Reimagining Community-Led Journalism

What enables a healthy news and information ecosystem? This is a question we often ask ourselves. Inspirit supports several fledgling journalism organizations that address gaps in how their community is covered.  InsideWaterloo, La Converse, IndigiNews, The Local, Peterborough Currents, and The Green Line are part of a new wave of local online news organizations that are re-imagining what community-led journalism looks like.  

  • insideWaterloo is an independent media initiative that amplifies diverse voices of Black, Indigenous and racialized residents living in the Waterloo Region in Ontario 
  • La Converse is a community-powered media outlet in service of Francophone Canadians with journalism rooted in dialogue 
  • IndigiNews debunks stereotypes about Indigenous communities perpetuated by media through journalism that serves and is driven by local communities
  • The Local is an independent, data-driven magazine exploring urban health and social issues in Toronto 
  • Peterborough Currents is a reader-funded independent news outlet that looks to foster a more connected Peterborough through people-centred reporting  
  • The Green Line is a hyperlocal Toronto-based news outlet dedicated to serving gen Zs and millennials, as well as other underrepresented communities

Based in large cities, small towns, and rural areas, these outlets recognize the critical relationship between information providers and community members. Without accurate, fact-based information that reflects the lived experiences of community members, there is a trust gap that makes communities fragile.

This year, Inspirit is slowing down to better understand the dynamics of equitable and inclusive news ecosystems that support community-well-being.  We’re partnering with the McConnell Foundation and the Hamilton Community Foundation on a Canadian adaptation of the Healthy News & Information Ecosystem Diagnostic Framework. We will test the framework to help generate broader solutions to support underrepresented voices in Canadian media.