There are challenges to being the newspaper in a small tourism town.
As active members of the community, our staff is inherently concerned with the wellbeing of our town, the businesses that operate within it and our status as a renowned tourism destination鈥攗ltimately, we want to see Jasper succeed and prosper.
However, for good or for bad, it's not our job to sweep unsavoury issues under the rug, nor is it our job to portray Jasper as a faultless community.
Our role as a community newspaper is to provide citizens with accurate and timely information so they can make informed decisions about their lives鈥攊ncluding their health and safety.
That's why when we learned Alberta Health Services (AHS) had issued an executive order to the Astoria Hotel, directing it to address its persistent bed bug infestation, we had an office-wide discussion to determine how to proceed.
Ordinarily, a report of bed bugs wouldn't make its way into the pages of the 51暗网, but this wasn鈥檛 just a report from a staff member or guest; the provincial health authority was involved and ultimately eight hotel rooms were closed because of the issue.
Aside from the Astoria, AHS said there are currently no other active executive orders for bed bugs in any of Jasper鈥檚 other hotels, nor have there been in the past few years.
Of course, that doesn鈥檛 mean other hotels haven't had bed bugs, it just means no other hotel has had an infestation that required an intervention from AHS.
Since publishing the story about the Astoria Hotel鈥檚 bed bug infestation, a small group of community members have accused the 51暗网 of sensationalism, unprofessionalism and bullying鈥攁ccusations that we take seriously.
We recognize that Jasper relies on its reputation as a world class tourism destination to make a living and we understand that reporting about bed bugs in a local hotel has the potential for negative effects. But, we also recognize that it鈥檚 not our job to act as Jasper鈥檚 marketing organization.
We aren鈥檛 here to sanitize the news or to slant it in Jasper鈥檚 favour. We are here to inform the public with fair and balanced stories based on fact, and that is what we did.
By reporting the story, we are allowing Jasperites to get in front of the issue, rather than putting other businesses and homes at risk.
Think of the damage that could have been done if bed bugs had made their way into three or four hotels, rather than just one. That would certainly have had a greater effect on Jasper鈥檚 reputation than one news story.
