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Media Release - Ricochet is a new model of media: independent, pancanadian and bilingual
May 21, 2014 – Ricochet, a new media outlet which is bilingual, independent and pancanadian, is launching a major crowd-funding campaign today on the IndieGoGo platform. Until June 22, Canadians will have the opportunity to participate in founding the most ambitious independent media project in this country’s history.
Media convergence, layoffs, advertising so pervasive it becomes the content: the world of journalism is in crisis. This crisis weakens our democracy and concentrates control of information in the hands of a few companies. Ricochet is a bold attempt to reverse that trend, and return the power of the fifth estate to the population.
“For too long, the voice of corporate Canada has permeated our mainstream media,” said journalist and author Linda McQuaig. “Now along comes Ricochet promising something much better — independent journalism, where the goal is informing the citizenry and advancing the public good. It’s enough to kindle hopes of reviving the faintly beating pulse of our democracy.”
Independent and in the public interest, Ricochet will provide a space dedicated to investigative journalism and high-profile opinion. Published in two distinct editions, English and French, Ricochet will illuminate the cultural and political diversity of this country.
“We want to create a new model of independent media,” said Editor Gabrielle Brassard-Lecours. “One which offers space for investigation, for reporting and for a depth of coverage rarely seen in the sensationalistic style of news we’re all too used to seeing.”
The product of a collaboration between English and French journalists which began during the Maple Spring, Ricochet has already assembled a diverse team of journalists, writers and contributors from across Canada and as far away as the U.S. and England, including Linda McQuaig, Judy Rebick, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, Malalai Joya, Tom Hayden, Reuben George, Brigette DePape and many more.
Crowd-funding campaign
Ricochet has assembled a team of some of the best independent journalists and opinion makers in Canada. To go further, we need $75,000 to build our website and pay our journalists and writers fairly. But that’s only the beginning.
Ricochet will cover the bulk of its operating costs through a sustainable system of micro-payment crowd-funding which has never before been tried for journalism. If successful, this project will prove a new model of financing which can be copied by other media outlets.
“The time has come to give voice to our hopes for a better media, and support an outlet which will enrich the public debate, advance progressive ideas and reduce the influence of corporate conglomerates over the news we consume,” concluded Editor Ethan Cox. “It’s time for Ricochet.”
More information
English: Ethan Cox, 514-662-0070
French: Jérémie Bédard-Wien, 514-222-5684
IndieGoGo campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ricochet-le-journal-nouveau-genre-a-new-take-on-independent-media
Website: http://ricochetmedia.ca/en
Twitter: @ricochet_en, @ricochet_fr
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Topics: Media
452 words
Comments
how is this different from rabble
Submitted by kebera on Sat, 05/24/2014 - 01:40.
is it a disguised funding campaign for mediacoop
or maybe just another collection of people reinventing the wheel
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.