We need journalism now more than ever.
Well, we’ve always needed it.
But it’s a tough time for Canadian journalism. Newsrooms are stretched thin, business models are being turned upside down, and social media isn’t making things any easier.
So we thought we’d create a bit of a win-win: a dedicated place where Canadian publishers can connect with real people, and Gander members can discover news directly from the sources behind it. Every story links back to the publisher’s own website, helping readers find and support their work.
It’s early days (about as early as you can get at the time of writing). But we have a vision for this where members will one day curate their national and local news experience.
TL;DR
- Gander News is a new feed featuring journalism directly from participating Canadian news publishers
- We’re starting with five national publishers, with more to come, including local and independent outlets
- Stories link directly to publishers’ websites so readers can support their work
- This is the beginning of a broader news experience that members will eventually be able to shape for themselves
Gander News.
People on Gander are already sharing reporting, discussing current events and introducing one another to stories they might otherwise have missed.
We’re building on that by partnering with Canadian news publishers to bring their journalism directly to our members, connect with readers and be part of the conversation.
And we’re giving that journalism a dedicated home: Gander News.
We’ve kicked things off with CTV, Canada’s National Observer, The Narwhal, BeGiant, and Xtra!, with a few more publishers in the works.
You’ll notice some important voices are missing from that list. French-language journalism, Indigenous journalism and ethnic media outlets all need to be part of Gander News.
We know that. And we’re working on it.
It’s not just a matter of adding more feeds. We’re building relationships with publishers and communities so we can understand their needs and figure out how to do this well. That takes some time, but it’s work we’re committed to doing.
Our goal is pretty straightforward: help more people discover Canadian journalism, share it and have good conversations about it. And make sure the people producing that journalism benefit along the way.
Which brings us to something you probably won’t hear many social media companies say:
We want you to click through. And keep reading.
When you discover a story on Gander, we want you to read it on the publisher’s website, in your own browser.
Explore more of their reporting. Subscribe. Donate, if you can. Support the people doing the work.
We want to help people find journalism worth reading, not get between journalists and their readers.
Starting here, with more to come.
Canada’s Online News Act was created to help address the imbalance between news organizations and the country’s largest digital platforms. It doesn’t apply to Gander, but we support the goal of a fairer relationship between publishers and platforms. And if we ever grow large enough to take on those responsibilities, we’ll welcome them.
In the meantime, there’s plenty we can do without waiting for legislation to tell us to.
Right now this is just a feed like any other on Gander, more or less. But the vision is one where our members can curate their news experience, so they get the current affairs they want, the sports they love, and the local news they trust.
We’re also working with our friends at EuroSky on better ways for journalism to reach people across the open social web.
As social networks become more interconnected, there’s an opportunity to make it easier for publishers to reach readers across different platforms, without having to build and manage a separate presence on every single one.
That’s an exciting prospect, and one we’re keen to make happen.
But first, we’ve got some work to do here at home.
Gander News gives us a chance to build something useful with Canadian publishers, learn what works and bring that experience into our broader collaboration with EuroSky.
Let’s get the word out.
We’ll be bringing more publishers on board, improving Gander News and working with our community to make it a useful place for Canadians to discover, share and discuss journalism.
If you’re a Canadian publisher interested in getting your reporting onto Gander, we’d love to hear from you. We’ll help get you set up, and it won’t cost you a thing. You can always reach us here.
And if you’re already on Gander, head over to the News feed and have a look around. Share the stories you find interesting. Introduce people to reporters and publications they might not know. Click through, read the reporting and support the outlets doing work you value.
We need good journalism. And the people producing it need audiences, support and places where their work can reach Canadians.
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