(K'JIPUKTUK), HALIFAX - Two months ago the Cape Breton Independent quietly started offering up news and editorials to on-line readers on the Island.
News with a difference.
“All news is biased,” the group states on its website, “and unlike the mainstream media we want to be up front about that bias. We report the news from a social justice perspective.”
“In Cape Breton we haven't had any alternative media for a very long time,” says Garry Leech, an independent journalist, author and one of the people behind the new organization.
Leech points to the Cape Breton Post, main news source for many Islanders, to explain what will make the Cape Breton Independent different.
“The Cape Breton Post covers a decent variety of local issues, but not necessarily from the perspective we would prefer,” says Leech.
“And it doesn't connect the dots very well between local issues and broader national and global issues,” he argues. “Especially its national and global copy are just pulled off the wire service. And those wire services are rooted in mainstream views and values.”
This is precisely where Leech and his co-founders believe that the Cape Breton Independent can offer something new.
“We want to use the local issues, which is what people tend to be primarily interested in, to start to show how things are all connected , especially when you start talking about economic issues,” Leech says.
The collective behind the Cape Breton Independent, close to twenty individuals in all, know what they are in for.
“We're still working to get more original local stories. That's the main challenge,” says Leech.
“For national and international stories we use alternative media as our wire service, we can publish those. But local stories require much more time and effort,” he says.
Web site visits have been steady, and some stories have taken on a life of their own.
“One story about racism in Sydney really took off after our Facebook launch,” says Leech. “We're pretty happy about where we are after two months, with very little promotion.”
Follow Robert Devet on Twitter @DevetRobert
