Cabins at Piper’s Lagoon, Nanaimo, one of my special Mid-Island places
Community journalism is having to adapt to the exciting possibilities of the 21st Century: digital production and distribution of print, imagery and video through a host of channels and technologies that didn’t exist a quarter-century ago. Mid-Island Focus will look for opportunities to engage audiences through new media – I want to explore what kinds community perspectives can be shared in the digital age.
In a sense, this is going against the grain. Increasingly people are overwhelmed by tsunamis of information funnelled at them from all over the world – a deluge of random facts, figures, memes, causes, and so on. The underlying principle of MiF is community, using the new media to present cohesive views of people-in-place – more specifically, of people in places that are tangible, real and meaningful to Mid-Islanders.
My centre of gravity in the Mid-Island is Nanaimo-North Cowichan, and for now much of the material you will find on this site will be inspired by the people and places of that locale. But the coverage area isn’t fixed. There are too many fascinating stories in the broader region that need telling, and we’ll venture up and down the coast from Mill Bay to Campbell River frequently, following ledes. Over time, my hope is to partner with other journalists, broadening the scope and intensifying the coverage of Mid-Island Focus in more consistent ways.
Thanks for tuning in; I hope you’ll follow MiF and suggest how I can do a better job bringing you Interesting news for interested Mid-Islanders.
CraigSpenceWriter
