Ricochet Media offers French and English mélange

Ricochet Media, a new independent media outlet based in Montreal, is hoping to bridge the French and English divide in Canada by publishing and collaborating in both official languages. 

For insight on the initiative, Jian speaks with editor Ethan Cox about why his team feels there's a need for a "real counterweight to the corporate media", how Ricochet plans to stand out in a crowded media landscape, and how they plan to be financially secure in an era of thinly-staffed newsrooms and tightening budgets. 

Cox notes that bold moves are necessary, despite the challenges of starting up a journalistic venture in this climate. He sees a "cannibalistic system" dependent on increasingly unpaid or underpaid journalists. 

"This is gonna work for another five years while you're tricking kids coming out of school and telling them, 'no, no, no, down the road we'll pay you'," he says, arguing that people will simply flee the industry until we don't have journalists left. 

"We're gonna be stuck with a bunch of listicles, and our journalism and our democracy will suffer as a result." 

Below you'll find the bilingual pitch for Ricochet Media. Que pensez-vous de l'idée?