By Andru McCracken and Laura Keil
Rocky Mountain Goat Media Inc. is taking part in a new federal initiative aimed at increasing news in underserved communities across Canada. The 5-year program is called the Local Journalism Initiative and the program’s stated goal is to boost the amount of original civic journalism throughout the country. As a concession for funding private news organizations, the content produced by LJI journalists is made available to all media organizations through a Creative Commons license at no cost.
The Goat applied for and received support for a legislative reporter (rural focus) based mainly in Victoria for an initial 14-month term.
It’s our intent to provide enhanced coverage of the legislature and legislation as well as hold politicians accountable. The reporter we hire will be tasked with reporting on programs and laws set up by the provincial government and discerning what they mean for rural places like ours.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions regarding topics this journalist will cover. We plan to reach out via a survey during the year to gain additional feedback from readers.
Though the Goat is still in the interview process at the time of writing, we have been amazed at the number and quality of applications for the position. There is not only an appetite for reading relevant rural legislative news, there is an appetite for creating it!
The new reporter will start at the beginning of February just in time for the Provincial budget. We are excited to finally offer consistent coverage of provincial matters through a rural lens – especially where it has a local impact on forestry, health, education, seniors, the environment and social programs to name a few.
Stay tuned!
