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Making media in the new economy

Media is an excellent window into the challenges of living the new economy.

The digital age has been devastating to the old economy of media.
People say journalism is dead. Newspapers are dying. And they are.  But at the same time, journalism is proliferating. New ways of making and breaking the news are proliferating as fast as pipeline proposals in Canada. One company goes down, more sprout up.

It's like this gooey alien from outer space that is both dying and being born at the same time.  New ideas are turning into new companies every day. 175 newspapers closed down in North America, thousands of journalists lost their jobs.  

On the other hand, amazing new sources of news and new ways of delivering the news emerge every day and more keep coming...from Twitter to the New York Times innovative digital version to my online-only news publication, the Vancouver Observer. 

[Yes, it's imperative in the new economy to promote your venture every chance you get.]

The future is fun and we’re in it. But, what’s not fun about the future for journalism is that the old economy has died but in the new economy, there isn’t an economy. Not for journalism. It’s free. 

And what does that mean for me? It  means I have to take a quantum leap, shed old ways of thinking, discover new paths, take big risks and bust out of the box.

New rules. New economy.

Old revenue streams for media just aren’t there. So, we’re inventing new ones. 

We're calling on our community of readers to contribute monthly to make the Vancouver Observer sustainable.  We're asking our community to get behind the kind of journalism that let's them know what government and corporations are doing, that holds the biggest players accountable for their actions.  In the new economy, we simply can't do this without our readers, our tribe, stepping up and helping.  

 We love what we do, and we do it well.  But whatever people may wish, the fact is journalism isn't free.  It takes a skilled person to craft a strong story.  And that person has bills to pay just like you.  If you want to read compelling, honest narratives reflecting the world back to you, if you want to be inspired by the media that covers your city,  illuminating its challenges and it's beauty, consider that the $30 per month you spend at Starbucks might be partially allocated  to helping fund this kind of reporting.  It's a service to the community.

This is where we are with journalism today. 

We need journalists who care about the world. A robust platform for writers who care about issues that affect their lives enough to sit down and pen a coherent article and communicate with the community. We need trained reporters who understand integrity. And justice. Who can tell in-depth stories about poverty, public safety, the environment, and politics.   

As a society, we need good information to make good decisions. Become a voluntary monthly subscriber to the Vancouver Observer today. 

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