Ricochet is all about content. Thanks to your support, we’ve published over 500 articles that have been read well over a million times, ranging from exclusive coverage of Indigenous issues to hard-hitting opinion and analysis of today's political scene.
Ricochet also stands out for quality design. When we first launched, our web platform was a point of particular pride. It redefined what a small, independent media organization could achieve. Instead of playing catch-up, we decided to compete with the best.
A year later, we are ready to unveil our next milestone: Echo.
Echo is a statement. We are committed to a cutting-edge reading experience for public-interest news, analysis and opinion. We want to explore new models, experiment with novel ways of reporting news and give a platform to ideas that don’t make it into the mainstream. We are here to stay.
Ready for the autumn
With a new look comes fresh voices.
We recently completed a $16,000 Kickstarter campaign for the Indigenous Reporting Fund. That means we’ll invest in Indigenous journalism across Turtle Island. Thanks to your generosity, Ricochet will offer a home for up-and-coming voices from Indigenous communities.
On Oct. 19, Canadians everywhere will head to voting stations. If the polls are right, Stephen Harper’s nine-year reign may come to a close. Beyond slogans, what lies ahead? Ricochet will be there in the run-up to the election to bring you analysis of the debates and promises. We trust our readers to make the best decision, which is why Ricochet will not endorse a party or candidate. Our focus is on policy and facts. After Oct. 19, we’ll continue to speak truth to power, no matter who is elected.
Our century’s biggest challenge is often underreported in big media. As activists fight for climate action at December’s COP21 Paris meeting, we’ll be there to cover both the official discussions and the counter-summit organized by civil society. In Canada, the fight against climate change is fought on the ground. Ricochet pledges to keep the spotlight on pipeline projects that affect our daily lives and our environment.
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A new reading experience
With Echo, we have redesigned Ricochet’s platform from the ground up.
Our new homepage is both easier on the eyes and easier to navigate. New colour-coding organizes content under four main sections. “Trending” showcases our most popular content as it climbs the social media charts. After studying other cutting-edge new media, we chose new character fonts to improve legibility.
Ricochet wants to give you the full picture. Many of the articles we feature on our platform are accompanied by beautiful imagery. One of our favourite features is Robert Van Waarden’s “Along the pipeline”, where black-and-white portraits put a face to the human impact of Energy East. In Echo, visuals introduce articles with a punch.
Half our readers access Ricochet on the go. That’s why Echo is designed for a great reading experience on all platforms. Our web, tablet and smartphone layouts have been rebuilt from the ground up, with particular attention paid to small screens. It doesn’t matter whether you browse Ricochet on the latest smartphone or an aging PC — Echo is elegant and speedy on every screen.
Members first
Editorial freedom is essential to our mission. Our commitment to free and independent media means we don’t stand for paywalls, but quality reporting isn’t free. The tradeoff is advertising. We’re no fans of distraction; if you don’t like ads either, become a member now for the affordable price of $5 a month, and you’ll be able to opt out of automated ads.
We confess: Ricochet’s flagship innovation, the Newsroom, has been neglected since launching. With Echo, a tweaked algorithm makes it easier to move a pitch to approval. The Newsroom is an experiment in participatory journalism. It’s up to you to populate it. If your pitch is approved by fellow members, it will be commissioned.
Thanks to your monthly contributions, Ricochet reaches thousands of readers in Quebec, Canada, and worldwide. There’s never been a better time to join us. If you like what we do, if you want to safeguard our principles and independence, become a Ricochet member now. Together, we are pioneering a new way to report news in the public interest. And mainstream media are watching.
The prophets of this industry keep telling us the only way forward is concentration, layoffs, and buyouts. Let’s prove them wrong. At Ricochet, we believe the future lies in building a better model for news.
Echo lands on Sep. 15. Until then, follow us on social media as we prepare for the unveiling.
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