In July, alongside local news outlets across the province, NACTV had the opportunity to present at a public hearing held by the Province of Manitoba regarding local journalism. Senior LJI journalist Rrain Prior took the reins for the presentation, supported by a body of work from council meetings to public works investigations to protests and calls to action that was only possible thanks to the Local Journalism Initiative and the presence of a local reporter in Neepawa.
As the only remaining community access station in Manitoba, NACTV drew interest from other news outlets through this civic participation, including the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Free Press. The Press went so far as to run a three-page profile entirely about the station, focusing on how local journalism by journalists present in the community is essential to our democracy.
The following excerpt is quoted from the Brandon Sun's coverage of the hearing.
“If we genuinely want to address our many ‘news deserts,’ we need to not only strengthen the outlets we already have, but be prepared to support startups, particularly in remote areas and marginalized communities,” Prior said.
“As the only independent television station in the province, outside of Winnipeg, we are called upon to go even further afield. We do this with two and a half staff members and a handful of volunteers on a shoestring budget in a time where there are virtually no barriers when it comes to platforming opinions as facts, and consequently, fake news is rampant,” she said.
“Local journalism created by local news outlets is crucial for accurate, trusted information.”
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About LJI
LJI Impact is the section of commediaportal.ca where the journalists and their organizations participating in CACTUS' Local Journalism Initiative can share their greatest successes.
Through the written stories, photos and videos you see in the LJI Impact section, you'll be able to read first hand accounts about how the presence of a community journalist is making a difference in communities across Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative and the Community Media Portal.
The Community Media Portal is a gateway to the audio-visual media created by community media centres across Canada. These include traditional community TV and radio stations, as well as online and new media production centres.
Community media are not-for-profit production hubs owned and operated by the communities they serve, established both to provide local content and reflection for their communities, as well as media training and access for ordinary citizens to the latest tools of media production, whether traditional TV and radio, social and online media, virtual reality, augmented reality or video games.
The Community Media Portal has been funded by the Local Journalism Initiative (the LJI) of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) in association with the Fédération des télévisions communautaires autonomes du Québec (the Fédération). Under the LJI, over 100 journalists have been placed in underserved communities and asked to produce civic content that underpins Canadian democratic life.
