Canadian Heritage committee  Local is a really hard nut to crack. I can't say I've fully cracked it with the Vancouver Observer. I think that is where we would really benefit from some sort of non-profit/charitable status, special status for journalism, that would allow in Vancouver, let's say, the Vancouver Foundation to support local reporting projects that will just cover city hall and provide people with basic information about what's going on.

Canadian Heritage committee  Right.

Canadian Heritage committee  Well, again, I think as a committee, to do it, or as a government, to do it, you would have to be very bold. You would be attacked by people who disagree. Whatever definition you would come up with, I'm sure it would be under fire. However, again, you can look to France, where they have done that.

Canadian Heritage committee  Accreditation, yes, because right now we're in a pretty dangerous situation, actually. Anybody can say, “I'm a journalist. I get to come in. I get to crash the party.” Then they can start to use Twitter, use Facebook, or use their own web platform to promulgate untruth: lies.

Canadian Heritage committee  To help in education?

Canadian Heritage committee  My advice would be to make sure that the journalism schools are teaching skills that are really relevant in today's journalism world. I believe at King's College they have an entrepreneurial journalism program. I think that's really important, because I think the journalists of the future have to be entrepreneurial.

Canadian Heritage committee  Honestly, it breaks my heart sometimes when I see kids pouring into journalism schools. Most of these programs are really successfully telling kids that they may not have a job in journalism when they come out of school, but they will have a lot of really valuable skills. I think that is true.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes. Thank you.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you.

Canadian Heritage committee  You're right. I think you and I both can spin that out into other scenarios historically where propaganda has led to mass killing, whether it's in Rwanda or Cambodia. It's a historical truth, and it's very dangerous. It's very important that we try to have some agreed-upon idea, common ground for what we accept as a society as truth.

Canadian Heritage committee  That's an interesting question. I would rather see us survive and thrive through subscriptions and not advertising, for sure. I would rather answer to the readers. I don't think you really do have to answer to advertisers, but still, the question of what should happen about advertising, and all the government's advertising dollars, I really think is an important one for the committee to grapple with, because yes, I'd much rather see it go to the CBC, or I'd much rather see....

Canadian Heritage committee  I've been in it full time for ten years. I started the Vancouver Observer ten years ago. I'm very devoted to making this work and I don't plan on giving up. Again, I see the future for us based on more of a relationship with the readers, and that depends on building our audience.

Canadian Heritage committee  Really? We submitted it quite some time ago.

Canadian Heritage committee  I'd like to see them not do that.

Canadian Heritage committee  We submitted it in French and English.