The Republic is a local paper, published fortnightly since 2000, in East Vancouver, an area of Vancouver, Canada. Self-described as independent and opinionated, The Republic addresses a variety of topics from City-level politics to issues across the world stage. Articles are for the most part in essay form, often containing both factual information and editorial comment. The Republic is very open about its editorial policy, noting on the front page - "your biased media since 2000". This reference is in keeping with the paper's stance that there is no such thing as an unbiased media. The Mission Statement printed on the masthead further expands on editorial position:
The Republic of East Vancouver supports no party, advocates for no cause, represents no group, serves no master, and considers problems with no preconceived notions. We hope to afflict the comfortable and to comfort the afflicted, preferably at the same time.
The Publisher and Editor, Kevin Potvin, ran for political office as an Independent candidate for Vancouver City Council in the 2005 election, but was not elected. The Republic first came to city-wide attention in 2000 by declaring the neighborhood of East Vancouver to be a sovereign state. Although humorous, it drew attention to several political issues, including the fact that life expectancy (at 71.1 years[1]) and living conditions in the Downtown East Side (DTES) are significantly lower than in most of Canada. The Republic claims a circulation of approximately 12,000. This is both subscription readers and free distribution to a wide variety of local businesses across the Vancouver area.
References
- ^ Life expectancy at birth. BC Health Atlas, Second Edition. Retrieved on 2006-04-27.
