Why Support DeSmog Canada? Here Are Six Reasons It’s Totally Worth It

As many of our readers have already seen, DeSmog Canada recently completed a successful Kickstarter campaign where we raised $50,000 from our generous supporters. Even though we're on the other side of that fundraiser, we still rely on support from readers like you. That's why we make it easy to contribute to DeSmog Canada at anytime through PayPal. 

If you are wondering why DeSmog Canada deserves your support, here's a list of our top reasons: 

1. We’re doing something no one else in Canada is

Our vision for DeSmog Canada is to build an independent, non-profit media outlet dedicated to reporting on energy and environment issues in Canada. That work doesn’t stop with climate reporting: we provide in-depth news on new energy projects and resource development and show how those projects affect local communities, First Nations and the local environment. We keep track of federal and provincial policies surrounding pollution and health, holding government and industry officials to account for their promises and their actions. We bring new knowledge and insight to Canadian politics and the impact decision-makers have on democracy and the rights of all Canadian citizens.

2. We need strong and balanced reporting on energy and environment issues

There’s no question environmental issues have become increasingly polarized in Canada. With government calling some of Canada’s prominent environment groups ‘foreign funded radicals’ and celebrities traveling to the Alberta oilsands to highlight the human and environmental impacts of extraction in the region – there’s no shortage of talking points being trumpeted across the aisle. But what about the conversation in the middle? The meaningful discussion of solutions that gets drowned out in all the noise? DeSmog Canada is designed not only to provide hard-hitting journalism, but to foster discussions about Canada’s energy future, the needs and rights of local communities, and environmental stewardship for generations to come.

3. Freedom of expression and transparency are endangered in Canada

Canada is one of the lowest-ranked developed nations on the world press freedom index. Even our own Information Commissioner says Canada has a problem with providing citizens access to information. And a new report just published this week gave many of Canada’s major federal departments a failing grade for lack of open communication, lack of whistleblower protection and political interference in science and research.

Canada is at the centre of what critics, academics and journalists are calling a “war on science,” with taxpayer funded scientists being muzzled by politicians. The need to get information to average Canadians has never been more difficult and important. We play a critical role in filling that gap while continuously telling the story of Canada’s silenced scientists.

That's why we helped launch the #CDNFOI hastag as part of an effort with the Canadian Association of Journalists, IntegrityBC, and the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association to highlight government secrecy in Canada.

4. In Canada and across the world investigative journalists are disappearing

According to the Canadian Association of Journalists, since 2012 almost 2000 journalists have lost their jobs in Canada. We wrote about this happening to investigative reporter Mike De Souza, highlighting all the important stories he broke while working at Postmedia. We also just covered the story of Postmedia preparing to purchase many of the major English-language papers across the entire country. With greater concentration of media ownership, press freedom comes under threat. That’s why independent and non-profit outlets like DeSmog Canada are important for maintaining a healthy flow of information in Canada. We tell stories that corporate media isn’t interested in.

5. Our team is made of talented journalists, writers and researchers that we pay but we still aren’t exclusive with our content

If you didn’t already know, DeSmog Canada has an amazing team that brings you breaking news, intelligent analysis and in-depth reporting. We also have skilled graphic designers and social media experts that ensure our reporting doesn’t just stop at our homepage. We work overtime to amplify our content and spread our reporting. That’s why you’ll see our work published on the Huffington Post, the Vancouver Observer, the Times Colonist, The Tyee, and many small town papers across the country. We really get a bang for our buck.

6. We bring our work offline to build knowledge and democracy IRL

Much of what we do happens offline. We send experts out into the community to train organizations and individuals how to do access to information requests. We give presentations on the muzzling of Canada’s scientists and how misinformation can be used to try to confuse the public about natural resource issues like pipelines or fracking. Our team also provides rapid fire research to talk show hosts, reporters, academics, authors, artists and individuals on a regular basis. We’re known for our great work, and for our exceptional team and we’re not afraid to share it. At DeSmog Canada we believe in what we do and the impact engaged and informed citizens can have in a healthy democracy.

That’s the short list of reasons why you should support DeSmog Canada, but there’s even more up our sleeves. To learn more about what we do, browse our site and Facebook page.

We hope you’ll find any one of these points reason enough to go to our PayPal page and give generously. Remember, we're independent, non-profit and we don't advertise. That's pretty cool.