New, Improved Tyee, Brought to You by You

You might recall in the fall we had this crazy idea. With the 2015 federal election a flicker in the distance and a national media in the throes of disruption if not collapse, we thought it time to double down. Canada, then more than ever, needed more original, independent reporting on national issues.

But the question was, how to pay for it? Quality, original reporting costs money. Sure, a paywall is an option. But in a democracy, news is an essential service that we felt shouldn't hide behind a paywall.

So, we put out the hat and asked readers to fill it up. And you did. A bit over $100K in three weeks. What a ride that was!

During the campaign, we promised:

• More national coverage. Including a new pool of national affairs columnists (see list below).
• A reporter in Ottawa
• A national affairs newsletter

Today we're proud to announce phase one is complete. We have stepped up our national coverage in The Tyee since November. One byline on national affairs directly affecting B.C. who you will well recognize is Andrew Nikiforuk. Thanks to you, Andrew has the financial support he needs to continue his relentless coverage of energy issues unmatched by other media, filing stories more frequently now than before. See his latest work here.

We've also got the national pool running (see list below).

Given this new content, we've created a new way to navigate The Tyee and find what you want.

Now you can see all the national content we're running in a new "National" category.

While we were at it, we decided to refine our web site's main categories in order to better reflect our priorities and focus. That's why you now see a new category called "Culture," which compiles all stories previously in "Life," "Arts & Culture," and "Books." And we added a new category called "Solutions" to highlight the original solutions-oriented reporting our intrepid journalists uncover on a regular basis.

And, of course, there's now a new link called "Join," which takes you to the form to sign up to become a Tyee Builder, if you haven't already.

To be clear, our B.C. orientation hasn't shifted. We're rooted in this place and therefore still produce the same number (if not more) of stories about this province. It's just that we're now publishing more national-scope stories, mainly with a western bent, in addition. The new categories, we hope, will make it easier for you to find what you're looking for now that we're increasing the amount of stories.

What about the reporter in Ottawa?

That's in the works. The majority of our funding comes in monthly pledges from readers. So, we needed a few months to accumulate the funds necessary to make this, and our other promises, happen. In the meantime, you will see more news stories from Ottawa and elsewhere around the country assigned and published by The Tyee.

What about the national newsletter?

We're shooting for the fall on that one. We'll try for sooner, of course.

Who's in the Tyee National Pool again?

Glad you asked. The Tyee National Pool is several dozen voices from around the nation who, thanks to your support, will now be contributing their analysis and reporting to our pages. Among them:

STEVIE CAMERON. Award-winning investigative journalist and bestselling author. Best known for her exposure of the Mulroney government's Airbus Affair and her extensive coverage of the Pickton murders and trials.

GLEN COULTHARD. An assistant professor in the First Nations Studies Program and Department of Political Science at UBC, Coulthard focuses on contemporary political theory, indigenous thought and politics, and radical social and political thought (Marxism, anarchism, post-colonialism). He oughta shake things up a bit.

BRIGETTE DEPAPE. She burst on the Canadian scene as the "rogue page" who held up a "Stop Harper" sign in Parliament during a Throne Speech. Her reports from the front lines of social activism have appeared in The Tyee, Rabble and elsewhere.

DIANA GIBSON. Founding director of the Firelight Group research cooperative and Canadians for Tax Fairness, a director of PolicyLink Research and Consulting and a research advisor with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the University of Alberta's Parkland Institute.

IAN GILL. Writer, filmmaker, and social entrepreneur who founded and led Ecotrust Canada and served as CEO of Ecotrust Australia. He has been a reporter and editor for the Vancouver Sun and CBC.

GUS VAN HARTEN. Associate professor at Osgoode Hall Law School and author of Investment Treaty Arbitration and Public Law, Van Harten is an expert international trade lawyer with an eye trained on CETA.

JESS HOUSTY. A young, smart First Nations leader who's had a view on Canada's national interests through the business end of the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline on the Central Coast of B.C.

DENNIS HOWLETT. Executive director of Canadians for Tax Fairness. Was national co-ordinator of Make Poverty History, helping to lead successful campaigns for poverty reduction plans at the provincial and federal levels.

MEL HURTIG. National chairman of the Committee for an Independent Canada and the founder and former chairman of the Council of Canadians. Among his many bestselling books is The Truth About Canada.

MARTIN LUKACS. An investigative journalist and environmental writer published in the Guardian. He has broken explosive stories about the government spying on First Nations, oil company cover-ups, the world's biggest geo-engineering experiment and Canada's tar sands lobbying in Europe.

LAWRENCE MARTIN. The acclaimed political reporter and author is an equal opportunity exposer of excesses of the powerful, having written incisive biographies of Jean Chretien (The Will to Win) and Stephen Harper (Harperland).

MICHAEL M'GONIGLE. A founder of Greenpeace International and renowned professor of environmental law at the University of Victoria, M'Gonigle is fearless in framing sustainability issues.

HEATHER MALLICK. Take-no-prisoners columnist for the Toronto Star. Also contributes to the CBC and The Guardian. Winner of two National Newspaper Awards for features and critical writing.

MARCI MCDONALD. One of Canada's top investigative journalists, whose book, The Armageddon Factor: the Rise of Christian Nationalism in Canada, became an instant best-seller and Quill & Quire's best non-fiction title of 2010. She served as bureau chief for Maclean's magazine in Paris and Washington.

ANDREW NIKIFORUK. Winner of seven National Magazine Awards. Top honours from the Association of Canadian Journalists. Author of four books, including the bestselling The Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of the Continent.

DAWN PALEY. With a master's degree in women's studies, a long focus on human rights, and based in Mexico, Paley is an experienced reporter with a unique view on Canada through the eyes of the Americas.

JONATHAN SAS. Director of research at the Broadbent Institute. Former reporter and editor at The Mark. Outspoken critic of media concentration and commercialization in Canada. Sauvé Scholar (2012).

JUDITH SAYERS. Former elected chief of the Hupacsath First Nation. Assistant professor of law and business at UVic. National Aboriginal Economic Development Chair. Thoughtful writer, insightful thinker.

So, to sum up. You now have a place to go to find all The Tyee's expanded national coverage – right here, within our new department aptly named National.

And we'll be updating you on more ways we are implementing and expanding the Tyee Goes National moment you made possible.

Many thanks for your support!