Community media benefits nurtured by LJI grant

As Schreiber Media Centre enters it’s last quarter of what has been a rather interesting period to say the least, it seems like a good time to reflect on what exactly we have achieved. From the beginning, it was clear there just wasn’t enough happening in the small community of Schreiber to justify the hiring of a full time journalist. However it seemed important enough to establish some kind of media presence in the town. The idea of having a person dedicated to covering the events and stories of Schreiber would ultimately be worthwhile.

LJI funding became essential in the creation and continuing operation of the media centre, which in co-operation with the Schreiber Public Library would bring the town into the new media age. While local residents do participate in not only being the focus of a story but they also are part of its creation. This community involvement would not be possible without continual funding to create programming and provide facilities.

This area has seen it’s shares of ups and downs and being able to shine a spotlight of some of the struggles makes sense and can be a viable tool in giving voice to the concerns of it’s residents. The content created in the last few years has allowed Schreiber to have a voice, but that voice has to be heard. And herein lies the main struggle. All the content in the world won’t have any impact if it doesn’t reach the people that can actually make a change. Having conversations with the rest of the world is easier in the digital age and remote communities can now participate in these conversations. Unfortunately it can lead to so much noise that some voices are drowned out. Being able to be continually heard requires resources and energy. The LJI grant allowed Schreiber Media Centre to retain a journalist on a part time basis in order to meet the deliverable requirements. 

Some highlights of our last year include the production of a show focussing on the successes of our neighbouring First Nations village. Instead of the usual doom and gloom scenario often seen on mainstream news channels, SMC focused on the positive achievements and growth potential for that community. The story was seen by a local journalist in the city of Thunder Bay and resulted in that journalist doing a floor up story for the local newspaper. The town of Terrace Bay has also received some benefit by having the Schreiber Media Centre record and post their council meetings allowing residents to keep up to date with municipal matters at their leisure. Having all content in one location makes access to information much easier. Finally, having content created with journalistic intention is a very important factor in keeping information unbiased. Today anyone with a cell phone and a social media presence, can produce content, but often that content is heavily skewed in order to support an agenda. A journalist operating with integrity and an understanding of ethics can be an asset to any community with a story to tell.