Sit up and beg: most media now focused on asking politicians and their appointees for petting and treats
Expect some news organizations to fight far more fiercely for their dependence than they have for their freedom from government oversight
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If our efforts to find a new path forward have proven anything over the past year, it’s that - other than begging for government subsidies - the nation’s news media have very little interest in blazing an innovative trail forward to a sustainable and proudly independent future.
Last year, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute published a policy paper on the state of the industry. The authors were myself and Konrad von Finckenstein who, inexplicably, has abandoned his role as my occasional co-author to become Ethics Commissioner.
The paper called for a coordinated national news industry policy that would give producers of news a fighting chance to find a sustainable and independent future. Intended as a conversation starter, it made a number of proposals such as the decommercialization and restructuring of the CBC and permitting readers to make paid subscriptions (their choice) 100 percent tax deductible.
Following up on that, the ubiquitous Sue Gardner and I started brainstorming and came up with an idea to get news creators together to think about innovative ways forward. MLI then partnered with The Hub and the event was held May 6 at the National Arts Centre.
The report on that is pending but one of the proposals by was to have participants sign an “Ottawa Declaration” stating their opposition to dependency on government. The end result is that it got nine - count ‘em - signatures. Few enough to count on both hands. You can find the list here.
People are obviously free to make their own decisions without condemnation. Some will use their signature to distinguish themselves in the market, others will see their choice either way as an expression of their independence.
The end result, though, is that the lack of enthusiasm has pretty much smothered any momentum towards building a consensus on a platform of proposals that could combine sustainability with the independence media badly needed to restore public trust.
News Media Canada - legacy media’s lobbying arm and architect of the spectacularly flawed Online News Act - continues to knock on the door of every government and agency it can find to provide subsidies; its ideal world involves media dependence on every one of them, or so it appears.
Broadcasters, still pouting about not qualifying for tax credits, have turned to the CRTC, which just adores playing the role of sugar daddy. Last week it blew a few kisses the broadcasters’ way by ordering foreign streamers that have absolutely nothing to do with news to pay into a series of funds, a couple of which will sustain the jobs of journalists. That’s just the beginning. Next year, the regulator will conduct a massive new process that will bring the nation’s entire news media under its jurisdiction. By the time it’s done, there’s a good chance more than air kisses will be involved.
I’m guessing they’ll love it. Well, nine of them won’t.
But the others have made it clear they are comfortable existing at the pleasure of the Crown and its servants.
(Prediction: This upcoming hearing will be the one in which - you read it here first - the CRTC will find a way for the Liberals to bring Meta/Facebook to heel.)
Should there ever be a change in government - and I expect many media will fight that prospect far more fiercely than they have battled for their independence - it’ll be interesting to see what happens.
They have no Plan B.
Newsroom staff at the Washington Post were in quite a tizzy last week when Sally Buzbee’s departure after three years as executive editor signalled a major shift in direction.
Vanity Fair posted a delightful piece describing the exchanges between social justice journos, interim executive editor Matt Murray and publisher Will Lewis.
While Mr. Lewis spoke of the need for “world class journalism every single day,” reporters - gotta love ‘em - were more concerned the paper was being led now by “four white men” and wondered whether any women of colour had been considered for the new roles.
Mr. Lewis, who must wonder if it wouldn’t be easier running a daycare, had different priorities. According to Vanity Fair, he said:
“We are losing large amounts of money. Your audience has halved in recent years. People are not reading your stuff. I can’t sugarcoat it anymore.”
He went on to say that he hoped newsroom staff would eventually “get it” but that he’d “listened to the platitudes” the approach was “just not happening” and “the game is up.”
Mr. Murray will run the newsroom until after the presidential election and then turn it over to Robert Winnett from Telegraph Media Group. Mr. Murray, like Mr. Lewis formerly of the Wall Street Journal, will then run the Post’s social media newsroom which will function independently from the news and opinion sections.
Seems like a lot of work. If they were in Canada all they’d have to do is ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and CRTC Chair Vicky Eatrides for other people’s money. Then they could stop worrying about being read. Way easier.
Bias occurs in news as often through what isn’t done as what is. The Canadian media’s ongoing refusal to pursue the ramifications of Britain’s Cass Review on the state of transgender science is one example, as are systemic jitters concerning mismanagement of residential school cemeteries stories, which The Rewrite featured last week.
So, kudos to Jesse Brown at Canadaland for his recent X post.
Mr. Brown compared the coverage of pro-Palestinian protests to coverage of antisemitism on major podcasts and this is what he came up with:
“Front Burner CBC
‣Episodes dedicated to pro-Palestine protests: three; Episodes dedicated to anti-Jew hate in Canada: zero
The Decibel, Globe and Mail
‣Episodes dedicated to pro-Palestine protests: four; Episodes dedicated to anti-Jew hate in Canada: zero
This Matters, The Toronto Star
‣Episodes dedicated to pro-Palestine protests: one; Episodes dedicated to anti-Jew hate in Canada: zero
The Big Story, Frequency/Rogers/City News
‣Episodes dedicated to pro-Palestine protests: one; Episodes dedicated to anti-Jew hate in Canada: one half (Nov 16 episode was on hate crimes, inclusive of antisemitism & Islamophobia)”
And that, for this week, is The Rewrite.
Thanks go out to Shaye Ganam of 630 CHED in Edmonton for having me on his show and also to the team at True North’s the Andrew Lawton Show for hosting me as a guest.
(NOTE to readers: There is no paywall and The Rewrite, unlike news links, can be shared on Facebook. So please feel free to help us grow our audience.)
Great coverage.
Keep it up.
Thank you, Peter Menzies!