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37 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,N ovem ber 22,2018 theifp.ca It's about trust. Our rela- tionship with our readers is built on transparency, hon- esty and integrity. As such, we have launched a trust ini- tiative to tell you who we are and how and why we do what we do. This article is part of that project. There's this shared feel- ing that journalists get when we hear about yet an- other newspaper shutter- ing. It's a dull ache, deep in the gut. Followed by a few shal- low breaths, and ultimately the thought ... Why am I do- ing this? I'm 24 years old. Newspa- pers were under fire by the technology shift long before I ever entered Ryerson to study journalism. If I was in this for money, well, I wouldn't have even followed through with my four-year degree. I would have transferred out. I'm not here for that, though. None of us are. We're here because we have an innate curiosity about the world and this sense of responsibility to it. We're not trying to save the world, because we can't, but we can help give society the tools to help make the world a better place. We protect democracy. We illuminate injustices that go unnoticed, we give voice to those who are kept silent. At a community newspa- per, we do this on a very in- timate level. We report on the people and events close to home, that generally, on- ly a small group of people care about - the tight com- munities we report in. We stand in line at the grocery store with the same people we interviewed the previous day outside the town council chambers. We have to report on the hard- est moments of someone's life - sometimes someone we've known for a long time. We're human. We feel pain, we make mistakes. That's why we cringe when we hear people talk about "the media" as this ubiquitous entity that ac- tively plots to control the masses. We're not "fake news," we're not the enemy of the people, we're the same peo- ple as everyone else stand- ing in line at the grocery store. We put on our pants one leg at a time, just like you. Journalism isn't just a job to us. It's our identity. It's a common set of goals and values that keep us striving toward writing bal- anced stories in as much depth as we can. We do this because we have a responsi- bility to inform and through doing that we are given a sense of purpose and mean- ing in life. It's OK to take issue with something we do, it's OK to get mad, but don't use the words "fake news." We're real people writing the headlines - and these headlines are true - and we're doing it because deep down in the fibres of our be- ing, we believe in what we do and you should too. Outgoing IFP reporter Alexandra Heck recently accepted a position at the Orangeville Banner, a Met- roland publication. She can still be reached at aheck@metroland.com. We welcome your questions and value your comments. Email our trust committee at trust@metroland.com. OPINION IT'S OK TO GET MAD, JUST DON'T CALL US 'FAKE NEWS' 'WE'RE NOT THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE,' WRITES HECK Alexandra Heck is a reporter with Metroland Media. Veronica Appia/Metroland ALEXANDRA HECK aheck@metroland.com Meet the people in your neighbourhood. VISIT THEIFP.CA TO LEARN ABOUT LOCAL PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITY P R E S E N T S CCCCoonnfffffuuuuussseeeeedddaabouuuttttaaallllooooffff tttthhheeeecchhhhhoooiiiiiccccceeeessssoouuuutttthheeerreeaanndddddooooonnnnn"""ttttttkkkkkknnnnnnnooowwwwwwwwwwwwhhheereeeettttooosssttaaaaarrrttt???? 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