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#341 Mike K.

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Posted 02 February 2023 - 12:40 PM

Yeah, there you go. So that’s where the profit was.

I hate airing laundry like this but it’s an insight into the industry more people need to see. It’s not easy making a go of this, even when you’re backed by big money.

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#342 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 02 February 2023 - 03:14 PM

A Media Start-Up Claimed It Was the Future of Local News in Canada. Now It’s Firing Journalists.

Journalists question Overstory Media Group’s commitment to local news after gutting flagship Capital Daily’s newsroom

 

https://pressprogres...ng-journalists/

 

 

Overstory Media Group, launched less than two years ago by a millionaire BC tech investor, presented itself as a saviour to the local news in Canada. OMG, led by co-founders Andrew Wilkinson and CEO Farhan Mohamed, set ambitious goals of hiring 250 journalists and starting 50 local news brands by 2023.

 

________________

 

Despite setting a goal of hiring 250 journalists by 2023, OMG now employs only 22 journalists across the country and 15 non-journalists, including managers, publishers and sales staff, according to its website.

 

________________

 

“The larger implications are don’t trust tech bros,” the former employee said. “The market clearly does not support good journalism. You need a whole other model of supporting journalism where it’s not this hyper focus on ‘how can we squeeze money out of this?’”


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 02 February 2023 - 03:20 PM.


#343 spanky123

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Posted 02 February 2023 - 03:20 PM

^ Death by a thousand cuts.



#344 Barrrister

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Posted 02 February 2023 - 08:03 PM

And yet the Economist seems to be successfully published and profitable. 



#345 GaryOak

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Posted 02 February 2023 - 09:03 PM

And yet the Economist seems to be successfully published and profitable.


Yeah but it has a lot larger reader base then a news outlet that covers a metro area of 400,000 and another 400,000 on the rest of the island

#346 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 03 February 2023 - 02:10 AM

Capital Daily website article count:

 

 

Jan 22

Jan 23 (2)

Jan 24 (2)

Jan 25 (2)

- none

Jan 27 (4)

Jan 28

- none

Jan 30  

- none

- none

- none

- (Feb 3) none (so far today)


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 February 2023 - 02:20 AM.


#347 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 03 February 2023 - 02:41 AM

A Bold Experiment in Local Journalism Hits the Rocks

 

Staff cuts at Overstory Media’s flagship raise alarms about its vision for local journalism’s future.

 

https://thetyee.ca/N...ism-Hits-Rocks/

 

 

 

 

Mohamed confirmed to The Tyee that he had been aware of the union drive, though the company has denied it played any role in the cuts.

 

The Tyee has spoken to eight current and former employees of Overstory Media Group, granting anonymity because they fear employment repercussions. The Tyee also obtained recordings of two recent calls Mohamed held with staff.

 

In the second of those calls, Mohamed said he was convinced the outlet’s focus on long-form journalism wasn’t working. The site averaged publishing about a story a day.

 

 

__________________

 

 

But four sources told The Tyee that Overstory managers, including Mohamed, had also been telling staff for months to change direction.

 

Some managers worried advertising revenue wasn’t growing fast enough, the sources said. Others complained the tone of the coverage was too dreary.

 

They wanted reporters to do more daily news stories, something its journalists did begrudgingly.

 

Thomson reportedly resisted those pushes; he saw it as a bad direction for the outlet.

 

Managers felt that would attract more advertising revenue and subscribers, angering journalists who had joined the publication to do in-depth reporting.

 

“They kept pushing us to do more of the daily reporting and gave us the impression that that’s what they wanted us to do,” one source said. “They wanted us to beat the Times Colonist, beat Chek News, match their reporting, which is not what we were supposed to be doing.”

 

______________________

 

 

In company town halls, Overstory shared ambitious goals for growth. One slide from January said the company aimed to double its revenue by the summer.

 

“It was like, go out there and double the revenue guys! Everyone just kind of rolled their eyes,” an Overstory employee said.

 

______________________

 

 

In a statement to The Tyee, Mohamed affirmed investigative journalism would remain part of the business but said changes are ahead.

