I have the daily privilege of working with an amazing team of journalists.
They miss family dinner to report a council vote of a major development proposed for your neighbourhood. They skip homework hour to cover a school board meeting where trustees’ decisions affect your child’s schooling. They attend high school basketball games, seniors centre events, community concerts and public hearings. They photograph rugby matches, fundraising galas, Remembrance Day ceremonies and Canada Day parades.
They celebrate equally through their community coverage the successful completion of a multimillion-dollar campaign for a new hospital tower and a child’s proud donation from a lemonade stand inspired by a neighbour with cancer. They report on backcountry rescues and house fires, prod our local politicians for answers to your questions, make sense of municipal budgets, and interview community heroes.
They do this because they love what they do. And because they care about our community and they know this news is important to you.
Now consider what our community would be like without local news coverage.
Good journalism costs money, whether in print or online. We rely 100 per cent on advertising from local and regional businesses to fund our operations.
As the pandemic disrupts our economy, those businesses are struggling. Many have stopped advertising with us. While this is completely understandable, it has severely impacted our operations.
So that we may maintain our newsroom in the community and continue to bring to our readers all the news that matters, in paper and on our website, we have launched a voluntary donation drive. We are asking readers to support our work with a one-time contribution or monthly subscription.
If you read local news, if you value local news, please support us. You can find more details about our Support Journalism campaign in the advertising space below as well as online at nsnews.com. You’ll find the sign-up link by clicking on “Support Journalism” in the main menu on our website.
Layne Christensen is editor of the North Shore News and a longtime resident of North Vancouver.
