Tyeenews

Tyee Ramps up Election Coverage

Issues. Analysis. Spin unspun. How we're helping to inform your decision.

By David Beers, 16 Apr 2009, TheTyee.ca

Tyee Office Worker

Thanks to you, our readers, we've assembled B.C.'s best political reporting team to keep you informed on the provincial election. To stay plugged in, you'll want to come back to The Tyee's home page and its political blog The Hook many times a day.

In the past 10 days, we've run 56 election stories. Already we've spotlighted key swing ridings; explained the big split among enviros and why welfare is broken; caught Plutonic Power's CEO waffling about his political donations, revealed Suzuki Foundation's chairman is a proud Liberal; introduced you to feisty independent and Conservative candidates; and chronicled Vancouver Mayor Robertson's love/hate relationship with Gordon Campbell.

But now we're pouring it on. Here's a user's guide to how we're ramping up our coverage between now and voting day, May 12.

Double the coverage. On a normal day we've run one or two feature articles about political issues. From here on out, expect three or four a day. Look for in-depth reporting on the environment, government ethics, poverty, education, voting reform and other issues you've told us matter most to you. That's just the main course....

We've loaded up the Hook. True political junkies will want to check The Hook hourly for breaking news, fresh analysis and quick hits on what bloggers and other media are buzzing about. Look there for the latest from The Tyee team and friends like Sean Holman, Frances Bula and new contributors across the province. Also, 24 Hours reporters Irwin Loy, Bob Mackin and Dharm Makwana along with dispatches from The Canadian Press. Remember The Tyee's "Election Central" blog, a must-read during the 2005 B.C. election? The Hook is its replacement: bigger, faster, more diverse, and edited once again by The Tyee's award-winning Investigative Editor Monte Paulsen.

Our top-notch team. Just when Big Media is cutting budgets, we've built a dream team of reporters and commentators. To name a few: Tyee Legislative Bureau Chief Andrew MacLeod; contributing editors Will McMartin, Tom Barrett, Crawford Kilian, Charles Campbell and Heather Ramsay; columnists Rafe Mair and Bill Tieleman; reporters Geoff Dembicki, Garrett Zehr, Morgan Modjeski and Colleen Kimmett. Bonus: Your ticket to ride the Campbell and James busses -- we've partnered with The Canadian Press to publish their reports from the Liberal and NDP leaders' road shows.

You empowered this effort. We're able to do all this, of course, because Tyee readers have so generously donated to our Election Issues Reporting Fund. As of Thursday morning, April 16, you've given more than $19,000! We're still tabulating the results, and on Monday I'll share the final total and how your issues broke down. We are immensely grateful and, as you see, are already putting those resources towards coverage of the issues you told us are most important to you.

Please bookmark The Tyee and our political news blog The Hook, check in regularly, and post comments to enrich the discussion after the pieces we publish. We welcome your support, and are working hard to deliver what you demand and deserve as an engaged citizen preparing to cast an important ballot on May 12.

Related Tyee stories:

  • Election Central filters all provincial election coverage published on the Hook, The Tyee's political news blog. It's the place to go for just blog items about the election.
  • BC Votes '09 filters all Tyee feature story election coverage. It's the place to go for just stories that appeared on The Tyee home page.
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7  Comments:

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  • VivianLea Doubt

    3 years ago

    How do I love Thee?

    We really love you, Tyee! More of Frances Bula, please...and Monte Paulsen, Crawford Killian, Collen Kimmett, and Will McMartin...

  • verso

    3 years ago

    great news

    " Just when Big Media is cutting budgets, we've built a dream team of reporters and commentators."

    Unbelievable what passes for election coverage in the MSM. I think there was 5 minutes of election coverage on tonight's "News" Hour.

    Thanks, Tyee, your still the first site and last site I visit daily!

  • Jeffrey J.

    3 years ago

    Don't forget Sean Holman

    Hopefully some of Sean's work will be featured (though I realize he's busy with his own site, Public Eye). Love Bill Tieleman, Charles Campbell and Rafe. Great stuff, Tyee.

  • Roadie

    3 years ago

    Hard to hit a moving target!

    Why don't you tell us where the Liberals are going to be so we can show up there and tell them what we think of their nefarious policies of disenfranchisement? Oh, sorry that wouldn't work because we are all too busy trying to make ends meet to 'waste our time' trying to change the New World Order. My bad.

    I mean, it's fine to debollock the neocon conquistadores in virtual time, but to actually go where they are campaigning and hold up signs saying:
    Hello Senor Gordo, who did you rob today?
    Did you steal from the children, their Brand New Day?
    Or to go there and throw shoes? Much more satisfying. What happened to all the hippies who believe in free speech and honest government? Oh, they're too poor to travel to protests. My bad.

    Well, what happened to all the loggers who had their jobs snatched away to foreign factories? Oh, they're too poor to participate in any meaningful way in an election controlled by corporate payoffs. Sorry, my bad.

    Well, what happened to all the fishermen and cannery workers who used to make the coast such a lively and interesting place to be? Oh, they're too poor to participate in 'democracy' because they had to take jobs at McDonald's and the fish farms just to survive. Sorry, my bad.

    Okay, then what happened to all the other ordinary British Columbians who would like nothing better than to see this great land return to a time when 'the economy' meant that anyone who was willing to work hard got their fair share?
    Too poor, huh? Sorry, my bad.

    Jeez, it almost seems that if you can disenfranchise the poor and impoverish the middle class and happen to own all the media outlets you can (almost) call yourself the 'elected voice of the people.' What a shame.

  • Roadie

    3 years ago

    How about Batista?

    Why don't we just all vote for him - solve all our problems about self determination in one fell swoop. Save us all a whack of time pretending we're some kind of democracy.
    http://www.historyofcuba.com/history/batista.htm

  • Roadie

    3 years ago

    Why stop at Batista?

    I mean, if we don't value our human rights to a decent education, decent health care and a decent standard of living, why not vote for Gordon Campbell and his affiliates in the World Wrestling Federation? After all, truth is truth and might is right!

  • Roadie

    3 years ago

    Why stop there?

    Why not start a new religion to worship these neocon assholes in the style to which they would like to become accustomed? Or why not grease up a few sticks of dynamite to insert in their ever-so-deserving rear ends and show them what we really think of them?

    'Down Fifi! Down!'
    'Can't you see that this officer is only trying to do his job? Can't you see he's not trying to arrest me? Only my ideas. The IDEAS! Put that taser down and have a beer before you go officer. Honest, my dog really loves you - she's just in a bad mood right now. Down Fifi! Can't you see that this man loves Facist Running Dogs?'
    'No, huh?'
    'What? You think he's an unwitting tool in the ongoing Zionist movement to enslave the masses?'
    'What? You think he wants to consign you and all thinking beings to a steady diet of dog shit and propaganda for the rest of eternity?'
    'What?!!? Are you saying that this link may be equally applied to Canada?: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1656880303867390173

    'Sorry officer, could you come back tomorrow? I have to talk to my dog.'

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