Introducing… the Halifax Examiner

Well, here’s the new site, the Halifax Examiner.

I can not adequately express my deep appreciation to Natalie Chavarie, El Jones, Robyn McNeil, Brenden Sommerhalder, Graham Steele, Kate Watson, and Jeff White for their very kind words and the time they committed in creating the above video. Please watch!

Also, I must thank my family, friends, and even complete strangers who have given their advice, assistance, and patience over the past couple of months as this project was in the works. It could not have happened without you.

Now that the site is live, I’ll let the video sit here for a few days while I go off and do some reporting. I’ll jump in with new content starting Monday. Until then, you can help in two ways. First, please spread this post and the video on social media and your other networks. Second, of course, please subscribe!

Much of the content on the site will be free for anyone to view. This will include an early morning post every weekday, one-off opinion pieces and links to other work. More substantial work that takes substantial effort on my part—investigative pieces, analysis, etc.—or that is produced by a freelancer will be behind a paywall.

The paywall is needed to keep this project viable. The Halifax Examiner has on-going costs for legal work and insurance, equipment, phone and internet, and expenses related to investigative work. As well, while I won’t get rich doing this, I need to make a living and pay freelancers.

I’ve kept the subscription rates affordable. Ten dollars a month is about two trips to the coffee shop. There’s also a student/low income rate of $5. The business rate is $20, and I’m hoping that a not-insignificant number of you will graciously support this project at the $25 monthly sustainer rate. The extremely supportive will consider a one-time gift of $500 as a “founder” of the site, to help me recover the savings I’ve expended on building the site and the business. All subscription prices include applicable sales taxes.

A note about the name “Halifax Examiner.” When I started my career, I lived in a town called Chico, California. Not really knowing what I was doing, I started my own weekly paper called the Chico Examiner. The name “Examiner” was intended to mean just that—I didn’t want to simply chronicle the news, or just report, herald, post, or observe; I was examining. The name drove content, made me delve deeply into issues, and learn how to develop investigative skills. I ran the Chico Examiner for five years before moving on to a more traditional career as a reporter for other publications. Now, two decades later, I’ve come full circle, starting my own news site, so I’m returning to the name Examiner. Hopefully, with luck, hard work, and your support I will fulfil the promise of the name.

Again, thanks for everything.