Local Xpress was an online newspaper based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was founded in 2016 by 57 members of the Halifax Typographical Union's newsroom unit while on strike from The Chronicle Herald, the city's daily newspaper.[1] The Herald continued to publish during the strike using strikebreakers writing anonymously.
 | |
| Type | Online newspaper |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Halifax Typographical Union |
| Founded | January 30, 2016 |
| Ceased publication | August 10, 2017 |
| City | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
The strike began on 23 January 2016. Local Xpress was launched a week later, initially with a blog-like interface. The striking writers worked on the Local Xpress on a volunteer basis. In May 2016, as the strike dragged on, the website was revamped as a full-service online newspaper in partnership with Village Media, an Ontario digital media company. It aimed to compete with the Herald, expanding to offer national and international news, event listings, columnists, weather, and other features.[2]
The strikers stated that if the strike was resolved, Local Xpress would be shut down.[2] In a round of bargaining in October 2016, Herald management demanded that the strikers not only close the Local Xpress, but also hand over all content produced during the strike, as well as the Local Xpress URL, to the Herald.[3]
The parties reached a deal in August 2017 and the website was subsequently closed,[4] although Village Media announced it would relaunch a similarly formatted community news website called HalifaxToday.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Bradshaw, James (19 May 2016). "Striking Halifax Chronicle journalists amp up parallel publication efforts". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ a b Luck, Shaina (19 May 2016). "Local Xpress launches full-service news site to compete with Chronicle Herald". CBC News.
- ^ Kimber, Stephen (21 November 2016). "'Make Never,' Grant Machum and 'Graham Dennis isn't around to save you anymore'". Halifax Examiner.
- ^ "Chronicle Herald workers ratify deal that will see layoffs and wage cuts | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
- ^ Boon, Jacob (September 21, 2017). "Local Xpress spins-off into HalifaxToday". The Coast. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
External links
edit- Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived August 9, 2017)