Across North America, there has been a tremendous decline in the number of community newspapers. In Canada, over a ten-year period ending December 31, 2018, 250 news media outlets closed and only 93 new outlets opened to fill the gaps left by these closures. A majority of the new outlets were created by independent media owners, not well-known chains, and they opened in 69 different communities, compared to 190 communities that have had closures. In the past, the Burlington Post published meaningful news articles in a newspaper distributed three days per week. They are now down to one delivery per week per location. The Hamilton Spectator and the Toronto-based newspapers barely mention Burlington. In the 1980s, the Spectator had a Burlington section five days per week and there was a third printed local publication for many years as well.
We started https://local-news.ca/ to fill the void that has been created by this trend. Burlington is a city of over 200,000 people. We know Burlington needs a convenient news source that they can rely on for positive intentions to build up the community and recognize progress.
The local news void can best be addressed by a community effort and the example that inspires me is a local news site in East Lansing, Michigan, simply called East Lansing Info (https://eastlansinginfo.news/).
Local-news.ca Burlington is a digital media outlet for the residents, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations that make Burlington what it is. The expectation is that articles will be initially written by volunteers and we are gradually adding some paid journalists. There will be an array of content featuring coverage of local news in government, development, business, arts and culture, sports, community, and health and fitness. Opinion pieces will be welcomed and there are guidelines in place to ensure respectful decorum.
We want to provide trusted reporting, fair and insightful coverage, balanced perspectives, and collaborate with others in the community. Look for us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @localnewsburl.
Since we launched quietly in January, we have been connecting with a variety of individuals and organizations. We are fortunate to have a dedicated group of volunteers working behind the scenes to build our plans and get things rolling. We are pleased to have our first journalism student working with us and look forward to others in future.
We are excited now to launch our Imagine Burlington series of blogs and podcasts, hosted by Ralph Benmergui. Ralph is an award-winning broadcaster known best for his work at the CBC and JazzFM91. He has a book coming out this fall that is available now on pre-order. It’s called I Thought He Was Dead. A spiritual memoir. Ralph also hosts several other podcasts including Not That Kind of Rabbi, available everywhere.
Enjoy! And if you’d like to contribute in any way, please let us know at contact@local-news.ca.
Rick Goldring is the publisher of local-news.ca.
