Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2018 (2441 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s not exactly the kind of report that you would want to have leading a parade to kick off a national week of celebrations.

But then again, newspapers are in the truth business, so sugar-coating isn’t part of our DNA. And if National Newspaper Week comes on the heels of a study quantifying the decline of news coverage in Canada, then so be it.

So let’s get straight to the bad news the Public Policy Forum delivered as part of The Shattered Mirror Series. In the report entitled Mind the Gaps: Quantifying the Decline of News Coverage in Canada, empirical research found the number of newspaper articles appearing in a sample of communities in all five regions — Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairies/Territories and British Columbia — fell by almost half over the past decade.

At some level, that shouldn’t be a surprise, as 169 local media outlets closed and another 54 reduced services between 2008 and 2016. That trend accelerated in 2017 when Postmedia and Torstar swapped assets and then closed the doors of even more newspapers.

But what the number-crunching in the report revealed is certainly concerning, if not shocking:

• Civic affairs articles (coverage from legislatures, city halls and the courts) fell by 36 per cent.
• For every two articles on city halls in 2008, there was only one in 2017.
• The number of articles on courts and legislatures also dropped by about 50 per cent.
• The quality of articles also declined based on five indicators that measured the depth of the articles.

So why should you care?

“The relevance of these findings goes well beyond those directly involved in the news industry, with major implications for Canadian politics and democracy,’’ reads the report.

“Access to quality news and information is critical in a democracy, as it enables citizens to know what their governments are doing, to hold those governments to account and to build a culture of civic participation and debate among citizens.”

“Access to quality news and information is critical in a democracy, as it enables citizens to know what their governments are doing, to hold those governments to account and to build a culture of civic participation and debate among citizens.”

Of course, newspapers are not the only source of access to quality news. But in many communities from coast to coast, they are often the only real source of news.

Indeed, the Brandon Sun — our sister publication and one of the papers studied for the report — is essentially the last newsroom standing in the province’s second-largest city. 

As for the argument that new media would pick up the slack — well, that isn’t exactly working, either.

“Despite some limited startup activity, the trend lines are moving in a single and pronounced direction,’’ notes Mind the Gaps. “While some digital-only publications have enriched the news ecosystem, so far they have tended to lack the journalistic intensity of the news media system of the previous century.”

How, then, should we celebrate National Newspaper Week?  Our newsroom can take pride in the fact that the very same report bemoaning the state of the industry lauded the Free Press as “arguably the most innovative and journalistically committed paper in Western Canada.”

I hope our readers value the fact that we are the only media outlet in the city that has beat reporters staffing bureaus at the Manitoba legislature, the Law Courts and city hall every single day.

But if celebration isn’t in the cards for National Newspaper Week, then maybe the best takeaway will be awareness that in-depth, credible independent reporting that newspapers provide is under threat. That it can’t be taken for granted. And that it matters now more than ever.

-Paul Samyn is the Free Press editor

 

 

---

 

 

And the Oscar goes to… Spotlight

To help put the spotlight on National Newspaper Week, Oct. 1-7, the Free Press will be hosting a screening of Spotlight — and you are invited.

In her 5-star review of the film that would go on to win the Oscar for best picture, our Alison Gillmor said this: “By forgoing high-flown speeches about the ideals of a free press and focusing instead on the hard slogging that underpins those ideals, this newspaper procedural gets journalism right.” 

We also get journalism right, and I look forward to thanking as many of our readers as possible for helping to fund our journalism at this special event.

In addition to the film, we are trying to add a bit of Hollywood buzz with a chance to mingle with our newsroom staff.

I can’t promise a red carpet, but will guarantee some free wine and popcorn. Join the discussion after the film about why the work that newspapers do matters.

To get your free tickets to the screening at the Winnipeg Art Gallery on Wednesday, Oct. 3, click here.

 

---

 

Extra! Extra! Read all about… the election

In the countdown to the Oct. 24 civic vote, we’ve launched Election Extra, a free newsletter that pulls together our campaign coverage and more.

Election Extra is delivered three times a week by way of email. Read the latest issue and sign up to get it straight to your inbox here.

As a Free Press Insider, you are also invited to the mayoral forum we are hosting with WinnipegREALTORS. Candidates vying for the mayoralty will take questions Free Press Perspectives Editor Brad Oswald.

You can be part of the live audience Thursday, Oct. 4 at the Franco-Manitobain Cultural Centre, or watch it live on winnipegfreepress.com. The debate begins at 7 p.m.

 

---

 

Dishing on Dump and Chase

By Mike McIntyre

They say nothing good happens after midnight. Well, I would strongly disagree, considering that like most of what I think are my best ideas, this one was born in the wee hours.

