Coal Region Canary brings together decades of local media and journalism experience to present a new news product for Schuylkill County, Pa., the heart of the Anthracite coal region.
The Canary is founded by experienced journalists and media experts who are teaming up with global talent to bring the residents of Schuylkill County a news product they deserve.
It’s News Entertainment
You know how pro wrestling is classified as sports entertainment?
Yes, it’s sports. But it’s also entertaining.
The wrestling may be “fake” but the athleticism to execute those hoaxes in and out of the ring require a physical skill set most don’t possess.
Well, Coal Region Canary is a lot like that. It’s the best in news entertainment.
But believe us, the news is most definitely not #FakeNews.
However, we’re not offended by the term Fake News. In fact, we agree with the President on that. We believe a lot of the news you’ve been consuming is mostly fake. And yes, we even mean Fox News!
Our news is real. The presentation, we hope, is entertaining.
We believe in order for the news to be effective, it must be engaging. Our news takes a side. Our news asks you questions and presents facts in a different perspective.
You may agree with our side. You may disagree. That’s how this whole America thing got started. Feel free to share your opinion on any article you see. You can even use a pen name. Just no reckless accusations, anything that could be construed as “hate speech”, threats of any form, or cyber bullying.
The Death of Local News is Largely Overrated
The news most people consume today is watered down, not local, and misses the mark. It’s boring!
There’s a problem in the local news industry in the coal region. Well, it’s one problem. There’s pretty much just one company. They control it all. And they’ve hidden it all behind an online pay wall. What dorks!
Further, they’re so terrified to ruffle feathers locally, that they won’t present any sort of news that might offend their only hope for the future — their advertisers. As each day dawns, the legacy media in Schuylkill County and the coal region inches closer to its death. Each day it does that, it becomes less a news operation and more of an advertising circular with stale fluff content.
Coal Region Canary is different.
When this site does eventually sell advertising, it will be attainably priced. We believe in the power of the small local businesses that made the coal region and Pottsville, especially, thrive for years. We believe you should be able to get your business in front of our growing, highly engaged audience.
And that doesn’t mean we don’t like big businesses. In fact, we believe every business owner’s dream is to grow their business bigger. Some of us in Schuylkill County have been good at that faster than others. And there are even a few that have been great at growing their local business in Schuylkill County!
Anonymity is Not Fake News
The news is changing. And the news audience is changing.
The suddenly woke among us, we believe, are a physical threat to media professionals. And at this time, the decision to publish in anonymity is purely for safety reasons.
Any content published on Coal Region Canary will be done under pen names or presented as written by the Coal Region Canary. This is no different from legacy media presenting its most controversial content — its Op-Eds, like political endorsements and stances on public issues — without a singular byline.
There’s another reason to remain “anonymous”. While we can not purport to represent the voice of the people, we certainly represent the voice of some people. And at any time, you may need your voice heard. But let’s be honest, it’s difficult and often frustrating to speak truth to power. They won’t listen to you, right?
Tell us and we’ll pursue it. We’ll always protect sources — like good journalists should!
News Without a Pay Wall
The legacy media is dying in front of your eyes. The papers you buy are smaller. They’re lighter. And they’re filled with fluff and stuff you already knew (or thought you knew). And between you and us, we know it’s f___ n___.
So, at a time when news is freely shared with reckless abandon around the internet, these dinosaurs of the media industry lock the door on you. You can tell how a media company is doing based on the pay wall. You’d think this would be a good way to spread their brand to a wider audience. That’s not how they think.
They’re the square peg and today’s news consumers (that’s you) are the round hole. Hmmm … phrasing?
Increasingly, more people are turning to sites like Coal Region Canary and many of the other great local news sites that are popping up on the internet … some you visit as often or MORE than the dinosaurs.
How Does This Site Work?
You’re going to come across some links on Coal Region Canary that link to another site. We know. In the news biz, it’s called curated content. We encourage you to visit these sites. A lot of times, there is news we can’t cover.
We believe in the value of local news enough to know that in order for it to be effective, it should be available and as free as possible. You’ll only find links to sites that don’t require you to pay to see it.
In addition to links to other sites, we’re hard at work creating some great original content.
This will be the local news like you’ve never seen. And we can’t do it without the great Anthracite coal region community.
Send us:
News tips: Give us the inside scoop on politicians gone wrong. Something in your neighborhood becoming a growing issue, let us know. Is something being ignored? We’ll look into it!
Community events: Send any and all community events to our news tip hotline. Include as much information as possible about your event. Include photos.
Community news: Did your fire company recently host an important training session? Is your non-profit offering a new service?
School news: Is your school group participating or organizing a community event? Let us know.
Anything: If you think it’s news, let us know!
Thank you for reading!
