After nearly 130 years of serving the outback New South Wales (NSW) community, Broken Hill’s only newspaper, The Barrier Truth, has closed its doors, leaving a significant void in the region.
The decision to shut down the union-run bi-weekly paper was delivered to staff by the newspaper’s board, citing financial challenges. Board chair Roslyn Ferry expressed the difficulty in sustaining operations, especially in the past year.
Journalist Jason Irvine, one of the paper’s last remaining full-time employees, found himself without a job midway through April 17 due to cashflow issues. He had been working on interviews and stories, including one about a former local police officer battling post-traumatic stress disorder.
Reflecting on his time at The Barrier Truth, Irvine shared his pride in contributing to the paper and lamented the untold stories that would now remain silenced.
The closure of the newspaper not only impacted its staff but also left the mining town of Broken Hill with limited news sources, with only the ABC remaining as a local news service.
Established in 1898, The Barrier Truth was a longstanding independent newspaper that had weathered previous challenges, including a near-closure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
