1/ In a phone press conference with SK Public Safety about the wildfire in the Fort a la Corne forest, MSM reporters dialed in from across Canada.
Here's an example of the hard hitting questions at a time of controversy one reporter asked;
"Why is it called the "English fire"

2/ I won't say what reporter from what MSM, nor the province they were in
FTR, they called it the "English fire" in a forest named after a Frenchman, because it was in the English Cabin fire tower zone and near English Creek.

MSM looking for those tough answers

3/ As a small independent, I was notified of the first wildfire teleconference. I asked a question they didn't like answering.
The next one I was not invited. The third one, an editor of another local media had heard I was excluded and sent me the dial in info.

4/ The SPSA comms rep seemed surprised I had dialed in. I stuck to an easier question this time. Next conference, no notification.
Two weeks prior the SPSA rep had told me I needed to be on the provincial email list to get any press releases.

5/ I've been trying to get on this list for 2 years. All it is, is SK provincial press release and media alerts. The SPSA rep said he would forward my email to the agency in charge of that. Either he didn't or they ignored it.

6/ That email forwarded to me from a caring editor had the actual contact, so I emailed her directly. That was a week ago. Not even so much as a form email back.
I tried to get the information I needed from the local municipality. I phoned the local Reeve.

7/ He told me SPSA was in charge and I needed to speak to them. Not satisfied with his answers I sent the RM an email. They simply ignored it, not even a "no comment" reply.
I decided it was time to reach out to my MLA.

8/ I sent her an email, outlining my concerns, which went well beyond getting questions answered.
Her solution was to send me a cut & paste word salad style quote on the current fire & inform me they had "forwarded my concerns" to the agency I was already being ignored by

9/ Now all of this is nothing new to me. As a small independent I face the municipal cold shoulder all the time. Even from Mayors who have made a point to call and praise me for my investigative journalism that brought all the facts to the table and helped counter misinformation

10/ I can say, without hesitation, that the cold shoulder was amplified after the debate fiasco with @RebelNewsOnline and @TrueNorthCentre
I even had one town council step in on mundane reporting to demand a company working in the area only send updates to them, not the press

11/ I frequently deal with power trippers who think they can dictate which press can cover their community funded events & the goings on in their dark chambers. I even get calls from big business that think they can tell me what I can publish, not because of misinformation,

12/ but because they just don't want the topics covered. The verified truth makes them look bad.
I have quoted actual press releases and been accused (by the people who sent out the release) of spreading misinformation because the quote itself was the misinformation.

13/ What's really ironic is the same elected officials who refuse to treat me as a member of the press, don't hesitate to phone me and accuse me of using my influence as a reporter if I make a disparaging comment (my personal opinion) on my own personal Facebook profile.

14/ It's an inclination for municipalities to pick & choose how & when they interact with media. They give preference to the media that don't challenge them.
This is not just a federal or provincial problem.
This goes all the way to the grassroots
The precedent is set

15/ If you are writing off @TheRealKeean getting refused approval to join the Cottage Daily Show because you don't like his reporting, you are writing off my media outlet & every other small independent media in every small town trying to do what's right for their readers

16/ And if you think it's no big deal, understand that an extensive study in the US showed that in "news deserts", regions where local news outlets have shut down, the media that held municipalities accountable are gone and spending and local taxes go up.

As an independent, sole proprietorship, with no employees but myself, I do not qualify for one single dime of the media bailout.
I also don't qualify for the personal COVID money because I can continue working from home making phone calls and sending emails that won't be answered