Not 'state-run media': City speaks to questions around launch of Lloydminster Record
The City of Lloydminster is defending its decision to start what is being called, “an online news source delivering the straight facts on City of Lloydminster matters.”
The Lloydminster Record, which launched abruptly and unexpectedly Wednesday morning, further mentioned how it will consist of posts to provide “clarity, balance, and perspective to news coverage when potentially misleading information is encountered."
The preliminary content published via the Lloydminster Record was to "provide clarity" on a report regarding travel expenses from members of the city manager’s office.
It pointed to a news story published earlier this year and said despite being given all the requested information, media reports left out vital pieces of information. The post was working to clarify possible “inaccurate conclusions.”
Todd Corrigall, director of strategy and partnerships with the City of Lloydminster, told the Meridian Booster the city has "no plans to write our own stories at all" and said it was not “a news organization, a news site, a blog, or anything like that.”
He said the reasoning behind the Lloydminster Record was simple.
When the city conducts an interview with media, “given lengths of stories, what you are confined to or any sort of restraint involved, sometimes all of the information is not able to be conveyed in the story," Corrigall said.
And while Sean Holman, a professor of journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary who specializes in freedom of information, said the government is within its bounds to provide its side of the story, it is up to the media to try to sort out the accuracy of everyone's claims who operate in the public realm.
“That is within their right, but it should not be confused, as appears to be the case here, with the news," he added.
Holman said it is the role of media and civil society’s job to hold the government to account and government has every right to not agree with the results.
Despite, Holman said it is inappropriate for the government to try to confuse the public about what the news actually is.
“When you call yourself the Lloydminster Record, what kind of image does that conjure up? Does that conjure up the image of writing news releases, or does it conjure up the image of a newspaper,” Holman said.
“If they want to get their message out they are completely entitled to in whatever way they want too, except when it comes to creating confusion and blurring the lines of what is government and what is the fourth estate.”
With the Record’s introduction, a number of people online and in the city have questioned whether or not this is the city saying the local media cannot be trusted.
“Absolutely not,” Corrigall said. “We value our local media partners incredibly. They are certainly one of, if not, the quickest way for material and information to be distributed to the residents. This is just a way of supplementing that.”
He said it was “incredibly important” the city maintain these relationships with the media and stressed the city’s intention was not to draw the ire of local media or to “create malice in the relationship”.
“Really, this is us reinforcing that message. This is not a ‘state-run media organization.’ This is simply an opportunity to engage and inform our residents. We fully understand in order to make an informed decision you need all of the information.”
When asked about tax dollars and resources being spent on the project, Corrigall said functioning of the Record will be undertaken as part of the day-to-day operations of the communications and marketing teams.
“This is not a new position, nor creating budget impacts.”
The Record is modelled after the City of Kelowna’s, “For the Record,” which posts any corrections and clarifications when a media story or letter to the editor contains a factual error.
Corrigall said he was in contact with the City of Kelowna several months ago, working to gather an idea of how the outlet operated, was formatted, and to discuss protocols and procedures.
Corrigall said he was looking at the idea for a number of years prior to his work with Lloydminster, believing it was “another great way to engage with residents.”
He said the site would serve as an online outlet where members of the community could turn to view all of the information a news outlet may not have the capacity to upload in its entirety, along with the opportunity to hear verbatim what interview subjects are saying to get a full sense of the situation.
According to Holman, however, moves such as these can present a problem for the fourth estate.
“In today’s industry, the institution's media cover now have the opportunity to convey their message to the public all by themselves,” Holman said. “They no longer have a monopoly on the mass media. This presents a challenge to the media, and it is a challenge I am not sure they are comfortable with.”
Holman also said the job of the fourth estate is to challenge the government to ensure it is doing the job it should be doing.
“If we fall down in that enterprise, it is up to civil society, the public, and themselves, to provide corrective action. Just as would be the case if a government did something wrong."