From mining to Meta: the slow decline of Broken Hill’s only newspaper

The Barrier Daily Truth newspaper in the western NSW town of Broken Hill has been a cornerstone of the community since 1897. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

When Craig Brealey started his journalism cadetship at Broken Hill’s union-run Barrier Daily Truth newspaper in 1978, it was a thriving newsroom.

“There would be people coming and going all night, doors slamming, people yelling, it was a lot of fun,” says Brealey. “The door was always open, people could come in off the street.”