Harnessing the Media: Exploring the Extent that Municipal Newspapers are Covering Stories on Mining, Oil, and Gas Tax Payments in Alberta, Canada

In light of PWYP’s efforts to promote training, learning, and access to information by citizens, the question arises: To what extent are insights from disclosure reports being shared and understood by communities who host mining, oil, and gas projects in Canada?

This project set out to contact journalists at Canadian municipal newspapers with the aim of familiarizing them with the extent of municipal taxes paid by extractive companies operating in their jurisdiction and reported under ESTMA. The focus was on local newspapers, because they act as a credible, recognizable, and accessible source of information for residents, as opposed to larger metropolitan newspapers who do not regularly cover news within small municipalities. As well, the project sought to familiarise these journalists with where to find this data.