The Victoria News, the only alternative newspaper in BC's capital, is down to a single reporter and one editor who shares writing duties. The problem with being your own editor is there isn't a separate set of eyes to catch mistakes, like in the current issue which repeatedly refers to Cielo Properties' Stan Sipos as Stan "Sipes". I mean, the two of them do a good job of filling a newspaper twice a week but it's not like a few years ago when they had a whole newsroom and a friendly rivalry with the reporters at Monday Magazine down the hall.
New here. Just noticed the media discussion. Interesting.
I know what you are saying, but technically-speaking Victoria News and all of the Black Press community newspapers are not "alternative" in the true sense of the word, as far as media goes. I think perhaps you mean "independent" or not owned by some big mega corp; therefore not influenced by head office? IF so, that's true, however, they do produce an alternative perspective when someone decides to get it done (from head office). The Nisga Treaty was one example from I think around 1999, where Mr. David Black himself decided to put his fist down and give the opposite perspective of all the media in Canada. That doesn't seem to happen like that anymore.
Monday Magazine used to be the only serious alternative newspaper in Victoria when it was a member of the AAN (Association of Alternative Newsmedia). They used to have deeply researched editorial content. They bucked the generally agreed upon principles of newsmedia of today by writing massive feature stories that were a chore to read, but in-depth and investigative. Russ Francis was an example of a writer who told the other side of the story, but there were many before him - before Black Press bought them; they were then truly independent and alternative. Victoria does not seem to have a voice like that anymore. Roll out the semi-retired, former journalist bloggers.
On the one hand there are publications that are full of puffery to attract the advertisers and offend no one, then there is community news like BP of course and world and community news in the TC.
I think BP journalist/writers/editors do a wonderful job with the resources they have (or don't have) as do the TC. The key word there was "resources".
With the timeliness of the mighty-mighty interwebs, it is impossible to produce faster news with newsprint. So in my not-requested and not so humble opinion, I think for newspapers to survive, they need to do the reverse: instead of writing short and sweet stories that are easily digestible between sips of a latte - which is playing in the same sandbox as the internet - go back to investigative, well-researched and alternative news media; tell the stories, ones that are difficult to read with a glaring screen.
....bringing a musket to a AK47 gun fight....