Our job is to tell your story. It's what we do.
But in a world where local news is suffering, where newspapers are dying and where more reporters are laid off every quarter, Village Media is bucking the trend.
The digital-only company, with established roots planted in Sault Ste. Marie more than a dozen years ago, is growing. It's hiring reporters and opening sites throughout Canada — including here in Orillia.
While every new site is a success story of sorts, OrilliaMatters has quickly established itself as the community's trusted, go-to source for local news and information.
In fact, our story caught the attention of Google and this week, our story is being told around the world.
Last fall, an eight-person Google film crew from New York City spent almost two weeks in Orillia to tell our story. It's part of the Google News Initiative and the massive company's desire to work with the news industry to help journalism thrive in the digital age.
That sentiment is embodied by Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
"We believe in spreading knowledge to make life better for everyone," said Pichai on the Google News Initiative website. "It’s at the heart of Google’s mission. It’s the mission of publishers and journalists. Put simply, our futures are tied together."
Earlier this week, at the Google News Initiative Summit at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., the OrilliaMatters video (above) made its debut.
We want to share it with you because we could not have achieved any success without you. Enjoy!
