There's something shifting at Megaphone – in a good way.
Paula Carlson
Editorial and Program Director
We’re proud to introduce Megaphone magazine’s new peer newsroom: The Shift. It’s an awesome group of more than a dozen vendors and storytellers who will be gathering monthly with Managing Editor Paula Carlson to brainstorm story ideas, take on assignments, determine the direction of the magazine and be a part of an exciting year-long project in partnership with the UBC Learning Exchange that will develop journalism best practices for reporting on marginalized communities.
So the framework of Megaphone magazine can “shift” to being a more inclusive street paper, empowering those with lived experience to tell the stories that matter to them and their communities.
The inaugural group is made up of Louise Boilevin, Julie Chapman, Nicolas Crier, David Deocera, Yvonne Mark, Mike McNeeley, Jathinder Sandhu, Eva Takakanew, Richard Young, Michael Geilen, Lance Lim, Priscillia Mays Tait and James Witwicki. Witwicki is also the magazine’s copy editor.
The group meets regularly with the managing editor to:
Our goal is that Megaphone magazine can ‘shift’ to being a more inclusive street paper, empowering those with lived experience to tell the stories that matter to them and their communities.
Paula Carlson
Represented within The Shift are people with direct lived and living experience of poverty, homelessness, Indigenous issues, substance use, physical disabilities, mental illness, incarceration, racism, immigration, LGBTQ2+ issues and other important concerns that make up so much of the current public discourse and politics at all levels of government. Who better to have their voices heard?
Megaphone publishes news, opinion, arts and entertainment, photography, creative writing, Q&A interviews, community stories, celebrity profiles, international street paper news — and so much more!
As usual, members of The Shift are blowing us away with their work; their magazine debut was in the pages of the June 2023 edition of Megaphone — including the cover photo and story, Scenes From a Decampment. Look for their stories in ongoing editions as well.
Hold onto your seats… The Shift is happening!
Paula Carlson
Editorial and Program Director
For three decades, Paula Carlson has worked as an editor and reporter at various newspapers throughout the Lower Mainland, contributing stories and stick-handling special projects that have won more than 50 industry awards for news, feature and opinion writing, page layout and design. Her work has appeared across B.C. and Canada. She's fairly certain a good cup of coffee improves almost anything.
Rooted in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, we're committed to amplifying voices that are overlooked by mainstream media. We’re actively growing our team of storytellers and journalists to serve our community.
More about our Peer Newsroom“Why "The Shift?" So the framework of Megaphone magazine can “shift” to being a more inclusive street paper, empowering those with lived and living experience to tell the stories that matter the most to them and their communities.”
Paula Carlson Editorial and Program Director
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