Newspapers are not dead!
For some time, mainstream media has not addressed local issues adequately or well. Content and editorial decisions moved away from the local area to centralised newsrooms, even interstate. Amidst the recent upheaval of our lives – firstly the smoke haze from summers bushfires, followed by the even more immediate threat of COVID-19, then universal experience of lockdown – a small group of local people, decided that people who live in Boroondara, Whitehorse and adjacent areas could create their own contemporary version of the ‘local rag’.
The intention is to publish an edition online every two months. The focus area is home to approximately 350,000 people, about 150,000 households, as well as many business and community groups. All are welcome to contribute.
The positive response so far has been encouraging, and the number of contributions continues to grow. We are amazed by the many interests and skills of our fellow citizens in the area and are very confident that there will be a flow of quality articles, photos, advertisements, and other material ongoing.
The requirements are relatively simple, so that everyone has the possibility of contributing – citizen journalists, as well as regular writers. Younger people, older people, and everyone in between, are invited to share their interests, ideas, and stories with fellow citizens. You are warmly invited to contribute.
Primary intent and purpose
The primary intent and purpose of Eastsider News is to ‘provide a free independent local media platform that focuses on showcasing substantial news about, and affecting, the diversity of local people and their activities’.
It is community-based and not-for-profit, rather than commercial. Its business format is as an Incorporated Association operating under Victorian law as Independent Community News Group Incorporated. It aims to recognise the diversity of interests of people in the local area, with transparent accountability.
The current Editorial Team comprises a small number of volunteers, all of whom are active in their various communities, but none are political party members. There is also a small group of local people who provide informal support through their networks, suggesting how the venture can develop, and sourcing articles. Our funding comes from donations and advertising.
It is very important to us that Eastsider News respects copyright and we do our utmost to ensure that all creators of images and articles are appropriately and accurately acknowledged and credited. It is essential to us also that we do not defame or malign any individual or organisation
All content is discussed and assessed by an editorial committee before publication. If we have concerns about sources of material or claims made in articles, we will go back to the submitter to seek changes. We refuse to publish articles that can be seen as maligning or discrediting a person or an organisation or which make false claims or assertions that cannot be supported by verifiable evidence.
Please go here to read a statement of our Editorial Values.