This week is National Newspaper Week in Canada, an opportunity to reflect on the integral importance journalism has to a functioning democracy and thriving community.
OK, dear reader, I can already sense your eyes glazing over. Every time I carry the torch for community news, I feel like one of those old-timey travelling salesmen trying his best to persuade you to open your wallet. Why yes, these Cutco knives really will last you a lifetime!
The difference is I shouldn’t have to convince you of the true value of local news. The evidence is all around you. We not only cover the goings-on of a busy resort town—the interminable council meetings, the successes and concerns of local residents, the spicy political debates, the challenging court cases, the ski races and bike competitions, non-profit AGMs and community fundraisers, art exhibits and restaurant openings, etc.—we do our level best to analyze and interpret these things, to give them some meaning. Because Whistler means something, and the people who choose to live and play here mean something, and they—you—deserve a paper of record that reflects that fact.
Making this case can sometimes feel like being the last violinist on the Titanic. You don’t need me to tell you the newspaper business, in Whistler and indeed across the country and beyond, has suffered for years now. Print revenue has been on the decline since the dot-com boom convinced publications they needed to give away their content online for free and has only been exacerbated by a series of damaging blows since: the 2008 financial crisis, the rise of smartphones, tech giants eating into ad revenues, the erosion of public trust in media, you name it.
A whopping 516 Canadian newspapers have closed since 2008, according to a report last year by the Local News Research Project. In 2023 alone, 36 newspapers were shuttered, with only one new outlet launched. Even the big guys are slashing costs like Michael Myers on Halloween. In February, Bell Canada announced it was selling 45 local radio stations and cutting 4,800 jobs.
But there is hope. Philanthropic support for journalism is still on the ground floor in this country, but evidence suggests that “even on a modest scale it can propel powerful reporting that makes a difference,” wrote Ana Sofia Hibon, of the Inspirit Foundation, and April Lindgren, journalism professor and principal investigator for the aforementioned Local News Research Project, in an August article for Alliance Magazine.
Hibon and Lindgren found at least three dozen Canadian foundations that have helped fund media outlets’ activities in some form. While there are barriers to entry, including the fact that demand for charitable services is at an all-time high, and competition for scarce funding sources is steep, the two sides can generate mutual benefits if their goals are aligned and their relationship is clearly laid out.
And for those who may scoff at the seeming conflict between the interests of a non-profit and those of a newsroom, the philanthropic sector has a far better ethical track record than the likes of, say, a telecomms giant like Bell that has demonstrated it cares far more about its own financial well-being than the future of local journalism.
Although in its infancy, philanthropic journalism in Canada has already proven its ability to affect real change. The Narwhal, primarily funded by environmentally minded readers and foundations, won a prestigious Michener Award for Public Service Journalism for its coverage, partnering with The Toronto Star, that led Ontario Premier Doug Ford to reverse his approval of housing developments on protected Greenbelt lands.
Closer to home, The Tyee has been punching above its weight for a long time, regularly earning national and provincial accolades for its coverage. Nearly half its budget comes from readers, while the bulk of the remainder comes from private donors, foundations, and grants.
B.C.’s IndigiNews, an Indigenous-led newsroom funded in part by the McConnell Foundation, covered the provincial government’s now discontinued use of birth alerts, which resulted in a disproportionate number of Indigenous babies being taken from their mothers. This eventually led to a class action lawsuit on behalf of the affected parents.
There is optimism for Pique as well. While there’s no denying our weekly print product is slimmer than it used to be, and our social media engagement has taken a hit thanks to Facebook’s news ban, direct views to our site are higher than ever, hitting half a million views a month, and subscriptions to our email newsletter have been steadily climbing as well. (Sign up at here.)
Whether paid for through foundations or individual readers, what I’m getting at is, if you value local news, and more importantly, this weird, wondrous town we call home, keep bringing us your community concerns, your constructive criticisms, and, hey, if you can spare them, your extra coins.
Did I mention those Cutco knives really are excellent?
