CONVERSATIONS THAT MATTER
Jack Webster was known as the king of the airwaves in B.C. for close to 40 years. Since his retirement, the foundation in his name has been recognizing and celebrating excellence in journalism.
This year, on Dec. 8, the awards dinner is being netcast, opening it up, for the first time, to the public.
If it was on the public agenda, Webster was there. When prisoners at the B.C. Penitentiary rioted and took hostages in 1963, they asked Webster to resolve the standoff. They asked for him because he was trusted at a time when mainstream media was believed to be fulfilling the responsibilities for the fourth estate: to step in, stand up, advocate, call out, and record the people and events of our lives.
Since Webster's retirement in 1988, the media landscape has changed dramatically. In Vancouver, for example, the major powerhouses in print, radio and TV have all seen their constituencies dwindle. Shrinking audiences meant less ad revenue, which, in turn, led to cuts in newsrooms and that leads to further reductions in audiences.
The money simply isn't there to support media outlets that we trust to provide an overview of our province, regions, cities and municipalities. There aren't enough resources to go around and that robs readers, listeners and viewers of valuable and vital information they need to make informed decisions.
Alternative media outlets have popped up and are attempting to fill the void. The challenge, however, is that most of those outlets — including this show — have fewer resources than the big players.
Then add in a lukewarm embrace of journalistic standards by some, and the value of the information from smaller or single-issue outlets can diminish and be dismissed.
The two-time Webster award winner and former MLA for Richmond- Queensborough, Jas Johal, joined a Conversation That Matters about the state of media. See the video at vancouversun.com/ tag/conversations-that-matter. Conversations That Matter is a partner program for the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. The production of this program is made possible thanks to the support of viewers like you. Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge at goo.gl/ypxyds