Jeremy Klaszus | The Case for Quiet Journalism
Jeremy Klaszus is editor of the Sprawl, a Calgary pop-up journalism venture he founded in 2017. The Sprawl is a crowdfunded, ad-free, made-in-Calgary model—a reinvention of local journalism in tough times. It operates with the goal to share stories in a meaningful, non-reactionary way. Before launching the Sprawl, Klaszus worked as a freelance journalist who covered Calgary for local and international media outlets. He has contributed to CBC, the Walrus, the Calgary Herald, National Geographic Traveler, Swerve and the Globe & Mail. Klaszus also ghost wrote legendary western singer Ian Tyson’s book, The Long Trail, and is the Calgary correspondent for Monocle magazine.
On the communications side, Klaszus has written and consulted primarily for non-profit organizations. He has worked with UNHCR and Calgary United Way, among others. At United Way, he and a colleague won a Gold Quill Award from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) for crisis communications after the 2013 Southern Alberta floods.
The Sprawl is Calgary pop-up journalism. They launched in September 2017 to cover Calgary’s municipal election. It began as a zany experiment, a creative way to keep local journalism alive in tough times. A swell of community support has turned the tiny shop into a going concern. The Sprawl is 100% crowdfunded via Patreon. It is designed to be set up and taken down and set up again to cover specific things. The pop-up nature of the venture — and the support of its readers — makes it doable.
