No bailout for ailing media
Minister confirms journalism critical to healthy democracy, but vague on any remedies
OTTAWA— Good journalism is “critical” to democracy, but Ottawa says it won’t bail out media models “that are no longer viable.”
In laying out the government’s vision for culture in Canada on Thursday — which ranged from onscreen productions to small-town newspapers — Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly looked at the challenges facing local media, which have been battered by sharp declines in revenue.
“There are no easy solutions to the challenges facing this sector,” Joly said, according to a prepared text of her remarks. “We start from the premise that this is a shared responsibility between government at all levels, the private sector and civil society.”
She said “reliable” journalism is “critical” to a healthy democracy and that any government measures must respect journalistic independence.
“Our approach will not be to bail out industry models that are no longer viable. Rather, we will focus our efforts on supporting innovation, experimentation and transition to digital,” Joly said.
A report earlier this year painted a grim picture of a shrinking media landscape in Canada, which has cost journalists their jobs and communities their newspapers.
Written by veteran journalist Edward Greenspon and published by the Public Policy Forum, it urged tax changes for foreign-owned media providers. Revenues would be funneled to an arm’s-length organization that would help fund digital innovation and local news media.
In laying out her cultural vision Thursday, Joly was vague about possible remedies for the media sector.
She floated the possibility of assistance through the Canada Periodical Fund, which provides financial support to print magazines, non-daily newspapers and digital periodicals. A heritage department document says that fund could be updated to account for digital distribution and funding eligibility could take into ac- count the costs of providing original editorial content.
Greenspon said he was encouraged that the issue is under consideration, notably the concerns flagged in his report about original journalism and the need for innovation.
“Politically, it’s very complex, because news is supposed to be, and everybody wants it to be, independent of government. But it no longer seems to be on a viable track,” he said in an interview. “How do you reconcile that, where there could be some form of support for news without compromising its independence?”
He noted that most news found on digital platforms originates with established news producers, the very outlets threatened by the transformation now underway.
“I think everybody understands the future is digital,” he said. “The issue is whether that future is going to include original reporting.”