EDITOR'S NOTE: This column originally appeared on Milton Today July 19.
Community journalism is all about delivering the best-possible news coverage and being connected to the community. All of it.
Since launching in April, our small but dedicated newsroom has strived to cover the stories that matter most to you. We’ve shared local challenges, successes, heartbreak and much more.
But there’s always more work to be done – more community engagement to be fostered.
That's where you come in.
MiltonToday is looking to create a culture of listening through the launch of a community advisory board, an informal body of citizens that our editorial team can use as a sounding board to help us make our coverage more relevant and inclusive to all parts of Milton.
We are looking for six to eight people from different segments of the community and from varied professional and personal backgrounds to provide new perspectives and people who represent a range of voices and diversity, including age, income, occupation, ethnicity, ability and gender.
This does not include special-interest groups and political organizations.
Some areas we would like to draw from include the non-profit sector, well-known public figures, visible minorities, people from the news industry or with a journalism background, the business world, law enforcement, the youth sector and differently abled people, as well as health care and education professionals. And we want people with strong opinions.
You don’t need to be a member of an established organization, but you do need to be willing to share your opinions and engage respectfully with a diverse group of people focused on creating connections, forming partnerships, building bridges and exploring solutions.
The advisory board's mandate would be to provide unbiased insights and ideas from a third-party point of view. In short, we want to help build better relationships with people and groups whose information needs are not being met.
We want to hear more voices about what we are doing right as well as highlighting areas where we could do better. Journalism is a craft and that means always learning and consistently wanting to improve.
We’re asking you to commit to attending two virtual meetings per year.
Those interested in applying can email me at [email protected] by Friday, August 16, highlighting your background and the reasons why you want to join the board.
We look forward to hearing from you. We are here to listen!
Steve LeBlanc is the editor at MiltonToday.