2003 Best of Vancouver: Best English-language ethnic newspaper

Noted & Quoted in: The Georgia Straight, page 30

Georgia Straight

A refreshing exception is the Indo-Canadian Voice. Every week, editor Rattan Mall produces hundreds of column inches of riginal material, always delivered with attitude. Where else will you find Liberal cabinet ministers described as "Gordon Campbell's Taliban lieutenants"

In one recent article, entitled "Provincial Liberals for Sale", Mall wrote: "How low can provincial Liberal politicians stoop They can crawl under the belly of a snake!" The article described a recent Liberal rundraising ploy as "shameless Third World type bribery", and asked why "Campbell's rich white friends" got a contract to produce TV ads about the healthcare system.

Mall is also quicker than his compietitors to pounce on any sign of racism against South Asians, most notably in the police handling of an alleged racist attack on cabbie Kulwinder Parhar.

One of the Voice's competitors, the Asian Star, has a far better design. Another competitor, The Link offers a more sober presentation of commnity events. The Miracle provides better coverage of the local Muslim community. The Asian Express competes with the Voice on breaking news stories, and often features superior editting. The Asian Pacific Post carries strong editorials and provides the best Pacific Rim coverage.

But none of these papers comes close to matching the Voice for sheer audacity and for its coverage of federal and provincial politics. The Voice isn't shy about letting its readers know this, often trumpeting its achievements within its news stories.

If you're tired of seeing mainstream media outlets grovel at the feet of the Campbell government, there is an alternative.