2021 BNC Awards_OCNA_General Excellence Class 1

“The LJI reporter will be assigned to the underserved communities of Morrin, Carbon, Rowley, Rumsey, Hussar, Standard, Rosebud, Delia, Craigmyle, Big Valley, Rockyford, Starland County, Kneehill County, and Wheatland County. Civic institutions they would be covering could include:
– Provincial and Queens Bench Court
– Drumheller Town Council
– Civic Councils in: Delia, Morrin, Hussar, Carbon, Standard, Big Valley, Munson and Rockyford
– County Councils: Starland County, Wheatland County, Kneehill County
– School Boards including Golden Hills, Prairieland, Christ the Redeemer and other regional governance boards (i.e. Solid Waste)
The reporter will consistently attend municipal council meetings and school board meetings. The reporter will also explore how these bodies interact with provincial and federal decisions. We will brand the content within our publication and online with place lines or special headers distinguishing regional news or school news. Our coverage of schools will go beyond simply meeting coverage but flesh out important stories that affect their community.
On the civic side, our coverage will also go further than simple meeting coverage, it will also encompass coverage of projects within the community, issues in front of the council, and how council’s decisions affects residents.”

“The ECA Review will position the new full-time journalist in Hanna in their proposed Business Hub. The addition of a full-time LJI reporter with a journalism degree would augment and further expand the number of communities and civic meetings the ECA Review could cover. The publisher, office manager, reporter and new hire will work as a team to add new communities and realign current assignments to minimize travel times for full-time journalists and freelance reporters. Objectives:
1) Expand coverage of civic meetings in eight towns and villages and two school boards;
2) Establish physical presence in Hanna, similar to our satellite office in Stettler;
3) Provide more breaking news stories and features throughout the region;
4) Connect with more community leaders and residents.”

“The LJI reporter will cover La Ronge and the communities and industries surrounding it, including First Nations communities. Ideally the reporter will be from a First Nations community in the area and have a working knowledge of the major Cree dialect. We will create a special section on the National Observer website for this coverage, and frame it with an explanation that this is a special project funded by LJI. This section will have its own URL NationalObserver.com/LaRonge and it will have localized branding and feel to it.”

Cardston Alberta and surrounding communities: Aetne, Glenwood, hill Spring, Mountain View, Spring Coulee, Magrath and Raymond. The LJI reporter will be expected to attend all major civic events and meetings including town and county councils plus the local court and school board. He will also do follow-up stories.

Town & Country News is a weekly heritage newspaper established in 1956. We are the only local news source serving communities across the County of Grande Prairie. Our readership area covers 5,863 sq. kilometres and is sparsely populated and includes five municipalities: Sexsmith, Beaverlodge, Hythe, Wembley and the County of Grande Prairie. The LJI reporter will be required to regularly attend municipal, band and school board meetings to produce content that objectively drills down to the core issues. We will also cover the issues that may arise from the Alberta government asking for increased inter-municipal collaboration from all jurisdictions. We will also increase coverage of our local First Nations community (Horse Lake).

One full-time reporter will cover the two islands. When possible, this reporter will cover the other remote islands in this underserved area as well. We will create a special section on the National Observer website for this coverage, and frame it with an explanation that this is a special project funded by LJI. This section will have its own URL NationalObserver.com/CortesQuadra and it will have localized branding and feel to it.

The oil industry has and enormous impact on all aspects of life and also local politics. The LJI will allow to report on civic issues of a wide variety, including the oil industry, municipal politics, education and indigenous communities.