It’s not like us to spend time talking about another site, but then, Ricochet isn’t just another site. In fact, it’s a new model for national journalism in Canada with a plan to transform the Canadian media landscape.
Ricochet is crowd funded, bilingual and unabashedly progressive. This trifecta is attracting some of the top names on the Canadian and global left. We’re talking Judy Rebick, Linda McQuaig, Tom Hayden, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and Malalai Joya to name a few.
It has also attracted a slew of young writers from around the globe who will contribute in both English and French. They hope to bridge the gap not only between Anglo and Franco communities but with Indigenous ones as well. With Reuben George and Idle No More Quebec founders Melissa Mollen Dupuis and Widia Lariviere on board, there will be a clear focus on native issues.
Ricochet hopes to raise $75 000 in a month-long Indie Go Go crowdfunding campaign based on small contributions in support of content donors want to see. There will even be a way for readers to suggest and vote on stories they want to see covered.
Ricochet plans to use these funds to pay writers a competitive wage, fund investigative reports and compete with mainstream media using comparable resources not coming from corporate advertisers. It’s a reverse model to that of the Huffington Post, which although well funded through advertising, doesn’t share that wealth with many of its contributors.
If successful, and it really looks like it will be, Ricochet and their model could have lasting positive repercussions for media in Canada. They’re a welcome addition to the Canadian media landscape.
Ricochet unveils its site and launches its crowdfunding campaign today with a 5 a 7 at Bar Populaire, 6584 boul St-Laurent
