IndigiNews, new local journalism platform, launches to serve Indigenous communities
APTN and The Discourse launch IndigiNews into the economic headwinds of COVID-19 with the goal of developing a new business model for independent Indigenous news.
Today marks the launch of IndigiNews, a new digital platform for local news serving First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. A joint venture of The Discourse and APTN, IndigiNews will cover British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley and will soon expand to Vancouver Island.
The joint venture aims to address the long history of Canadian media poorly representing and perpetuating stereotypes about Indigenous communities. The goal of IndigiNews is two-fold: first, to provide journalism that is driven by local communities’ needs. Second, to develop new business models for local digital news that contribute to the long-term sustainability of independent Indigenous news.
“Indigenous Peoples have never been well served by local and national news media,” said Cheryl McKenzie, executive director of news and current affairs at APTN. “As the world’s first independent Indigenous broadcaster, APTN has worked to change that in Canada. We know we need new models and approaches to ensure independent Indigenous news remains strong into the future.”
The launch comes on Giving Tuesday Now, a global day of giving and unity that is an emergency response to COVID-19. Supported by The Discourse and APTN, IndigiNews launches in the midst of a crisis for local news: more than 50 local news outlets closed in the past six weeks in Canada as a result of the global pandemic.
“The problems with local news that IndigiNews exists to solve — the decline of local advertising and extreme lack of diversity — all existed before COVID-19. But the crisis has accelerated those problems enormously,” said Erin Millar, founder and CEO of The Discourse.
“With local news experiencing an extinction event, underserved communities are getting less coverage and journalist layoffs have set back efforts to diversify newsrooms by many years. We can’t wait until the economic uncertainties caused by COVID-19 pass to ensure our communities get the local information they need to thrive during and after the pandemic.”
To start, IndigiNews will distribute coverage produced by a team of Indigenous reporters hired by The Discourse in the Okanagan Valley with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative. In the coming weeks, the platform will grow to serve communities on Vancouver Island. Content will also be published by The Discourse and APTN.
“The world looks differently right now than it did before COVID-19, and maybe that’s not a bad thing,” said Emillee Gilpin, IndigiNews advisor and editor. “The Canadian media sphere has been out of balance for a long time. But with every great disruption comes profound growth and transformation.”
Author
We live in a media ecosystem that thrives on misinformation. Big Tech and AI companies are consuming the work of real human beings and Canadian news has been banned on Facebook and Instagram.
And yet, I have hope for journalism because of the work we’re doing at IndigiNews.
At IndigiNews, we embody tâpwêwin — the Cree value of integrity and responsibility in truth-telling. We are committed to our independent, Indigenous-led newsroom rooted in community, accountability, and relationality. We believe storytelling is a sacred fire that connects our pasts, presents, and futures through the storytellers in our Storytelling Lodge. IndigiNews creates space for Indigenous journalists, storytellers, Knowledge Keepers, and communities to gather, learn, and share stories that matter.
As a registered charity, we are building a fire that allows our work not just to ignite but to thrive. Rather than relying on advertising or corporate acquisition, IndigiNews is sustained by people like you who believe Indigenous stories are important for the future of our communities.
Your support is making a real difference.
Our community of supporters, our Firekeepers, make it possible to grow our newsroom, publish award-winning journalism, train emerging Indigenous journalists through initiatives like the ReFocus Photojournalism Fellowship, and publish trustworthy stories that serve our communities across the country. Every story we publish helps fill in gaps left by mainstream media and ensures Indigenous perspectives are represented with care, accuracy and respect.
But there is still more work to do.
As the media landscape becomes more and more uncertain, community support is as necessary and essential as it’s ever been. Every new Firekeeper helps protect the independence of our newsroom and strengthens journalism that is accountable to our many and varied communities over corporations.
That’s why we’re inviting you to become a Firekeeper.
Firekeepers tend to and protect the sacred fire. Your monthly contributions directly support IndigiNews’s Storytelling Lodge, helps sustain our independent, Indigenous-led newsroom, and ensures future generations of Indigenous storytellers have the resources they need to do the work.
As a registered Canadian charity, all eligible donations receive a charitable tax receipt.
If you believe Indigenous stories matter, if you value independent journalism, and if you want to help build a strong future for Indigenous media, we invite you to join our circle of Firekeepers today.
Together, we can keep the fire burning.
— Eden Fineday, Publisher, IndigiNews
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