In-depth

Previous In-depths Landmark land settlement Carbon Conundrum Caribou in Canada The Mackenzie Delta Torngat Mountains Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) Travels with Louis British Columbia's Gulf Islands Moose on the loose Sustainable cities Icebergs Canada's musical landscape Quebec's James Bay Ottawa Valley Green with jade Hunting for cures Wild horses Canada's Bison Canada's place in the world Lessons learned in schools Power of powwows Cougars in Canada Greenland sharks Boreal birds Arctic grizzlies Lake Erie's Fire in the boreal forest Energy matters Parks for all Bighorn sheep Finding our way in the wilderness Shipwrecks of Nova Scotia Canada's grizzly bears

THE KNOWLEDGE TOOLBOX

Community newspapers have a strong voice in the Ottawa Valley and across Canada. Nationally, 69 percent of adults read their last weekday community newspaper, while in Ontario readership reaches 73 percent. In the Ottawa Valley, there is a newspaper to serve every community.

Community newspapers are a great way to contribute to your area, and with the volume of publications in all corners of the country there is a lot of opportunity to play a part in them.

Mike Wollock, publisher of Ottawa News Publishing Co. who publishes six titles in the Valley, offers some tips on how to get involved with your community newspaper.

• Call the editor! The best way to contribute to your local community newspaper is by writing stories. Wollock suggests expressing your interest to the editor before actually writing any stories. Although they do except unsolicited articles, they do not pay for them.
  
• Send your resume, writing samples and story ideas to the editor. Pitch your story idea and discuss the specifications of what the editor is looking for.
  
• If you want to get on the newspaper’s assignment register, and write stories on a consistent basis, highlight your areas of interest for the editor. Let them know your areas of expertise, such as restaurant reviews, business, sports or general assignment.
  

• Wollock stresses that community newspapers involve people on the ground, being there when things are happening in the community. If you are in the right place at the right time, such as an accident, fire or other spontaneous happening in your community, you might consider pitching your eyewitness account of the event.
  
• Talk to people! The best way to come up with story ideas is to be involved in your community. By attending community association meetings and talking to lots of people in your community you will find a wealth of interesting stories to tell.
  
• Community newspapers offer honorariums for stories, which can range anywhere from $25 to $100 per story.
  
• If your interest leans toward photography, the same process applies. Talk to the editor first. Sometimes a written story will necessitate a photo and you may end up doing both.
  
• Make sure that you are pitching stories to the appropriate newspaper that is specific to the community covered by the story you are pitching.
  
• And enjoy yourself! Contributing to your community newspaper should be a rewarding experience that will benefit not only your community but you as well.

— Jackie Wallace