On October 1st we kick off National Newspaper Week, and the launch of the limited-edition bilingual book, Champions. This year, the program is focused on celebrating our industry and recognizing the people responsible for making it happen, our very own champions of the truth.
Our champions were selected from 113 nominations in an open call earlier this year, resulting in 24 inspirational profiles. Our selection panel of industry professionals chose a diverse group of hard-working, passionate champions from a variety of industry roles, geographic regions, languages and ownership types.
The Champions book will launch on Sunday October 1, and be available online at the National Newspaper Week website. A hardcover version is available for purchase, with the proceeds donated to First Book Canada. A free e-book can be viewed online at ChampionsoftheTruth.ca and there is also a free PDF download.
The book launch is also supported by virtual classroom readings in select First Book Canada partner schools to inspire the next generation to consider a rewarding career in newspapers and news media.
Our national newspaper campaign starts next week, featuring print and digital ads in daily and community newspapers. The campaign is supported by sponsored content with CTV’s daytime talk show, The Social and out-of-home ads on J-School campuses. The objective is to remind people in Canada that our news media champions are the ones asking the tough questions and providing factual information to the people in their communities.
Many newspapers are running editorial stories and op-eds that focus on the critical role of newspapers in our communities. News Media Canada’s online toolkit provides resources for newspapers that include national ad creative, a local Champions ad template, matte stories, op-eds, royalty-free photography and more.
“Real journalism, created by real journalists – rather than by artificial intelligence – costs real money. If we want to sustain it, we must support it. One of the best ways for the local community to support local journalism is to take out an ad. When you buy a newspaper ad – whether print or digital – those dollars stay in the community and allow the publisher to employ journalists. Conversely, when you buy an ad from a web giant, those dollars flow south to California to companies that don’t employ a single journalist.”
Paul Deegan, President and CEO, News Media Canada
