We’re hiring reporters to cover Indigenous news on Vancouver Island

The team will cover health, child welfare, and education.

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*Applications are now closed

In these strange and unpredictable times we’re happy to share some good news — we’re hiring! 

The Discourse is partnering with APTN, supported by funding from the Local News Journalism Initiative, to hire two full-time reporters and one part-time reporter to provide in-depth reporting on Indigenous news and affairs focused on health, child welfare, and education. These are not typical daily news roles. Reporting will be committed to listening to and serving the public, carving out space in the media for communities to speak on matters of interest to them. 

Reporters will work for The Discourse. This new team will be modelled off of our successful in-depth local journalism projects The Discourse Cowichan and Urban Nation. APTN will serve as a partner, offering editorial production support, and expertise. Through this partnership our collective goal is to fill local news reporting gaps and contribute to the long-term sustainability of independent Indigenous news in Canada. 

These positions can be based anywhere on Vancouver Island. We are committed to supporting a more equitable media industry. We encourage candidates with a range of perspectives, abilities, backgrounds and experience to apply, and especially encourage First Nations, Métis and Inuit applicants. 

Not a journalist looking for a job? We still want to hear from you! How can we cover Indigenous news focused on education, child welfare and health in a way that’s valuable to you? Send us your feedback and it will inform our reporting.

The positions: 

In these roles, you will be committed to go beyond covering issues solely through the lens of provincial and federal policy and surface stories from local communities impacted. You will bring context to your work, recognizing our colonial history and relationships, as well as the ongoing impacts of residential schools on Indigenous communities on Vancouver Island and across the province. You will be willing to dig through data to find patterns that help people make sense of what’s going on. You will investigate areas where the systems are struggling and where communities are thriving. You will listen to community members, youth, workers, researchers, elders and anyone connected to these spaces. You will follow the money, report on progress, and l hold civic institutions accountable. And finally, you will work together with your colleagues to ensure that community members feel heard, respected and understood through your work.

Health Reporter, full-time, click here to learn more and apply 

Child Welfare Reporter, full-time, click here to learn more and apply

Education Reporter, part-time, click here to learn more and apply

These are new positions and we’d like to hear from as many people as possible. If you’re not sure if you qualify, email lindsay@thediscourse.ca. I’d be happy to chat with you and learn more about your experience. If a friend, colleague or family member has told you you should apply for this job, trust them and do it!

Author

Lindsay Sample

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.

Eden Fineday

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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