4
April 2016
MetroVan Independent News
MVINEWS.COM
OPINION
IT’S OUR ONE YEAR
ANNIVERSARY!
By Steve Marshall
It’s our one Year Anniversary this
month. What a year it has been. Death
Threats, Threats of suing, Unsubstantiated,
attacks from other newspapers, full on
attacks on Facebook involving supposed
leaders in the community all stemming
from individuals angry at us for exposing
issues they created themselves. A veteran
journalist told me “this shows you are
making a difference.”
What started as an advocacy to report
on important things that we felt were
ignored, turned into a newspaper that
gained a lot of fans in the community. The
newspaper business is not for the weak
hearted. It takes a lot of work and personal
sacrifice to do the job properly. I learned if
you stand up for things you believe in there
will be a cost.
Here is a brief list of articles that
received the most interest for the year:
• “That is when I learned all about the
famous Filipino crab mentality. In the
first edition I wrote why we are doing this
newspaper. Within months of starting
SIMPLY THE BEST - The Luisa Marshall
Show on Shaw, I realized we were a
target of some other Filipino media in
the lower mainland.” Steve Marshall April 2015 - Article - A REASON FOR
BEING: WHY A NEWSPAPER
• “Baby Shiloh Esteras is one year older
from surviving a crash with his parents
on the Coquihalla highway. We were the
first on the scene and I held my breath
when another motorist pulled out the
baby seat with Shiloh strapped inside.
We drove the all the way home to Surrey
after we got stranded in Merritt for the
night.” Steve Marshall - April 2015 Article - EXCLUSIVE: COUPLE, BABY
SURVIVE COQUIHALLA MISHAP
• “I think it was stupid of me to have
attended that PNoy affair. He ignored
ever yone including media.” Yul
Baritugo. June 2015 - Article - COFFEE
AND DONUTS: WHAT A PRESIDENT
DISHED OUT TO A PERCEIVED
( TE ASER) STUPID VANCOUVER
CROWD
• “How did the Pista ng Bayan Society
The Esteras Family, Michelle, Baby Shiloh and
Brian, a year later.
Death Threats, Threats of suing,
Unsubstantiated, attacks from
other newspapers, full on attacks
on Facebook involving supposed
leaders in the community all
stemming from individuals angry
at us for exposing issues they
created themselves. A veteran
journalist told me “this shows
you are making a difference.”
which normally organizes the yearly
Slocan Park Philippine Independence
day event and Gala night turn into a
self-titled UNITED FILIPINO-CANADIAN
ASSOCIATIONS OF BC? This happened
without telling all the associations that
they are claiming to represent them?”
Steve Marshall - JULY 2015 - Article ARE FILIPINO ASSOCIATIONS READY
TO UNITE?
• “This is the second time Rey Fortaleza,
the publisher of the Philippine Asian
news Today (PNT), (Reyfort Media
Group) included my wife Luisa Marshall,
myself or one of our businesses on
his front page PNT Newspaper with
confusing, misleading, self-serving
headlines that appear to attempt to
harm our reputation although he fai