow journalist around can ease the tension (or boredom) of an event. And who better to bemoan the challenges of the newspaper industry over a beer than writers for the opposing paper?

But besides what we’ve lost from a journalism perspective, three young women in this town have lost their careers. These weren’t just jobs for them, they were their occupations. It’s not as if an abundance of publisher, editor, and office manager jobs are floating around Jasper, or anywhere else for that matter. 

These are women who have been in Jasper for some time now, and seemed interested in sticking around for at least a little while.

In addition, two freelance contributors have lost their jobs. One is a young Jasperite writing about the town she knows. The other is a photographer from overseas, whose assignments surely eased his transition to Jasper both socially and financially.

Though we haven’t heard how these former employees will move forward, the paper’s closure can potentially cause a ripple effect through the town. If they move away, Jasper will lose year-round renters as well as shop and restaurant patrons who will not be replaced.

When it comes to placing blame, many will look to Sun Media, the corporation that purchased the Booster years ago. Unfortunately, newspapers, which generally aren’t big money-makers to begin with, currently face not only economic challenges but also the shift to online content.

Who’s to say whether the Booster would have endured through 2009 if Sun Media had never purchased it. 

As former editor Peter Glenn wrote in an email, newspapers provide an invaluable public service to cities and towns alike, keeping elected officials accountable, shining a light on injustices large and small, and providing a forum and a voice to the communities they serve.

Hopefully, large media corporations will realize this importance and few other communities will be robbed of their cherished publications.

In her farewell column, front office manager Jean Hannaford lamented the paper’s end. 

“Today will be the last edition of the Jasper Booster. It doesn’t matter how many times I say it – it just doesn’t sound real and I’m waiting to wake up,” she wrote. “Are we really closing, how can this be? Is Jasper’s newspaper really closing its doors?”

Sadly, it’s true. Not just for the readers and advertisers, but for those behind the grey type of that newspaper’s pages.