Tyee Editor Robyn Smith on What Makes Us Special and What Lies Ahead

Robyn Smith was “wondering what the heck to do” on her first day as a Tyee intern in 2010.

A decade later, she’s still asking what the heck to do, and has a team of editors, reporters and readers asking her the same question daily.

The Tyee’s editor-in-chief since 2015, Smith shared her hopes for The Tyee and love of mentorship in the latest edition of Three Things, our interview series hosted by Tyee outreach manager Emma Cooper.

Smith’s first day started with a dim sum lunch with the team. As she listened to The Tyee’s then small group share ideas on the craft of journalism and stories, she knew this was the place for her.

“What surprised me was just how collaborative and supportive that group was,” said Smith of The Tyee when she first started. “I knew that I wanted to be a part of it long term.”

And since graduating from UBC with a master’s in journalism in 2011 and being hired to mentor the next group of practicum students, she’s never left.

Smith has seen The Tyee turn from a politically focused publication into a general interest news magazine — “but we still are a very political publication,” she notes — driven by reporters whose stories from previously uncharted beats audiences simply can’t resist.

She pointed to Christopher Cheung, The Tyee’s urban life reporter, who writes not only about planning and housing, but neighbourhoods and their social infrastructure, food and community — and bubble tea.

Smith has also made it a priority to bring the voices of new and diverse writers to The Tyee, tracking progress each month with Cheung and associate editor Olamide Olaniyan. In a big next step, Olaniyan will soon be focused on bringing new writers and diverse perspectives into The Tyee.

These opportunities to do things differently excite Smith, though she’d rather do the work than talk about it. Having started her career in the aftermath of the 2008 recession, Smith has watched newsrooms shrink in traditional media outlets and says independent outlets like The Tyee have to step up to cover what they miss or ignore.

“I still think journalism is in trouble, and the thing that gives me hope is that The Tyee has been innovating for two decades,” she said. “And ours has never been [a story of] explosive growth, it’s been slow and steady, and I think that’s really the way forward for the media.”

Smith credits the federal government’s Local Journalism Initiative for helping the team grow by two reporters — one focused on health and one on the Downtown Eastside community — but wants to see more support for upstart publications that are accountable to their communities. “You don’t have to be giant to be good and useful.”

Readers and Builders — monthly financial supporters of The Tyee — are the backbone of that growth at The Tyee, Smith said, and it’s exciting to hear from them about what they’d like to see covered.

Smith dives into Builders’ feedback and works with publisher Jeanette Ageson to respond in meaningful ways — “we really do read everything,” she said.

The practicum students she mentors each year — so many she once compared herself to Octomom — are collaborative beyond her expectations and tackle stories Tyeesters past haven’t thought to touch.

“I really hope the future of journalism looks like them,” says Smith.

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Watch the whole interview here, and tune in next week as Cooper speaks with Tyee contributing editor and resident pandemic blogger Crawford Kilian.