I sometimes hear from readers that they’re curious to know why and how I launched Canadian Affairs.
I appreciate the questions. There is a lot of mistrust around news today: some news outlets have agendas; some are owned by powerful elites.
Canadian Affairs is neither of those things.
In the interests of transparency, I want to share the few simple reasons that I launched Canadian Affairs with my husband, Chetan Raina, over two years ago:
One, we’re passionate about high-quality journalism.
There are few things Chetan and I enjoy more than sitting down with a cup of coffee (me) or tea (him) and reading a good news article. Good journalism entertains, delights, activates and informs.
This love of news spurred me to leave a lucrative career in corporate law ten years ago to pursue a career in journalism. To say the least, it was not a financially smart decision. But it was the right one for me.
I have found it both fun and rewarding to lead a team of reporters who are passionate about producing original and balanced journalism each day. (As my mother has said, some people’s idea of fun is another’s idea of torture.)
Two, we believe Canada doesn’t have enough high-quality journalism.
I see proof of this everyday. Our newsroom has more novel story ideas come across our desk than we have the capacity to cover.
For us, this is validation that Canadian Affairs addresses an important need — of shining a light on stories other outlets aren’t telling, of showcasing voices other outlets may ignore, and of unpacking complex social issues that matter to Canada and Canadians’ futures.
Third, we believe media businesses can be viable businesses.
I have always thought there is a market of discerning, thoughtful Canadians who are willing to pay for news — Canadians who value high-quality journalism and recognize its social importance.Â
I still believe this to be true. But I’ll also admit that growing a media business has been harder than I’d expected. (As Chetan likes to say, no one would ever launch a business if they knew how hard it would be.)
Chetan and I have put our savings towards getting Canadian Affairs off the ground. Despite the paper’s small size, it is a meaningful commitment for us. We are not Jeff Bezos, unfortunately!
If you are one of the discerning, thoughtful Canadians who values high-quality journalism, consider becoming a paid subscriber.Â
A subscription directly funds the small team of professional reporters who do the hard work of identifying undercovered stories, building relationships with sources and asking tough questions.
Speaking of which, if you have any tough questions for me, feel free to drop me a note at lauren.heuser@canadianaffairs.news.
thank you so much for unbiased news and as you point out novel stories, that are actually applicable to my life. I could see that right away and started to pay you monthly. thanks
History: In the early 1930’s my father J.Rae Perigoe M.A. English, U of T began Canadian Comment. It ran until the midst of WWII
When you or one of your journalists approach a topic how do you let your audience know what values are in play in doing the research/digging to ferret out the story. How do I know that the approach taken contributes to the story you or your journalists are dealing with.