The "Industry Disruptor" Is the Future of Journalism a Co-op? Journalist-Owned Media Revolution.

Is corporate media abandoning your community? 📢 Journalism is undergoing a massive shift, and Freshet News is at the forefront of the movement.Discover how veteran journalists are fighting back against corporate media closures. Janice Cleugh joins Rachel Thexton to discuss the "revival" of local news through the journalist-owned co-op, Freshet News."We could not believe that they were closing three major urban outlets in the middle of a federal election."In this episode, we sit down with Janice Cleugh, a 35-year veteran journalist and co-founder of Freshet News. After the sudden closure of several Tri-City and Burnaby publications by Glacier Media, Janice and three colleagues took a "superhero" leap to revive local news as a worker-owned cooperative.Visit and support freshetnews.ca for local news BC.Key Takeaways from this Episode:The News Co-Op Model: Learn how Freshet News operates as a non-profit, worker-owned collective to remain independent and impartial.Community Demand: Why local readers are hungry for "hyper-local" reporting on school boards, city halls, and local arts.The Maverick Mindset: How these journalists transformed from employees to business owners, publishers, and distributors overnight.The Future of Journalism: Janice shares her "bold prediction" for the Fraser River communities and why trust is the secret weapon for modern media.0:00 Intro: The Value of Community Journalism1:54 The Crisis: Closing Major Outlets During an Election3:15 What the Community Actually Wants in a Newspaper5:50 Janice Cleugh’s Journey: From England to BC7:52 Scaling Up: From Monthly to Weekly Print Editions10:00 The "Maverick" Story: Why We Created Our Own Jobs12:50 Disrupting the Corporate Media Landscape15:00 How a Worker-Owned Co-Op Actually Functions20:18 The Daily Mission: Fairness, Accuracy, and Truth21:14 Why We Do This as VolunteersBC News 2026 Vancouver Media Co-opBurnaby Local Journalism