 

“We’re trying to make community news outlets sustainable, we’ve said that from the very start. It’s been clear that only focusing on journalism only takes you so far, and generates a small amount of revenue,” Mohamed said in the emailed statement. “The language we’ve been speaking is sustainability — without that, there’s no hope of any journalistic output even happening.”

 

Some Overstory employees don’t accept that. They were attracted to the company because of its vision.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe the problem is you have a bunch of children working here and they want to be the story instead of reporting news.  Imagine still working there and talking to all these other news outlets on condition of anonymity.   None of these writers are very good.  Imagine holding yourself in such high regard.

 

Here is the managing editor of the Burnaby Beacon:

 

screenshot-twitter.com-2023.02.03-06_00_47.png

 

Her photo looks like she is an adult, but it's hard to tell.


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 February 2023 - 03:02 AM.


#348 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 03 February 2023 - 06:20 AM

Capital Daily website article count:

 

 

Jan 22

Jan 23 (2)

Jan 24 (2)

Jan 25 (2)

- none

Jan 27 (4)

Jan 28

- none

Jan 30  

- none

- none

- none

- (Feb 3) none  - today's newsletter is just signed "The Capital Daily Team", no new content.



#349 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 03 February 2023 - 07:06 AM

screenshot-twitter.com-2023.02.03-10_05_46.png

 

 

https://twitter.com/...224694341853184

 

 

screenshot-twitter.com-2023.02.03-10_05_58.png

 

 

 

OMG statement:

 

https://www.omgmedia...ory-media-group


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 February 2023 - 07:08 AM.


#350 Mike K.

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Posted 03 February 2023 - 07:11 AM

So much journalism going on.
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#351 spanky123

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Posted 03 February 2023 - 07:33 AM

So much journalism going on.

 

Don't know how much sense it makes trying to pick fights with a bunch of investigative journalists. Sometimes the best response is no response. Also bad form in my opinion to trash your own former employees even if you don't like their reaction to being canned.

 

You don't have to look too hard to read what OMG told everyone about their plans. Is it not a stretch then to think that they hired people based on the same premise. Plans change and economic realities sink in but I can see how employees can feel as though they were sold a bill of goods, especially those who left jobs to join OMG.


Edited by spanky123, 03 February 2023 - 07:35 AM.

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#352 Mike K.

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Posted 03 February 2023 - 07:44 AM

True. But then the employees taking a news organization down a rabbit hole of what became largely viewed as political activism also wasn’t in the cards, I’m sure.

The question now is, if Cap can’t be long-form investigative journalism, what is it going to be? Another Black Press? Something in between CHEK and BP? I don’t think society wants or needs more of that.

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#353 spanky123

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Posted 03 February 2023 - 07:49 AM

Well if today is any example, they are back to linking to other journalists' articles. Perhaps there is value to a local news aggregation service. 



#354 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 03 February 2023 - 08:23 AM

Thriving local news outlet gutted after owner fires half the staff during union drive

 

https://www.national...ory-media-group



#355 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 03 February 2023 - 08:26 AM

Well if today is any example, they are back to linking to other journalists' articles. Perhaps there is value to a local news aggregation service. 

 

screenshot-mail.google.com-2023.02.03-11_25_26.png



#356 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 03 February 2023 - 09:26 AM

https://twitter.com/jwsthomson

 

screenshot-twitter.com-2023.02.03-12_25_27.png



#357 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 03 February 2023 - 09:36 AM

https://twitter.com/...267671718453248

 

screenshot-twitter.com-2023.02.03-12_29_57.png



#358 Mike K.

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Posted 03 February 2023 - 10:11 AM

Normally the editorial staff are not working with advertising staff, to keep the newsroom separate. In a small operation the journalist has to be both a news contributor and a sales agent, to some degree.

It’s not easy to find people that can do both effectively.

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#359 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 03 February 2023 - 10:12 AM

I'm sure unionizing will fix that.   :1954_dancing:


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 February 2023 - 10:12 AM.

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#360 Mike K.

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Posted 03 February 2023 - 10:15 AM

Absolutely.

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