In this journalist’s humble opinion, community reporting is the most exciting type of storytelling out there. The only constant we have is that no day will ever be the same. Whether it be a crime scene, a community event, court or council, we get to spend our career getting to ask questions – a lot of them – and if we’re really good at what we do, learn a thing or two about a topic we’d never otherwise get to discover.

We like to describe what we do as a craft, but perhaps a better descriptor is one of service.

Journalists hold a lot of responsibility. We are relied on to hold those in power accountable. To question the intent of decisions that impact the community. To keep record of points in time that we know will be used to reflect on where society has been and where it needs to go. To fight the growing reach of disinformation.

Hyperlocal journalism in particular entails knitting a thick kevlar vest and holding a deeply intimate understanding of our responsibility – the words we publish are not solely connected to each of us through a computer screen that can be shut off each day, we carry them with us in the local grocery store, the go-to Friday night neighborhood hotspot, or at the outdoor sports complex on the weekend.

Our responsibility to this act of service is incredibly personal.

And while we navigate that responsibility in such a fast-moving world today, we also strive to amplify the voices of the people who make our community all that it is; not the elite and powerful, but the parents who just lost their only child to a hit-and-run, or the Grade 5 student who is raising money for their best friend battling cancer, or the not-for-profit running on fumes due to a loss in government funding.

Without journalists like you and the invaluable service you are bringing to your community, it would certainly be a dimmer and more confusing place. Your readers are lucky to have you.

This website is a space dedicated to delivering that service in the best way that we can. The goal is to be a one-stop hub for learning and for connecting with an extended newsroom family that transcends state and country lines. It won’t sit static, with new opportunities for knowledge-sharing and collaboration, so be sure to check back frequently.

– Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

P.S.: Have you checked out Chairman Todd Carpenter’s statement on the role we play in community? Read it here.