Taproot members speak: ‘Keep it up but also go deep’

We convened some of Taproot’s most committed supporters for the first in a series of listening sessions to understand why they value Taproot, where we can grow, shift, or improve, and how we might organize more community conversations focused on Edmonton.

This invitation to gather online on Sept. 13 was extended to paying members, partly to thank them for supporting the journalism we practice and publish, and partly to tap into the insights of our most committed supporters. Some are so dedicated, in fact, that their Taproot consumption sometimes overlaps. “I actually interrupted my listening to this week’s Speaking Municipally to come to this event,” joked one participant, noting they’ve never missed an episode of our weekly civic affairs podcast.

We promised anonymity to encourage candour. Here is a condensed and edited report on what participants told me:

‘Why are you a Taproot member?’

“It’s valuable to have some little nods to things happening in the city that I wouldn’t have access to otherwise since I don’t have social media and I’m very happy about that,” one member said in response to an opening question about why they belong to Taproot.

The social media-free point resonated with others, too. “I left Twitter when it got sold, and I’m done with Facebook as well,” said another member. “I like the focus on local stuff. I like the in-detail descriptions and, again, I like the lack of the trauma and the drama. It is a source of a lot of ideas, and I think that exchange is healthy.”

It’s about values, said a member who has supported Taproot since the beginning back in 2016. “I just really loved the idea of having a community-driven and curiosity-driven news source,” they said. That same member valued Taproot’s “story garden,” an early experiment in curiosity-harvesting that allowed members to seed ideas for stories to pursue.

“I’m really fed up with the ‘mainstream media’ and its lack of impartiality,” another member told me, dropping that business and hockey interests seem to dictate editorial decisions at some legacy news outlets. “I also am very interested in municipal activities.”

Another amplified this point. “It’s important to have those local voices and, you know, we’re just getting fewer and fewer of these media entities.”

Some members said they are active in other communities that foreground connection and positive engagement with the city, such as Coffee Outside. And several said they joined Taproot thanks to their respect and connections with co-founders Karen Unland and Mack Male.

‘What are you curious about?’

I learned that Taproot’s members are quick with praise but also candid with feedback, which I deeply value.

Several suggested that Taproot has paid too little attention to what’s happening at school boards in Edmonton as we head into the next municipal elections in 2025.

“There’s a lot of partisanship in the school board already, so I’d like to hear more about that,” one member said. “One of the things that I’m interested in is that there is a deliberate attempt by Take Back Alberta to infiltrate the school boards across the province.”

Other members agreed. “I’ve got serious concerns about what will come in (at school boards), especially with Take Back Alberta,” one said. “They follow exactly the same model that has been followed in the United States — so, your Moms for Liberty kind of people. That’ll be traipsing in here, and they have pots of money.”

A theme of the conversation was the balance between breadth and depth. Some members said Taproot does breadth well but can improve on depth.

“Is there a role for investigative journalism in the future of Taproot Edmonton?” one member asked. “Because I think there’s a timidity about much of the reporting now. It’s being very safe. It’s not wanting to irritate people.”

Another added: “I’m going to cast my vote on depth versus breadth and say maybe don’t take on new topics but just go a little bit deeper into the things that you’re already doing. And I know with the election, that just seems like a natural (thing). You know you did great coverage last time, and we need that this time.”

Yet another member said critical perspectives should be present in as much of Taproot’s reporting and coverage as possible. “For me, it’s not even the need to do deep-dive investigative (journalism), but just maybe present another perspective,” they said, pointing to the introductory pieces that top our seven weekly roundups in particular.

Members say they want community

A sentiment that resonated with most members who participated in the listening session was enthusiasm for Speaking Municipally’s live recording on housing challenges, organized with the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative in May. The event brought people together in real life to connect and ask deep questions about complex issues.

Members told me they want Taproot’s listening sessions to edge closer to that model.

“I’d like to encourage Taproot to do that same thing again … there’s so many issues that we could link into,” they said. “So that might be a good thing to explore in the immediate future. Let’s bring people together. There is virtue in having a face-to-face conversation about these things as opposed to doing it virtually.”

I deeply value the chance to talk to people who read what we work on daily. Many thanks to all who participated. I agree that meeting in person would be valuable, and I’m now considering how that might happen. Whether the next listening session is in person or online, I aim to run the next one in November. I hope to see you there.