A partnership with Pattison Media and EFN Media will allow a popular Indigenous publication continue. (Submitted photo))

By Teena Monteleone

Economic reconciliation

Indigenous publication revived through partnership with Pattison Media

Jun 28, 2024 | 10:13 AM

When Kerry Benjoe announced six months ago that Eagle Feather News needed to take a hiatus due to lack of revenue, she never lost her conviction to find a way to keep the Indigenous publication going.

Today, the managing editor announced a partnership with Pattison Media that will allow Eagle Feather news to once again take flight – this time as a quarterly print magazine and a new digital news platform.

“Letting Eagle Feather just fade away wasn’t really an option for me. It started 25 years ago and I wanted to continue the legacy of providing writers from all backgrounds the opportunity to get an article published and to be able to tell stories our way,” Benjoe said.

EFN Media managing editor Kerry Benjoe announced the partnership with Pattison Media at the First Nations University of Canada on Friday. (Submitted photo)

As part of the agreement, Pattison Media will support EFN Media with portal management, technical support, and will help the publication meet its business goals with sales strategy, support and advisory. In return, EFN Media has agreed to share content on Pattison Media’s news portals and provide access to its niche audience through an ad revenue and space sharing agreement.

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“EFN Media can stay focused on telling Indigenous stories in Saskatchewan with business operations backed by the extensive resources and support of Pattison Media,” said Mike Aimoe, station manger for Pattison Media in North Battleford. “What’s really meaningful here is being able to see Indigenous journalists increase their exposure.”

Aimoe said the partnership will help promote and incorporate more content for readers that is much more reflective of the diverse cultures and perspectives of Indigenous peoples and communities in Saskatchewan. Pattison Media has multiple bureaus throughout the province including paNOW.com and larongeNOW.com, and a readership that includes 500,000 unique users per month.

Benjoe added she doesn’t see Eagle Feather as competition for mainstream media. She sees it more as a complement.

“We don’t focus on hard news. We tell the stories that aren’t being told – the positive stories, the role model stories that you know, create a connection and build confidence and community and also let the general public known other sides…the other side of Indigenous people.”

Up until 2024, Eagle Feather News produced 11 issues per year and was considered one of the most widely circulated Indigenous newspapers in Saskatchewan. The publication will transition to a digital-first approach, supplemented by a quarterly magazine. The first edition was developed in collaboration with students from the Indigenous Communications Arts program at First Nations University of Canada.

Pattison Media will help build a new news portal for Eagle Feather News. (Submitted photo)

“One of the reasons I wanted to keep Eagle Feather going is to provide that opportunity for young and emerging writers to publish their first stories, just like I did back when John Lagimodiere, the founder of Eagle Feather, published my first article,” Benjoe said. “And 22 years later, I’m still in the business.”

When the Online News Act was implemented last year, Eagle Feather News began losing advertisement revenue. Benjoe said Facebook was a valuable resource to be able to share stories. Even with funding through the Local Journalism Initiative, a federal resource that supports creation of original journalism in underserved communities, she said EFN wouldn’t have survived without this partnership.

“There is so much talk about the plight of the media industry and here are two organizations deciding to come together and continue to help tell Indigenous stories. That’s the real story here. Pattison Media saw the value in Eagle Feather. I think that this collaborative effort is just a sign of the times. If we want to survive, we have to find ways to come together to unite and support one another,” said Benjoe.

Rod Schween, President of Pattison Media expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership and its potential to support Indigenous journalism.

“Pattison Media hopes our support and partnership will lead to sustainable success for Eagle Feather News. We look forward to working with the professional journalists at EFN who will help us to better represent those Indigenous perspectives and languages through content sharing.”

Both media outlets said the partnership emphasizes a commitment to economic reconciliation.

“From my perspective, its the ability and the opportunity to be in the driver’s seat and not have anything dictated to us,” said Benjoe. “Instead, there’s equality. Just like when our treaties were signed years and years ago – that was the idea – the vision of our ancestors is to work together and I think economic reconciliation, when it does happen, is a partnership like this.”

The new quarterly print magazine will be issued in the coming weeks. (Submitted photo)

“I still have a voice. I’m still making the decisions on Eagle Feather’s news coverage,” said Benjoe. “The difference now is I’m able to share it with a larger audience and I think that’s beneficial for all people in Saskatchewan.”

The first of the new quarterly magazine is scheduled to be published in the coming weeks.

The official news release is below.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com