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Here's what we're up against....

Global tech giants blocking Canadian news on their platforms. Political candidates purposely eroding trust in journalists. AI slop enabling a flourishing of misinformation online, with no accountability. Billionaire newspaper owners blatantly interfering with the editorial choices of their newsrooms.

To be a news publisher these days, committed to the slow, methodical work of talking to real people, verifying facts, is incredibly challenging. Not only are there bad actors that intentionally try to stymy good quality reporting, the business environment for journalism has been fundamentally disrupted, meaning that many of the institutions we used to rely on for high-quality journalism are struggling.

Against many odds, though, The Tyee is making it work, with the help of our readers. We've chosen a path that seems improbable -- we don't have a paywall, and we're very selective with our advertising partners that we work with. And we've been growing our team of professional journalists and increased our freelance budget. The only reason we can do this is because a small percentage of our readers chip in to our editorial budget through our Tyee Builders program.

This amazing group of readers means that The Tyee has persisted and published essential public-interest journalism for the past 21 years, and we have a good shot at being around for a long time in the future. But we can only maintain and grow our operations if readers continue to show up.

In this time of uncertainty, and with a federal election coming up, we need good journalism now more than ever. If you appreciate what you read on The Tyee and would like to help our independent, non-profit do more, please consider joining Tyee Builders today. You choose the amount, the frequency, and you can cancel at any time.

— Jeanette Ageson, publisher

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Media

Noted Author Harrison Mooney Joins The Tyee’s Election Team

The seasoned journalist and prize-winning memoirist adds to our campaign coverage.

David Beers 12 Sep 2024The Tyee

David Beers is the founding editor of The Tyee and serves as current editor-in-chief.

A man with medium-dark skin stands against a concrete wall in a forest green button-up fleece. He is wearing glasses, smiling broadly and looking upwards.
‘Working at The Tyee means I get to spend time with nicer people, be inspired and have great conversations with other incredible journalists,’ says new associate editor Harrison Mooney. Photo by Christopher Cheung.

Harrison Mooney is a veteran news reporter and editor, having last worked at the Vancouver Sun before leaving to write the acclaimed 2022 memoir Invisible Boy, a finalist for five major literary awards and winner of the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize.

Now he’s joined The Tyee’s newsroom, we’re very happy to say.

Mooney has written the occasional column for us in the past on topics ranging from peaches to e-biking to report cards without letter grades. So we’re no stranger to the intelligence and verve of his journalism. Now we have brought Harrison aboard to help cover the B.C. and federal election campaigns. We are able to do this thanks to Tyee readers who responded generously to our spring fundraising appeal to help us ramp up election coverage.

Mooney’s sharp perspective is evident in his piece published earlier today on the BC Conservatives’ announced plans to restrict library and textbooks not deemed “neutral” by some, so far vague, criteria. And in his analysis of how Kevin Falcon’s folding of BC United means a capitulation to John Rustad’s social conservative messaging.

We caught up with Mooney just as he was coming off a bout of COVID — not the greatest way to start a new job. But characteristically, he rallied to the moment by answering a few questions.

The Tyee: Harrison, welcome aboard! How are you feeling about returning to reporting about regional issues?

Harrison Mooney: I’m excited. Memoir is satisfying but writing a book takes so long. Sometimes it’s nice to pour your efforts into something you can finish and publish within a few days. I’m also working to break these big projects into smaller, bite-sized pieces, so the work isn’t so daunting. The best thing about the sort of regional reporting and essaying I’ll be doing at The Tyee is the reduced word count. The second-best thing, I suppose, is the episodic nature. I can bounce from idea to idea. I can follow my passions and whims. And as far as I can tell, if a topic doesn’t spark joy or the joy disappears early on in the process, I don’t have to write about it.

How do you feel about being back in a newsroom? You were a stalwart member of the Vancouver Sun’s for some years.

I swore off journalism back in 2021 when I took a buyout from Postmedia. I said I’d never return! Alas, time makes fools of us all. Fortunately, I really missed the newsroom.

Writing books can be lonely. There’s no one to talk to but myself, and I’m so hard on myself. I hate talking to that guy. Working at The Tyee means I get to spend time with nicer people, be inspired and have great conversations with other incredible journalists. Plus, I found snacks in the cupboard. Snacks!

I hope your work at The Tyee doesn’t mean readers are deprived of more wonderful books by Harrison Mooney.

I’m not done with book publishing. I’ve got four more books forthcoming — two memoirs and two picture books. Right now, becoming a multi-book author is the highlight of my writing career — that and joining The Tyee, of course.

Want to get even more of The Tyee’s election coverage? Sign up today for The Run. It’s a free B.C. election newsletter full of smart voices unpacking key issues, fact-checking politicians and exposing disinformation to clarifying light. Go beyond the horse-race headlines and subscribe now. [Tyee]

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