Sometimes, Hollywood tells our stories in ways that are more compelling than we could ever imagine.
In 2016, the Best Picture Academy Award went to “Spotlight”, a film that followed The Boston Globe‘s Spotlight team, the oldest continuously operating newspaper investigative journalist unit in the United States, and its investigation into cases of abuse in the Boston area by numerous Roman Catholic priests. The film beautifully showcases precisely why newspapers—and the work that newspapers do—matter so much.
This National Newspaper Week, News Media Canada has secured the rights for a limited number of member newspapers to host free screenings of the film. We would love for you to use these screenings as an opportunity to engage members of your community on the role that newspapers play in a vibrant democracy—and the ways in which they can support an independent news media in Canada.
Recommended Next Steps:
- If you’re interesting in hosting a screening during National Newspaper Week, please contact Kelly Levson before Friday September 7 at klevson@newsmediacanada.ca. News Media Canada will make arrangements to provide you with a digital copy of the film (along with the licensing rights).
- You’ll need to consider the following elements of your screening:
- Promotion. How will you spread the word about this screening to encourage attendance? Download a copy of the 2018 National Newspaper Week logo to use in your promotional pieces.
- Location and Logistics. Where will you host the screening, and can you ensure that it’s available for a screening during National Newspaper Week? If there isn’t a theatre for rent in your community, you could look at community centres or other public spaces. Just remember that you’ll need to bring in the equipment to show the film.
- Content. In addition to just showing the film, how can you use this event to engage people in a dialogue about why newspapers matter now more than ever? At the end of the movie, we would recommend hosting a moderated discussion with some key members of your editorial team to talk about the themes shown in the movie and what we need to do in Canada to ensure that we continue to have a vibrant, independent free press in Canada. And don’t forget to use the screenings to drive people to visit newspapersmatter.ca to show their support for the news media industry in Canada.
- And don’t forget to capture photos and details on the event to share with us!
- Beginning in late September, we’ll challenge Canadians to go online to newspapersmatter.ca, a site we’re launching to coincide with National Newspaper Week, to send a message—to Canadian businesses, advertisers, to all levels of government, to newspaper journalists and to their fellow citizens—that newspapers matter, now more than ever.
We all need National Newspaper Week to make an impact. Now more than ever. And we can’t do it without you.
