Alumni creating a new space for local journalism

It's November 2020, and Kevin Taghabon is sitting on a park bench in Trinity Bellwoods.

He's not alone but rather with his old coworker Shannon Carranco. Carranco recently moved back to Toronto, and this was a socially-distanced catch-up coffee between two friends.

However, by the end of the meeting, the two moved forward with plans to build a media company.

On Dec. 17, 2021, The Hoser was founded.

Their website defines The Hoser as an "independent digital media outlet that covers local news in the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada with a progressive approach."

Their 13 mandates focus on the promise of diverse and equal treatment of their contributing staff, the commitment to publish content that focuses on marginalized voices not traditionally seen in mainstream media and strives to create a more inclusive and accessible space for local journalism to thrive.

"I've always been interested in alternative media or like, 'lefty media,' independent media, whatever you wanna call it," says co-founder Kevin Taghabon. "And I found that it was a lot easier for me to connect with people about issues that I cared about— either as sources or as colleagues or as organizers or other writers in the alternative media space."

The outlet officially launched April 14, 2021, and has gained around 100 supporters through its Patreon (external link)  page.

"In terms of our audience, it hasn't grown as quickly as I would like to. But I mean, unless it was tensof thousands a day, I don't think I would be happy," Taghabon says with a laugh.

On top of audience support, The Hoser recently became a recipient of the Meta journalism initiative, which granted them $50,000.

"Our reports pay above market value. For a 700-word article, it's usually 300 bucks," Taghabon says. "You can imagine how much journalism you can pay for equitably and fairly with $50,000."

The company has also received around $6,000 in total from different union locals, $1,000 from the McMaster Students Union and several other donations from organizations across the province.

"The fact that we have money means that we can create more stuff," Says Taghabon. "The more stuff you put out about different things, the more you attract new people, the more support that you get."

Familiar Faces

On the 14-person team, there are a few familiar faces. Taghabon is a 2020 j-school grad. Beside him on the board of directors is Maria Sarrouh, who graduated with Taghabon from the master's program.

"When Kevin and Shannon had decided to create The Hoser, they thought of me for the board. And I was really eager, I really wanted to be involved," Sarrouh says. "So I sort of put my hand up for Shannon and Kevin and said, 'I'll take whatever position you've got.'"

Aside from Sarrouh, two j-school familiars are also present on the contributing team: Leah Borts-Kuperman and Dana Masa, a 2020 master's grad and a second-year bachelor's student, respectively.

Borts-Kuperman says she appreciated The Hoser's arts and culture section.

"The kinds of roles where you could make a career as an arts journalist, they're not necessarily there anymore," she said. "And so I was just in love, really, with how much The Hoser prioritized arts and culture coverage, and how much they saw it as an important part of what's going on in Toronto."

What Borts-Kuperman appreciates about The Hoser is their focus on people they want to work with, not just skill sets.

"It really is great to have Shannon and Kevin be willing to take chances on people who might not necessarily have experience in the realm. I hadn't had published work with graphics before, but I really wanted to combine my reporting and my research with being able to make infographics. They knew me and they knew my work, and were willing to give me that opportunity."

For Sarrouh, she says The Hoser has helped her with writing ethically.

"We're constantly evaluating the ethics of how we approach journalism, but also the quality of the stories that we publish. And it has really encouraged me to recognize my own blind spots in my work."

Taghabon says The Hoser will continue to build relationships with the communities around them.

"The fact that we have control over the structure and length and output, and the reporting perspective, means that we can be at a place for a longer time, and make e connections that are based on trust and face-to-face interaction, even during the pandemic."