Local news - J-Source

Year of reckoning looms for Canada’s newspapers

As 2018 dawns, it’s clear that Canada’s news media are in danger of lurching into the abyss unless Ottawa takes action soon. Enforcing our country’s anti-trust laws to stop the corporate consolidation and cutbacks in local news coverage would help to stanch the bleeding in the short term, but Canada’s Competition Bureau has recently shown little…
Instead of mourning local news, try paying for it

Canadians often mourn the loss of their local newspaper. But there’s a disconnect, because few Canadians actually pay for a local news subscription. Continue Reading Instead of mourning local news, try paying for it
What if we imagined a future where media workers were owners?

Here’s how journalists can band together to start worker owned media outlets. Continue Reading What if we imagined a future where media workers were owners?
The Power of Place: When ‘Local’ is More than a Catchphrase

While big-city newsrooms discuss the future of local news, the voice of rural Canada wanes. Continue Reading The Power of Place: When ‘Local’ is More than a Catchphrase
New TVO Ontario Hubs might be a model for supporting local journalism

John Ferri, VP of Current Affairs and Documentaries at TVO, explains how the Ontario Hub model will work. Continue Reading New TVO Ontario Hubs might be a model for supporting local journalism
Community media only needs a little to do a lot but even limited funding is disappearing, experts say

By Gregory Furgala for the Local News Conference Small-scale community news outlets can have a meaningful impact and thrive “on a shoestring,” but decreases in funding have left the sector reeling, say community news researchers. Non-profit community media in Canada, which has traditionally relied on a combination of government assistance and private investment, have seen those funds…
Research shows that local news reporters are working harder than ever – and they’re loving it

By Gregory Furgala for the Local News Conference Across the United States, reporters and editors at local newspapers are working longer hours, in smaller newsrooms and with fewer opportunities for advancement. They’re also optimistic about the future of local news, and their futures in it, a recent study in the Columbia Journalism Review has found.…
Muslim communities are telling new stories to break old stereotypes, say panelists

By Angela Long for the Local News Conference If you want to learn about the Muslim community, don’t read the news, says the associate editor of The Islamic Monthly. Steven Zhou, who converted to Islam six years ago, said writing about a community takes time and resources. As a result, too many publications produce “surface-level” stories fulfilling…
Researchers urge journalists to examine who gets quoted in news stories

By Abby Plener for the Local News Conference While the value of different sources can be subjective, newsrooms have a responsibility to interrogate their choices surrounding which voices get the most coverage, researchers agreed at a recent conference on local news. Asmaa Malik, assistant professor at the Ryerson School of Journalism, emphasized that in a fast-paced newsroom,…
Listening to community members essential, say Indigenous journalists sharing industry experiences at local news conference

By Abby Plener for the Local News Conference While working in community news, Wawmeesh Hamilton heard a story from a reporter at a rival paper that he found concerning. The journalist told him that their publisher said that First Nations stories did not warrant enough interest to earn a spot on the front page. Hamilton recalls being…