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Thanks for reading The Tyee today — we hope this article added to your day in some way. Our team of independent journalists takes pride in doing in-depth reporting and taking time to get it right.

We're able to focus our attention on publishing impactful journalism in the public interest, and publish it for free for all to read, because we have the support of Tyee Builders. Tyee Builders are readers who contribute a bit of money — at a level and frequency of their choice — to support our editorial budget.

This core of supporters — making up about 1 to 2 per cent of our daily readership — enables us to pay our writers, keep our articles free and open to all, and not bombard our readers with annoying ads while you try to read.

Instead of focusing on what kind of articles will attract the most advertising dollars, we can spend time devoted to researching and writing stories that our readers find most valuable and make the most positive impact in our region.

If you'd like to join thousands of readers who help make independent journalism possible, consider joining Tyee Builders. Thank you.

— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

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Help us un-break journalism in Canada

You made it all the way through the article – I hope that means you liked it (or if not ‘liked’ it, gleaned some useful information from it). Tyee articles are known for being quite lengthy, so we appreciate when people spend some quality time with our work.

Listen, I’ll get to the point – the article you just read was made possible because our non-profit newsroom was able to pay a talented journalist to research and write it. And we can only afford to do that because of our business model, which relies on a certain percentage of our readers signing up for our paid membership program called Tyee Builders.

The traditional business model for journalism in Canada has been completely disrupted, and we’re witnessing a slow collapse as corporate newsrooms buy up distressed publications, lay people off, and suck the value out of them before declaring bankruptcy. And it doesn’t help that tech giant Meta has blocked Canadian news on their Facebook and Instagram platforms.

There is another way and we are carving the path.

Between 1 to 2 per cent of people who visit The Tyee contribute financially, but amazingly, that small percentage is enough to fund half of our overall budget. And it means we can operate without a paywall, too. 1 per cent of people giving means 99 per cent of people get access to quality, fact-based journalism from a talented team of journalists who live and work in B.C., Alberta, and across Canada. We think that’s pretty remarkable.

If you’re concerned about the way journalism is heading in Canada and you’d like to do something about it, consider joining Tyee Builders and contributing an amount that works for you.

— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

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A Few Words on Commenting

We value your lively, smart exchanges on our stories — but we need your help to stay out of the muck.

Tyee Moderators 15 Feb 2018TheTyee.ca

The Tyee Moderators work to keep our comment threads positive and constructive. Likes: contextualizers, punsters. Dislikes: spam (we’re trying to keep it down!).

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Moderating comments can sometimes seem like swimming upstream. You can help.

In the wake of headlines about the death of Colten Boushie and the acquittal of Gerard Stanley, we decided it’s a good time to check in with you about our comment boards.

Our stories about issues of race in Canada almost always attract the usual suspects who chime in with stereotypes and generalizations.

Are these stereotypes useful? Do they offer context, or fodder for discussion and debate?

We don’t think so. No one gains anything, and we’re of the mind that they cause harm. Overly general comments aren’t helpful either — story comments are for commenting on a story. They’re not an excuse for commenters to share something that’s always irked them without explanation.

Now, we don’t believe in shutting down conversation. That’s why we have a comments section. That’s why we allow you to remain anonymous. (Here’s our humble refresher on civility from last year.)

Different points of view deserve to be discussed. CBC curated some from diverse callers in response to the Stanley trial.

However, moderating hot and controversial issues isn’t easy, and we have a small team that shares the job as part of other daily work. The CBC’s response to comments on stories that involve Indigenous people was to close them down.

We don’t want to do that but we need your help. We are proud to have a lively comments section, so we’re challenging you to be more thoughtful.

We’ll be moderating sensitive stories more closely. You can help us by keeping dialogue respectful and enlightening, and also by flagging comments for our review when you think they violate the guidelines.

Do continue to upvote and downvote. It’s a good way to throw some shine on your fellow commenters and also throw shade on those who could be more thoughtful.

We want to get this right and prove we can continue our history of having a higher-than-average level of civility and debate in our discussions and avoid prematurely closing comments as much as possible.

Thanks for keeping this publication feisty. Your feedback, as always, is welcome below. [Tyee]

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Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion.
*Please note The Tyee is not a forum for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, denying its existence or minimizing its risk to public health.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others
  • Personally attack authors or contributors
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

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