About Taproot Publishing
We help communities understand themselves better.
Taproot is a digital publishing company that creates local news and information products for the communities we serve. We deliver reliable intelligence for people and organizations, helping them understand what is happening, see why it matters, and participate meaningfully in the communities they are part of.
A future where people and organizations have access to sustainable local intelligence that helps them get oriented, stay connected, and participate meaningfully.
Who we are
Journalism innovators.
We bring a unique combination of skills and experience, and a shared commitment to building something useful and lasting.
Our philosophy
News on purpose.
We believe news should be chosen deliberately, not consumed by accident. We design for relevance, clarity, and usefulness so people can build a more thoughtful relationship with local information.
Start close
Begin with the places, communities, and issues closest to your life.
Get oriented
Build a clear sense of what is happening and what matters, without having to track everything.
Understand, then act
Gain awareness and understanding that helps you take thoughtful action.
Why we are different
Local focus with product discipline.
Relentlessly focused on local
We connect the dots across the local ecosystem so communities can see themselves more clearly.
Product builders at the intersection of technology and journalism
We blend technology, product thinking, and editorial craft to build tools and experiences that make local information more useful.
Designed for signal, not extraction
We respect time and attention with trustworthy information, without clickbait, outrage, or manipulation.
Our values
The way we do the work matters.
Curiosity
We ask, listen, and keep learning so we can better understand the communities we serve.
Courage
We act with honesty and resolve, and do the hard things needed to build something useful and lasting.
Care
We care about people, place, and impact, and we want people to feel seen, heard, and respected.
Our story
Building what comes next in local media.
Taproot Publishing was founded in 2017 by Mack Male and Karen Unland after years of work and conversation about the future of local journalism in Edmonton.
The company started with Taproot Edmonton, a member-supported local publication shaped by curiosity and community questions. It grew into a broader publication of original reporting, newsletters, podcasts, event listings, and other web-based tools.
We are building what comes next in local media. Our goal is to transplant the model we have built in Edmonton to other cities, strengthening local journalism everywhere.
Let's connect