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In March 2023, The Can adian Record ceased print publication after 130 years of operation. The paper had been in the family of its owner and editor, Laurie Ezzell Brown, since 1948. But like newspapers all around the country, the paper’s revenue from ad sales continued to decline at an alarming rate, and despite trying for years, Brown, now 72, was not able to find a buyer.
Now there’s no local paper to chronicle the wildfires, high school football games and agriculture industry. Brown still operates a Facebook page to serve the community, but a hole remains.
Emmy-winning filmmaker Heather Courtney followed Brown for five years, chronicling Brown’s hard work of putting out the paper and her close ties to the community she covered. The film is produced by Paul Stekler and edited by Karen Skloss. After the film premiered on the PBS series Reel South last spring, The Texas Tribune, in partnership with Reel South, is proud to make the film available for 30 days.
To read more about Brown and the shuttering of her paper, click here.