Canada

Don’t make the same mistake we made in the US

It is cheaper to buy a dozen small papers and make them one big advertising rag than to pay hundreds of local residents to do local journalism.

Efficiency dictates that we have one big nationally syndicated periodical that just says "BUY MORE GOOD THING" with a picture of the good thing on the front and then that's it that's your journalism for the day.

Put a tax in Google and facebook ad buys, that's where all the ad dollars have went.

Seriously, the consequences are extremely dire. If you wanna see what happens when you let oligarchs consolidate control over your media, just look south right now.

Support your local journalists! Too many people think news should be free but then complain when they get hit with a paywall or too many ads. Most places don't want to do these things, but they get desperate if donations aren't keeping the lights on.

Local news is dead. There are still local newspapers, but they are all just the same national and your state news with your neighborhood on the cover. Well they will publish the city and school board meeting notices, and the minutes, but nothing useful. ("after debated approved plan to X" - what where the points debated is never mentioned). No wonder such newspapers are dieing - they are not producing anything of value.

Kingstonist.com, a digital news outlet, is working hard to fill the gaps, Sypnowich says. But it is a relatively small operation, with just three full-time journalists, a manager who occasionally helps out with news coverage, and a budget for freelancers. Forster and Fardella recently stepped up to support the publication, but their willingness to pay for digital news makes them a rarity. While almost three quarters of Canadians (72 percent) access news online, a majority still believe journalism is best served up free, with 57 percent indicating they won’t pay anything at all for it.

I love the Kingstonist! I have a subscription I pay for monthly. They have indeed been working very hard. They have traditional articles along with local news show on YouTube, an interview-oriented podcast, a community calendar, and a whole section they set up about the provincial election with candidate profiles and what not. They may be small, but they punch above their weight.