‘Government only works when the public is involved.’ A Q/A with the Lookout team about our new City Hall Insider newsletter

Earlier this month, we launched one of our most exciting changes here at the Lookout — City Hall Insider, a deep dive into the policies, issues, votes and debates taking place at City Hall.

We’ve always wanted to do something like this, but never had the resources to do so. With Sarah joining last fall, we realized it was now possible.

Sometimes in journalism, there’s a lack of transparency in how things are done. If you’ve been with us for a while, you know we’re keen to break down those barriers and give you a behind-the-scenes look at what we’re up to.

So today’s story is a little different. I asked Sarah a couple of questions about her plans for the City Hall Insider and why something like this is so important for Ottawa. I hope you enjoy!

Geoff Sharpe: When you joined the Lookout a few months ago, one thing you talked about was wanting to cover more of Ottawa City Hall. Why is that?

Sarah MacFarlane-Youngdale: I’ve always been interested in asking questions and understanding the behind-the-scenes of lawmaking and policy. It’s part of why I wanted to be a journalist — to ask questions of our government and challenge them to fulfill their mandate.

At City Hall, a lot of proceedings can be very complicated, technical and convoluted. Unlike federal or provincial politics, which have dozens of media outlets reporting on them, Ottawa’s municipal government has only a handful.

The journalists I’ve worked with and run into covering City Hall are excellent at what they do. But the current business models of a lot of local publications don’t always allow the resources or time to do in-depth, analytical local journalism. 

The age-old story is that many journalists are burnt out and stretched thin, and when reporters aren’t supported, it gets that much harder to do their job. At The Lookout, I feel like we have the resources, dedication and support to do it differently.

Geoff: One thing we talk a lot about here at the Lookout is the decline of local journalism, not just in Ottawa, but across Canada. As a newish journalist (though you’ve already been working for 7 years) how have you seen local journalism change recently?

Sarah: It’s a tough question because the industry seems to be evolving by the month. When I started journalism school in 2016, I still had hope for old-school, paper publications. Since then, the industry has pivoted to keep up with our audience’s evolving needs, attention spans, preferences, and chosen mediums. 

Local journalism used to involve a lot of on-the-ground reporting, press conferences and events. Don’t get me wrong, that’s still part of it, but as the digital world continues to grow, and ever since the pandemic, the job now also includes digging through councillors’ social media feeds, watching live streams, keeping an eye on local Reddit and social media pages, and lots and lots of emails.

There’s also been a significant decline in public trust in the media. I don’t think that’s solely here — it seems to be a worldwide shift, most notably in the last 5-ish years. What used to be considered a necessary and trustworthy industry now makes many people skeptical. Establishing and maintaining trust with our readers is more important than ever, and it’s not something I take lightly.

Geoff: We launched the City Hall Insider last week. I know you, Charlie and I have talked about all the different ideas we have for this newsletter (we’re even meeting next week about it!). Why do you think something like this is so important and what sort of things are exciting to explore with it that readers may like?

Sarah: I think City Hall affairs and proceedings can be really difficult to navigate and understand. Before it was my job to understand it, I didn’t know much about what happened in that big building on Laurier Avenue. 

Journalists like Charlie and I can play a key role in digging through seemingly endless reports and studies and watch all the meetings to bring a well-rounded and in-depth analysis to our readers, in addition to explanations about what it all means.

There are some great journalists in the city doing excellent work at City Hall, but I’m really excited to expand what we cover; rather than one big headline from city council every two weeks, I want to give readers a look into the committee meetings, public delegations, debates, and heated topics. 

Government only works when the public is involved, and it’s hard to be involved when keeping up with it all is a full-time job. Luckily, that’s where we come in, and I’m excited for our readers to gain a better understanding of city processes, the by-laws and projects being approved, and how they’re being represented at the table.

Geoff: Of course, I have to bring in Charlie Senack, our managing editor. Charlie, you and Sarah came up with this idea for the City Hall Insider. You write a lot of stories on City Hall. How do you see our coverage changing, and what are you excited for Sarah to explore in the newsletter?

Charlie Senack: For being Canada’s capital city, it’s quite frankly embarrassing how little City Hall coverage there is. Many of my mentors recalled how there would be a dozen or two reporters scrumming the mayor and members of council after meetings, and then chasing down leads through the offices in councillors’ row. 

Despite the odd story, most of what mainstream media covers in municipal politics these days is relatively surface-level stuff, and doesn’t dig into the weeds or talk about the impact. 

For long-time Lookout readers, our regular stories we cover are not changing. The City Hall Insider is a way to build on what we’ve been doing, while providing more analysis and knowledge.

I think Sarah does a fantastic job digging through the countless pages of documents, uncovering information you rarely find elsewhere because traditional media doesn’t have the resources or time needed to do it. 

Finally, Ottawa needs something like this. There have been very controversial files lately, from Sprung structures to Lansdowne 2.0. We’ve also seen meetings that have lasted days and budgets that have come under heavy scrutiny. I'd like to think the Lookout is able to uncover and share that information in a way that makes sense for residents. City Hall isn’t nearly as boring as some people might think it is. 

Geoff: Okay, Sarah, back to you. I have three rapid-fire questions to answer in one sentence.

Sarah: I’ll try to keep it short!

Geoff: Alright, first question. What’s an under-reported City Hall issue that you think more readers need to know about?

Sarah: Top of mind for me right now is the rural wards and communities surrounding Ottawa that were amalgamated into the City and pay the same taxes, but don’t reap the benefits of things like transit the same way that the urban core does — there isn’t a lot of representation, but those communities have a huge impact on the city, and don’t get much of a voice at the table.

Geoff: A quirky or lesser-known fact about municipal issues.

Sarah: There are a lot of by-laws surrounding cat ownership, from how many you’re allowed to own to their behaviour and interactions with the outside world, which I think is interesting (as both a cat and dog owner).

Geoff: The number of times you’ve watched a city council meeting.

Sarah: Yikes. I don’t keep track, but there are approximately 20-25 council meetings per year, and I tend to watch each one; that would put me at about 40 meetings, give or take, not including committee meetings. Although I will mention, if I’m watching online, I watch them in double time!

Geoff: I don’t need to tell you this, but the Lookout is almost entirely funded by readers, not banner ads or clickbait stories. What would you tell the over 45,000 people who read the Lookout why they should become a member to read City Hall Insider?

Sarah: I’d say that it is truly unique journalism that you won’t find anywhere else in the city. We’re filling a gap here that I think is really important, and nobody else in Ottawa is doing it at this scale. It’s an opportunity to become even more involved in our city, be a cause for change, and ensure you’re getting the representation you want and deserve. Knowledge is power.

That does it for our first Lookout team Q/A. We hope you enjoyed it.

This type of in-depth coverage isn’t possible without readers like you becoming members. Reader-funded media means we can do deep dives into City Hall, without needing to rely on clickbait stories or page views.

It’s a unique model, one that’s exceedingly rare in Canada. But it does mean that our journalism needs readers like you to fund our work.

Thank you,

The Ottawa Lookout team

PS — We’ll be updating our photo with Sarah very soon!

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