What is The North Star?

The North Star is an independent and bilingual media outlet, launched in January 2022. Unlike major mainstream outlets, often tied to financial or state interests, we are fully independent and approach the news from a working-class perspective. Our slogan, “The People’s Perspective,” clearly reflects the vision we stand for.

When we talk about the people, we mean workers, their families, and all the ordinary folks who build Canada every single day. They’re the ones constructing our roads and housing, educating our children, caring for our health, and making and transporting the goods we all rely on.

These values shape everything we do, from the topics we cover to how we investigate and present the news, and our commitment to journalistic rigour. Putting forward the people’s perspective means showing the world as it truly is for the majority, and giving a voice back to those deliberately ignored by the economic and political elite. By reclaiming that voice, people can come together around clear demands and a shared vision for the future.

Where does The North Star come from?

The North Star project was born in 2021, initiated by a diverse group of workers from across Canada. The initiative was prompted by a number of observations: the loss of public confidence in the traditional media; the neglect of the workers’ point of view by politics and the media in favor of a growing cultural divide; the abandonment of on-the-ground coverage of labor disputes and workers’ issues by the traditional media; and the absence of a mainstream, accessible medium with a perspective of social change, bilingual and Canada-wide.

It was in early 2022 that the first social media pages were launched by our volunteer journalists. They spent over a year making their mark, experimenting and learning the trade, before launching the etoiledunord.media website in March 2023.

Who are the authors of The North Star?

For the time being, all North Star journalists and editors are volunteers, and writers are more or less involved depending on the amount of time they can devote to their local committee. Moreover, the process of writing an article or creating multimedia content is generally carried out collectively by several journalists in a given region.

North Star takes collective responsibility for the articles it publishes, and generally identifies authors as regional committees rather than individuals.

What is people's journalism?

Above all, people’s journalism is grounded in the idea that journalists are not just observers of society, but that they are active participants in the class struggle. A people’s journalist is a committed militant who joins the fight of the working class with the tools of truth and the written word. Their perspective comes from the lives of those who build and keep our society running every day, and that is why they write in an accessible style, choosing short and direct texts.

Instead of chasing the news cycle to get attention at any cost, people’s journalism takes a step back. It treats reporting as a tool for workers’ and social movements. Its goal is to give an honest portrait of society, its problems, and the paths toward real change.

This approach is the opposite of the so-called objectivity claimed by the mainstream press. These outlets, whether they realize it or not, serve financial and state interests by promoting the perspective of the oligarchy, the bosses, and the political elite. People’s journalism does the opposite. It gives voice to those who are usually ignored and shines a light on the forces that shape our lives.

People’s journalism aims to:

reveal the conflicting interests of social classes in Canada and around the world,
provide the information needed to understand the current state of capitalist society,
show why real and collective change is necessary,
support, through action, that change and those who are trying to bring it about,
contribute to the political development of the working class,
take part in collective reflection on how to build a better future.

To carry out this mission, people’s journalism relies on fieldwork and direct contact with workers’ and grassroots organizations. It stays grounded in the everyday experience of the majority. It is not just about producing information: it is just as much about bringing that information back to the people, explaining it, and discussing it. That means organizing events, returning to the field, and staying in conversation with those affected over time. But doing this kind of journalism also means stepping out of your comfort zone. People’s journalism means going where the action is, doing whatever it takes to get the essential facts, and using them to directly confront the elite, no matter the obstacles, the risks, or the conditions.

Becoming a people’s journalist means taking up a fight. It is a commitment, a battle. It means believing that there is a constant struggle between social classes over who controls society, and that the media is one of the most important battlefields in that fight.

How can I support people's journalism?

By staying informed about North Star’s content and events
By sharing our content on social media, with friends and colleagues
By helping to fund the North Star with a donation.

How can I get involved with The North Star?

Anyone interested in writing articles or producing multimedia content for North Star can apply here. Once you’ve submitted an application, you’ll be contacted by journalists in your area to get involved in the work of North Star.

How do I submit a news story to The North Star?

Please send any information relevant to the writing of news articles here. This information will be forwarded to journalists in the appropriate region, and can be used as the basis for a new article or as a complement to an existing project.

If you send us a complete article for publication on North Star, please note that we do not accept content that has already been published elsewhere, and that we reserve the right to modify the article according to our needs and editorial line.

How is The North Star financed?

For the time being, North Star relies entirely on volunteer journalists and voluntary contributions from our readers.

How is The North Star organized?

