There are many of us who put out this newspaper, both online and in print. Hardworking professionals in sales, accounting and administration from our publisher on down provide the vital business foundation. A production department we share with other newspapers in the Glacier chain provides graphics wizardry and puts pages together. A Vancouver-based printer produces those pages in physical form. A team of delivery people drops copies of the Courier on doorsteps across the city to make us the largest circulation of any community newspaper in Canada. An online team puts our stories, photos and video on the web and on mobile apps.
There are 10 of us in the Courier newsroom producing those stories: three editors, one desker, five reporters, one busy photographer. Spreading out from our newsroom are two dozen regular contributors and this city's constellation of freelancers. Some of our contributors have been with this paper for more than three decades, while others are appearing with us this week for the very first time.
They've picked a good time to join because with this issue we are unveiling the refreshed Courier you are reading now. The result of a collaboration with designer Shelley Ackerman, it's a modern, breathable presentation that's informative and pleasant to behold. From fonts to photo boxes, it's a lively and updated design we think you'll like.
We've redesigned old sections and added new features. We've remade the front page and given better prominence to news on pages four and five. That commitment to news is important as we continue with market-leading coverage on city hall, schools and the park system through both stories and columns like 12th and Cambie and Class Notes. Our opinion pages have more room for letters, including from social media, and provide new voices, such as in this issue provincial affairs columnist Les Leyne from our sister paper The Victoria Times-Colonist.
Our entertainment section welcomes two new writers on food. Our local sports coverage is expanding. We've added a new Community section. Anchored by the popular Community Calendar with Sandra Thomas, it includes two new features: a City Living photo page on Wednesday with a corresponding gallery online, and a new series of rotating Community Correspondents, beginning with Kerrisdale resident Terri Clark. Look for more new voices and features as the weeks progress.
None of this will work without you. You might have seen our new tagline on the front of this paper: "the voice of Vancouver neighbourhoods." That phrase was the brainchild some months ago of assistant editor Fiona Hughes and it captures what we do completely. In a time of Internet chatter and online gossip, in a city that has ongoing problems with affordability, transportation, development and cultural misunderstanding, Vancouver needs local newspapers grounded in our neighbourhoods and communities. In stories, commentary and photos about Vancouverites, this paper is a platform for neighbours and neighbourhoods to learn about each other.
That means we rely on you to provide us with tips on news stories and events about your community. For new stories and letters to the editor, email us at [email protected]. For events, contact us at events@ vancourier.com. We're also at 1574 West Sixth Ave., V6J 1R2.
Tell us your stories. Help our ever-changing city remain a place we call home. [email protected] Twitter.com/trueblinkit
