Q: What drove you to open a news outlet when the industry is supposedly dying?
That question assumes journalism is dying. I don’t believe that. I think one model of journalism is dying — the bloated, corporate-owned version that drifted away from the communities it was meant to serve.
I opened The Seeker because I saw gaps. Important local stories weren’t being covered deeply. Community achievements were overlooked. Policy decisions were being summarized without context.
In a small community, information is oxygen. If local media weakens, rumours fill the gap. Social media becomes the newsroom. That’s not healthy.
So instead of complaining about what was missing, I built something. Today, you can see our work at https://theseeker.ca — and it reflects what I believe local journalism should be: grounded, accessible, and accountable.
Q: What makes running a news outlet in a small community different from running one in a big city?
It’s personal.
When you publish a tough story in a small town, you’ll likely run into the subject at the grocery store. You might sit beside them at a fundraiser. Your children might know each other.
That doesn’t change the facts — but it changes the emotional landscape.
Small communities also have limited advertising pools. Often, you’re reporting on businesses that also support you financially. That means your ethical boundaries have to be clear from day one.
The upside? You understand the nuance. You know the history behind the decisions. You’re not parachuting in — you’re living it.
Q: How do you maintain independence when advertisers are local?
You separate church and state. Advertising is business. Editorial is public trust.
If those lines blur, credibility disappears. And credibility is the only real currency a news outlet has.
Have there been uncomfortable moments? Absolutely. But losing an advertiser is survivable. Losing trust is not.
Q: What is the hardest part of operating a local news outlet today?
Revenue and sustainability.
People value local news — but many aren’t used to paying for it. Meanwhile, costs continue to rise. Printing, hosting, staffing, software — it adds up quickly.
The second challenge is wearing too many hats. Publisher, editor, marketer, social media manager, bookkeeper — in small operations, that’s often one or two people. With us, it’s my business partner Mai-Liis and I who do it all..
If you don’t build structure and boundaries, burnout is real. We’re lucky to have a great team of contributors who help tremendously.
Q: What do you believe local journalism still gets wrong?
Too much reliance on press releases.
It’s easy to become a community bulletin board. It fills space. It keeps everyone happy.
But journalism isn’t meant to just announce things. It’s meant to explain them. Translate policy. Question decisions. Provide context.
If you never make anyone uncomfortable, you’re not really doing journalism — you’re doing PR.
Q: Do you feel pressure to soften stories because you know the people involved?
The pressure exists because we’re human. But professionalism means separating empathy from avoidance.
You can be fair without being cruel. You can be balanced without being timid.
In a small town, emotional intelligence is just as important as investigative skill. But backbone still matters.
Q: What role does social media play in your strategy?
Social media is distribution — not journalism.
It’s where people discover stories. But it’s also where nuance gets flattened and outrage spreads fastest.
We use social platforms to bring readers to full stories, where context lives. You can’t compete for attention alone. You have to compete for trust.
Q: How do you decide what stories to prioritize?
I ask three things:
- Does this impact people’s daily lives?
- Is someone being affected unfairly?
- Is this something that needs clearer explanation?
Ribbon cuttings have their place. But policies affecting schools, healthcare, governance, or taxes take priority.
Local journalism should focus on consequence, not convenience.
Q: Has operating a news outlet changed how you see your community?
Completely.
You see generosity. You see quiet leadership. You see volunteers holding systems together.
You also see power structures, tensions, and long-standing dynamics that outsiders would miss.
It deepens respect — and sharpens skepticism.
Q: What keeps you going?
Impact.
When someone says a story helped them understand an issue. When a small business sees growth after a feature. When a resident says, “I didn’t know that before.”
That’s fuel.
And, honestly, a bit of stubbornness helps too.
Q: Does local journalism have a future?
Yes. But it won’t look like it did twenty years ago.
It will be leaner. More digital. More community-integrated. More transparent.
The future of journalism isn’t mass. It’s local. It’s specific. It’s accountable to real people.
In small communities, we don’t have the luxury of letting journalism disappear.
If we don’t tell our own stories, someone else will — or worse, no one will.