North Star is structured as follows:

Journalist members: These are the volunteers who contribute regularly by writing articles, conducting investigations, conducting interviews, and participating in the production of journalistic content. They are the backbone of North Star.
Local committees: They are present in many of Canada’s major cities, and serve to coordinate journalists in their coverage of regional issues.
Editorial Committee: Based in Montreal, this committee plays a central role in coordinating the media’s activities. It is responsible for editorial direction, overseeing content quality, and overall management of the medium. It ensures that journalistic and ethical standards are respected.
Specialized committees: These are made up of members from across Canada. These committees focus on specific areas such as video production, grammar correction, translation, research, or other skills required for content production.

What does the future hold for The North Star?

North Star is constantly working to improve the quality of its reporting and diversify its forms of content. We plan to continue producing longer-form video content, distribute our articles in the form of print newsletters, broadcast podcasts, and continue to set up events, both online and offline, to discuss and discuss North Star content.

The North Star aims to become a daily source of information for working Canadians, capable of replacing the media of the political and economic elites by providing daily coverage of issues of importance to the population, as well as exposing the workings of Canadian society through permanent features.

Is The North Star objective?

It is impossible to be completely objective, that is, truly impartial. However, it is possible to uphold strict ethical standards and report truthful information.

Every media organization has a bias or a tendency toward one. Everyone has heard that one outlet supports a certain political party while another leans left or right. At The North Star, we fully own our convictions, unlike the major media owned by billionaires or controlled by governments, which hide their interests behind a façade of journalistic neutrality. We report facts as faithfully as possible so that Canada’s working class can understand the world around them and act according to their interests.

Because of this, The North Star reports truthful information. We believe the foundation of journalism is to report facts and events in the most informative way possible, so people can form their own understanding of the world. For this reason, we actively commit to following the Canadian Association of Journalists’ Code of Ethics while questioning its provisions on neutrality.

What are The North Star's journalistic standards?

In pursuit of journalism that is truthful, principled, and in service of Canada’s working class, The North Star is committed to upholding strong ethical standards and practicing responsible journalism.

Our work is guided by the following principles:

Public interest

The North Star adheres to the journalistic principle of public interest, which we define as the interest of the working class and the popular classes (in other words, the vast majority), as opposed to the interests of the ruling class. More specifically, we understand “the public” to mean the people, or the masses, as distinct from the individuals and groups who hold political power or economic control over society.

We believe this public has the right to understand the forces that shape its life, to know the facts that influence the world, and to grasp their consequences. Within the limits of our resources, we choose our topics and our approach based on what Canada’s working class needs to know in order to participate fully in society and defend its interests.

Accessibility

We are firmly committed to making our content accessible to as many people as possible. We reject any media culture that reserves the conversation for intellectuals or elites. We strive to make our reporting and analysis clear and understandable to a broad audience.

Independence

We refuse to be held by the strings of governments, corporations, or oligarchs. The North Star is financially and structurally independent. The content of our reporting is determined by our publicly available journalistic standards, by the principles of people’s journalism, and by the work of our journalists and volunteers.

Information gathering

Our journalists usually identify themselves as such and collect information through interviews, research, reviewing records or sources, and other standard methods. We believe that the use of undercover techniques—such as false identities, hidden microphones or cameras, vague descriptions of the report’s purpose, surveillance, or infiltration—is justified only when the information sought is in the public interest, cannot reasonably be obtained otherwise, and when the benefit to the public clearly outweighs any harm caused to those involved. Journalists also inform sources unfamiliar with the media that their statements may be published, and avoid placing undue pressure on people who have experienced trauma.

Fairness

Journalists at The North Star strive to present the various sides of a conflict in a fair and honest manner, while also subjecting them to critical analysis. Fairness means verifying each viewpoint for accuracy and assessing its strength and relevance before deciding how it will be treated, presented, and highlighted.

Truthfulness

The North Star’s journalism is not neutral, nor does it claim to be objective. However, it is grounded in verifiable facts and respects strict ethical standards that are available to the public. We recognize that every media organization carries inherent biases, shaped by financial, political, institutional, or personal interests.

To maintain our commitment to truth, our journalists dedicate the time required to study each topic thoroughly. Before publishing, they verify the information and ensure it is based on established facts. They also make sure the facts are properly contextualized, and that the headline of an article reflects its content faithfully, without misleading the reader.

Our journalists clearly distinguish between facts, analysis, and personal opinion. Whenever an opinion is expressed, whether personal or editorial, this is explicitly stated. When information is attributed to an anonymous source, this means it has undergone independent verification on our part.

Accountability

We recognize the responsibility of journalists, including those who work on a volunteer basis, to provide accurate and truthful information. Our editors are responsible for ensuring the reliability of our content, and we do not hesitate to correct an error if one is discovered after publication. To report a factual error, please write to [email protected] or get in touch with us here.