We're starting a Media Co-op because existing media coverage is often flawed, incomplete, or motivated by the wrong things.
If you're here, we're guessing it's for similar reasons.
So tell us, what kind of coverage do you want to see from the Halifax Media Co-op? Is there a particular place you'd like to hear more about? An ongoing issue that you'd like to be truly informed on? An initiative that should reach a bigger audience?
Post your thoughts below.
- The Atlantica Initiative
- Gentrification in Halifax (especially the North End)
- Some of the stories of recent immigrants and refugees in the city
- Stories coming out of First Nations and Black Nova Scotian communities in Halifax and the surrounding areas
- Stories about farming and fishing communities
- I think it would also be great if the site featured some of the exciting and positive initiatives in Halifax like Anchor Archive (and various other things happening in the arts scene), the Halifax Coalition against Poverty campaigns, the Atlantic Refugee and Immigrant Services Society, Helio Trust, etc
-any actions going on in solidarity with resistance to 2010 olympics and the g8 summit in 2010
-people organizing in resistance to (and proposing alternatives to) the dominant economic model
-stories about: fisheries, offshore oil and gas, st. pierre and miquelon, city transit, interurban transit, and water transportation, local arts & culture events, local media initiatives, bookfairs, comics and zines.
I would like to see these types of stories from the halifax local:
-environmental initiatives: agriculture, urban sustainability, rural initiatives in the Maritimes, partnerships and relations between rural and urban.
-resistance to uranium mining and other mega-projects from rural communities
-coverage of native news and native issues (poverty, suicide, environmental racism) in the white and non-native press!
-student politics: university campuses, high schools.
-Atlantica
An investigative piece on military funding at Dalhousie University and its effects would be great.
I want the dirt on police and politicians, where else would we hear it?
Also news on protests and organizing.
Peace by piece
I think one of the key question for any new media start up at this time is how will it serve its community. What is it's role?
Various governments always have plans - things they say they are going to do to lives better. One of the media's roles is to hold them accountable. But this often happens in a very haphazard sort of way. I think we need to be more systematic about holding government accountable for what they say they are going to do (ie. on poverty). We also need to not just spit out information, but give people ideas on how they can make a difference if they care about an issue.
This leads into the importance of the media in providing inspirational community success stories where people coming together have created change in their communities, and how they've done that (like the old Cooperator published by St. FX).
And all this should be archived online in such a way that people can access different info at any time when they need it. And if people have trouble accessing it, then there should be workshops to help them learn how to access it through public libraries. This was the foundation of the Antigonish Movement - giving people access to learning. This is the source of all community empowerment, and this is the role I think Media should play. Not just splatter stories with no rhyme or reason. In developing countries, media has a purpose. Here we need media with a purpose.
There is only one news paper in Halifax and the media that exist in Nova Scotia, such as CBC and CTV are all so obviously maintaining the entrenched status quo, to a point that we Nova Scoitans are seen as backwards in the resolution of Civil issues and domestic problems. Rights by representation does not exist and a walk down Spring Garden Street will show you the presence we have visually regarding the shop employee and owners. What is done and said in Nova Scotia is not necessary the acceptable practice in other parts of Canada. Nova Scoita being one of the founding members of Canada, should be the reason we would be leading the moral convictions and rights of Canada not trailing. Thanks for your time. Please remember to support those that have worked hard to get to this point transparence.
I spoke to Denise Allen this week about her ideas for media coverage. These are some of her thoughts:
- School closures, especially St Pat's, which will be replaced by a liquor store. She believes the future of Uniacke Square is at stake (no school, no community) and sees it as part of the gentrification process.
- Racism in the school system and in the school board.
- Code orange called by the NSGEU
- The attempt of the shipbuilding industry to make a comeback in NS after Paul Martin privatized it. There's potential for good quality, high paying jobs for Nova Scotians.
I was thinking about the following story ideas for the mediacoop:
1. The Rename Cornwallis Initiative; who's involved, what's happened lately, an investigative look into the history of Cornwallis, look at both sides of the portrayal of the historic figure, the scalping proclamation, and any contentious facts surrounding this character.
2. Lincolnville; another Africville? Systemic racism in Nova Scotia government policy and society: environmental racism; ethnic displacement, gentrification, all sorts of intersecting themes.
Here's my wish list:
- A debate (from a series of different commentators) on the direction of a prospective NDP government in Nova Scotia. What possibility exists for such a government to reverse the social decline of low income nova scotians? What strategies for green economic development are emerging from the provincial party? Who are the players? Where do they get their paycheque? Who's funding the party?
- A focus on the service sector economy in Halifax (do we disproportionately find first nations, african-nova scotians, first-gen immigrants in the service sector? How much of the local employment comes from the service sector? Any recent labour organizing victories? News on the successful organizing drive of the Halifax Casino?)
- Ditto on a focus on HRM schools, the closing of St Pat's
- A story (difficult to actually get) on the experience of women in military families in the HRM.
You know that broken-down, boarded up building on the Wanderer's Grounds? It says "Senior Citizens Club" on the side. It's going to become a rugby club house. Used to belong to the senior citizens, then the rugby guys asked to share half of it if they did some chores around.
Now, the rugby club is raising money to turn it into its own clubhouse. And those senior citizens? They're stuck with walk-in hangouts, or clubs on the edge of town. Nothing like what that clubhouse was.
I think this would be a good radio doc, if you can get both sides to talk.
Cheers. This website is an excellent idea.
Stu neatby: can you explain more? " A story (difficult to actually get) on the experience of women in military families in the HRM."
Stu neatby: can you explain more? " A story (difficult to actually get) on the experience of women in military families in the HRM."
The site for the Halifax local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.