It was fairly early in the 2017-18 season when I learned from Sports Editor Steve Lyons that I would become a full-time member of our Winnipeg Jets coverage team at the Free Press. After getting that tap on the shoulder from the coach, I wanted to make a good first impression and avoid a quick demotion down to the minors.

My mind began racing at all the possibilities for this dream beat. And the thought emerged of a weekly notebook where we could connect with readers in a humorous way about all things hockey, from the local scene, around the NHL and beyond.

Dump & Chase debuted a few weeks later in January 2018 and has become a personal highlight for me and colleague Jason Bell.

We have far too much fun putting it together every week, sharing ideas through a flurry of texts, emails, phone conversations and in-person brainstorming.

Both of us are social media regulars — some might say fanatics — and frequently scan our various feeds for the type of content we crave, liking and starring dozens of items on a daily basis for future use.

The quirkier the better.

Even our family, friends and readers get in on the act, pointing out things they think would be great fodder.

For example, this past week we went positively googly-eyed over Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers’ bizarre new mascot. It had everything you could want for a Dump & Chase segment or two; heck, we could have done the entire edition on the maniacal-looking Muppet-like… thing.

As soon as one edition is put to bed, work begins on the next one. We typically map out a detailed plan the day before we write, breaking up the work and then marrying it together.

Like the very idea itself, much of this happens late at night.

The goal is to give readers a memorable experience they can’t find anywhere else, and having it be an online-only project is perfect.

We dress up each segment — appropriately broken down in hockey terms, such as the pre-game warmup, first, second and third periods, overtime and the dreaded shootout — with various digital bells and whistles not available in the printed edition of the paper.

In addition to providing a few laughs, we also want to give readers as much insight into what it’s like to be on the beat for an NHL team.

So whether it’s a tidbit from a Jets morning skate or practice, a tale from a far-flung road trip or some locker-room banter, we’ve always got our eyes peeled for the next great segment.

And if we should ever run short of ideas — well, there’s always Gritty!

Read the latest Dump & Chase — and subscribe to receive it in your inbox — here.

 

 

---

 

Reviews for Food for Thought

While we are in the business of restaurant reviews, we really never had anyone review what we serve, so to speak.

But that all changed with Food for Thought, our 24-hour tour of food in Winnipeg. Our one-day project began at the stroke of midnight on July 13. At the top of the hour another reporter and photographer moved to the next story, until we gathered 24 stories — from a bakery at the crack of dawn to a late-night hangout, from kitchen tables to truck stops to laboratories and street parties. 

While we received positive feedback from our readers, it was the attention we received in the world of journalistic reviews that caught us by surprise.

You can read what the Canadian Journalism Project had to say about our project here.

And if you missed the special summer project — or want to have seconds — you can dine on it here.

 

 

---

 

In case you missed it…

 

 

Small man, big dreams

Daniel Sackey is a single-minded, five-foot-nine Winnipegger who fully expects to earn a living on the NBA hardwood.

“We believe in adaptation,” says Mercy Sackey, Daniel’s mother. “We also believe in where you are is where you’re meant to be and you belong there.

“It’s good to have African culture and African values but we are Canadians now, so everything about what we do and how we raised them is part of what being a Canadian citizen looks like and how being African blend together. In the long run, we are Canadian.”

Mike Sawatzky reports on how the lightning quick ‘Winnipeg Jet’ survived a bumpy prep-school experience in the United States and landed a NCAA scholarship.

 

Crossing the line

Truth, injustice — and permanent blocking — the American way is what awaits Canadians who fess up to past cannabis use at the border.

“I’m not asking anybody to lie,” says Liberal Sen. Mobina Jaffer. “But I’m just wanting people to know that telling the truth can cause you consequences. You don’t have to respond — people don’t know that’s an option.

“And I’m not talking about people who are transporting even a little bit of cannabis across the border, or who just had some. I’m really speaking about people who have, in their life, smoked it, or smoked it a few months before they even travelled. Those kinds of people, I’m more concerned about.”

Cannabis reporter Sol Israel takes an in-depth look at what you can do if you’re asked about marijuana use at the U.S. border.

 

Behind the wheel for a meal

A rural road trip uncovered not just a wealth of mouthwatering and innovative fare, but also the young entrepreneurs and immigrants whose vision brought it to the plate.

“Many of the people we met were not professional chefs. Their training happened in smaller kitchens; their teachers were their parents and grandparents, from family recipes written by hand. Many of the places we visited were owned and run by young entrepreneurs and immigrants who saw the potential that existed in hometowns both original and adopted.

“We learned that travel doesn’t have to involve an airplane, and discovery can happen in your own back 40. And that if you want to do something, you should just do it — whether that’s open your own restaurant, or drive 50 minutes for a slice of banana cream pie.”

Hit the road with Erin Lebar and Jen Zoratti. (Warning! Do not consume this article while hungry!)

 

---