It is with much regret that the Editor is given the opportunity to offer a valedictory homily in this special edition of the Gazette in dour recognizance of the decline and extinction of one of the greats of recent micronational journalism, the
Batavian Post (BP), which was discontinued today. A simple one-word statement cross-posted on both the
Bastion and
Hub.mn BP threads by its long-time editor, Simon ben Erasmus, was succeeded by the deletion of the paper's online records, formerly located on
their Blogspot site. Pressed by a commenter on Bastion, ben Erasmus' representative cited the "shrinking market" of Micran journalism as being a determinant factor in the closure of the paper.
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| Thousands of child labourers were employed across Micras in order to spread the journalistic truth emanating from the BP |
It is worth firstly noting the nature and importance of the BP. It sat firmly on the thin borderline between satirical sniping and factual reportage. Its primary distinction was the ability of its editor to produce more frequently than any other modern news outlet on Micras. What came from the BP were articles of varying quality: from cartoons and single-paragraph news stories, to exclusive (sometimes liberally-sourced) interviews and detailed analyses of micronational events, readers usually finished articles dubiously informed but well cheered by the succinct comic style of its writers. Its importance primarily lay in bridging the gap between the small but vocal Dutch community and the rest of Micras, by offering a skewed but persistent window into the minds of those participants.
But perhaps the most important thing to take from the demise of yet another micronational newspaper - though, admittedly, with slightly more class albeit abrupt than many others, which simply fizzle out in the style of micronations themselves - is a chance to reflect on the wider problems that beset the journalistic side of this hobby. The BP represented the creative method of reporting through which micronational readers can learn about other micronations and engage with them. It was a success because it provided controversial opinions and points of view; it was able to grip the imaginations of hobbyists by making the political arguments and issues of the day seem worth reporting, by reporting them. Other outlets did not have the (semi-)professional edge to make them worth reading; others lacked the sense of humour that keeps us coming back; and others still, such as the
Coprieta Standard, probably the gold standard of micronational newspaper over the years, simply do not put out articles often enough to command an active and engaged readership as the BP did.
Simon ben Erasmus is thought to be a great patron of micropatriology and micronational historical studies, and so any who may be interested in the BP and its archived articles stored on his hard-disk should contact him via the Bastion, Hub or Batavian fora.
