WHAT IS A NEWSPAPER'S ROLE IN TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION?

It's about trust. Our relationship with our readers is built on transparency, honesty and integrity. As such, we have launched a trust initiative to tell you who we are and how and why we do what we do. This article is part of that project.

There has been much talk about truth and reconciliation for a long time in Canada and the truth is, we've had so much trouble confronting the truth that we remain far from reconciliation.

There's a role for all of us in that journey and media's place in the process should be the pursuit and telling of truth.

As a community newspaper, we're making an effort to embrace this role and our responsibility.

Torstar, which publishes 70 Metroland community newspapers, including this one, as well as the Toronto Star, has for decades been guided by the editorial principles espoused by Joseph E. Atkinson.

Atkinson, publisher of the Toronto Star from 1899 to 1948, believed the newspaper should contribute to the advancement of society and that its journalism should confront injustice, in its many forms.

Lately there's been a lot of introspection at Metroland and other news organizations, where newsrooms have re-examined their role in the pursuit of social justice.

It would be easy to stray from the lighthouse Atkinson built when trying to stay afloat in an industry on rough financial seas, where imitation journalism and social media giants have created a perfect storm for the demise of community newspapers.

But we have decided now is the time to double down.

In 2020, Metroland created a diversity and inclusion committee to help guide editorial content. As part of that initiative, we formed a subcommittee tasked with shaping how we cover Indigenous communities and issues.

We have sought input from those communities on how to best tell Indigenous stories.

For far too long the story of Indigenous people in Canada has been told by those who would prefer the truth lay buried with hundreds of children in unmarked graves.

We need to hear from the people who have lived, survived and continue to deal with the intergenerational fallout of Canada's residential school system.

Certainly, the road to reconciliation will be a bumpy one and we will likely stumble at times as we assume a more progressive role.

But, as we do so, we will make more room for Indigenous voices to ensure truth remains an integral part of the reconciliation process.

We welcome your questions and value your comments. Email our trust committee at trust@metroland.com.

Roger Belgrave is a journalist with more than 30 years experience and currently serves as managing editor for Metroland's Peel and Toronto divisions.