‘Nobody to tell those stories’: Concern over news deprivation after Metro Vancouver closures

The shuttering of long-running publications is leaving people in some communities feeling like their stories don’t matter – and won’t be told.

Mario Bartel has spent decades covering local news in Metro Vancouver, capturing the voices that connect us.

“We’re all very invested in our communities,” he said, referring to his and his colleagues’ work at the now defunct Tri-City News.

In February, Glacier Media announced the outlet, as well the Burnaby Now and the New Westminster Record would be shuttering.

A statement posted online by the company said Glacier Media, “explored all possible options to maintain operations” but the industry’s “ongoing financial challenges have made it unsustainable.”

The three publications spent decades as print newspapers but in August 2023 transitioned to online-only.

Bartel had worked at the Tri-City News for eight years with stints at other local papers.

“I’m sad for the people, for our communities, because they won’t have us to share their stories,” Bartel said.

‘I’m scared’

In April, the online outlets published their final digital articles.

The dearth in local reporting is already being felt at a municipal level.

In New Westminster, there are no longer any journalists covering city council, according to Patrick Johnstone, the city’s mayor.

“I’m scared, actually,” he said. “I’m scared for what it means for our community, and what it means for our ability to talk about what’s happening in our community.”

Municipalities respond

Some municipalities, including Port Moody, are trying to fill this gap.

In April, city council approved a new communications approach to share what it’s working on with residents.

Staff are also finding ways to address the spread of conflicting information online.

While Johnstone understands why municipalities may be taking this approach, he doesn’t think it can replace the role of journalists.

“We’re not journalists,” he said. “It’s a very different thing for us to communicate to the community, but to have journalists actually vetting the information that’s coming out and, you know, holding us to task and keeping us truthful.”

News deprivation

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives published a database in March, looking into how news deprived communities across the country are.

It found that about 2.5 million Canadians live in a postal code with no local news.

David Macdonald, a senior economist with the institute, said, the decline in publications covering local news is leaving the public news deprived.

“That’s the real danger here, is if you don’t have local journalists covering it, someone else will substitute for it, often with misinformation.”

For Bartel, he’s worried who will cover city council, school board meetings and those who shape our cities.

“There’s nobody to tell those stories,” he said. “And you wonder what the cost of that is going to be.”