Gov’t support for media a threat to independent press
Before carrying on to more colourful commentary, I want to state plainly that I really enjoy writing for the Prince George Citizen. Of course what makes it enjoyable is you, the readers; from the unbridled support of some to the well-written counterpoints of others. Being a part of our local media has brought me no end of worthwhile interactions. Thank you, everyone.
Now that we’re all best friends, I’ll ask you to turn your attention to the latest policy from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Merry Band of Cabineteers: bailing out print media across the country with $600 million of your tax dollars, not from efficiencies, but a brand new envelope.
Some might object they don’t mind their taxes going to print media – beats war machines or abortions, depending on your outlook.
Fair enough, but couldn’t your hard earned cash be surrendered voluntarily to ye olde Citizen in the form of a subscription without the state acting as a costly middle man? To be sure, some of our Dear Leader’s proposal includes tax credits for subscriptions, but that’s only a fraction of the budget, which is, again, over half a billion dollars.
Let me pose a question: have any of you ever considered unsubscribing from The Citizen because of what I’ve written, or perhaps one of my colleagues’ contributions?
Given that there’s no paywall online, some well could have and still be reading this – they’ll get what they deserve when the last trumpet sounds. But if you honestly take umbrage with any of us, you can berate us in these pages, demand we be fired, or even unsubscribe from this newspaper.
Yet if Trudeau gets his way, everyone will be forced, by the omnipotent Canada Revenue Agency and its many minions, to support our words, regardless of your private opinion. That support will be snatched from your paycheque without your consent or any effort on our part.
I have a right to express myself and to seek a publisher for those expressions, but I do not have a right to your money, full stop.
We already know where such rentierism leads: undercutting private providers; mediocre entertainment; zero consequences for programing failures; unaccountable media personalities or political stances; and all the self-restraint of uninvited guests at an event with free alcohol and unguarded “thank you” tote bags.
For proof, just look at our state broadcaster. But there’s something more fundamental at stake than the CBC’s delinquency becoming the norm throughout our media – it’s the core democratic values of electoral accountability and the freedom of the press. How can those coexist if media relies on politicians for their daily bread?
In our Constitution, free expression is a fundamental freedom; historically, this has been defended by the free press, independently funded by the public and non-state entities; today, there is a crisis regarding revenues in print media, leading to a clamour for a solution to be found; but do any of us, in the media or public, really believe that journalistic integrity will survive as newspapers join the state in taking people’s money by force – and in the era of “fake news?”
A last point: do you remember what’s coming in less than a year to a polling station near you? I might be wrong to reason from policy to motive, yet isn’t it odd that $600 million is being offered to the papers that are often the opinion makers in our communities, just months away from a federal election? It might just be a coincidence but...
I hope this objection can be taken up by readers of any political stripe. Yes, print media is in dire straits, but this policy will erode public confidence and create dependency.
“You can’t believe everything in the newspaper,” used to be a fair warning to the overly credulous; if this policy goes forward, “you can’t believe anything in the newspaper” will be a categorical fact.
I hope this objection can be taken up by readers of any political stripe. Yes, print media is in dire straits, but this policy will erode public confidence and create dependency.