Community Newspaper Collaborations
Tue, 07/27/2010 - 13:11
When news strikes in your community, do you stop to consider its impact on other locales? What about collaborating with other community newspapers to cover the story from a different angle? With the success of this year’s Community Newspaper Review program, which saw the inclusion of out-of-province publications for the first time, OCNA hopes to encourage further collaboration between community newspapers both within Ontario and across the country.
Jeffrey Morris, editor of OCNA member newspaper the Manotick Messenger, recently took part in such a collaboration. Earlier this month, he and his staff learned that a young RCMP officer from their community had gone missing after his boat capsized north of Whitehorse, Yukon. Morris made contact with Bruce Valpy at Northern News Services in Yellowknife, who then connected him with the staff at the Yukon News, a community newspaper in the area. The Yukon News was able to provide the Manotick Messenger with details on the accident they wouldn’t have otherwise had access to and in turn, the Messenger was able to send the Yukon paper background information on the missing RCMP officer and the reactions from his hometown.
“This was a great example of how two community newspapers can share and utilize each others' resources to get a great story that covers several angles and provides depth that a national daily may not be able to,” said Morris.
“There are always opportunities for community newspapers in different parts of the country to partner for stories or to share resources on good faith. Sometimes all it takes is a willingness to dig a little deeper, make a phone call and form a relationship. I hope that we get a chance to return the favour to the Yukon News.”
To read the story on the Yukon News website, visit: http://yukon-news.com/news/18887. An excerpt from the article in the print edition of the Manotick Messenger will also be available on its website for a limited time: www.manotickmessenger.on.ca.
If your publication is collaborating with another community newspaper for a future project, OCNA wants to hear about it. Email Carla Alexander at c.alexander@ocna.org with your story.
Jeffrey Morris, editor of OCNA member newspaper the Manotick Messenger, recently took part in such a collaboration. Earlier this month, he and his staff learned that a young RCMP officer from their community had gone missing after his boat capsized north of Whitehorse, Yukon. Morris made contact with Bruce Valpy at Northern News Services in Yellowknife, who then connected him with the staff at the Yukon News, a community newspaper in the area. The Yukon News was able to provide the Manotick Messenger with details on the accident they wouldn’t have otherwise had access to and in turn, the Messenger was able to send the Yukon paper background information on the missing RCMP officer and the reactions from his hometown.
“This was a great example of how two community newspapers can share and utilize each others' resources to get a great story that covers several angles and provides depth that a national daily may not be able to,” said Morris.
“There are always opportunities for community newspapers in different parts of the country to partner for stories or to share resources on good faith. Sometimes all it takes is a willingness to dig a little deeper, make a phone call and form a relationship. I hope that we get a chance to return the favour to the Yukon News.”
To read the story on the Yukon News website, visit: http://yukon-news.com/news/18887. An excerpt from the article in the print edition of the Manotick Messenger will also be available on its website for a limited time: www.manotickmessenger.on.ca.
If your publication is collaborating with another community newspaper for a future project, OCNA wants to hear about it. Email Carla Alexander at c.alexander@ocna.org with your story.
