Status of the Canadian news media in 2023
Content, trust and changes in the business - a look at where we stand
Any notion of a decline in journalism in this country would be remiss without recognition of a self-fulfilling corporate mindset. At the corporate level, large companies still struggle to find their lane, not really trusting news and information content producers while trying to compete with popular non-journalists sharing stories through social media, podcasts and the like. It’s an easy and wrong answer - abandon what you have always done well and spend the budget on digital only solutions. Make reporters spend more of their time posting across platforms and less of their time researching and developing important, well-written and constructed stories. At the local level as experienced in Vancouver, some small media companies, often owned by those with bags of money and overinflated opinions of their own credentials, trade news properties like they’re baseball cards.
Indeed, tough times continue in the news business. The past year’s firing of CTV’s top national anchor, Lisa LaFlamme, underscored a disconnect between senior corporate leadership and average Canadians. There were also plenty of layoffs across media levels, regions and tiers. Just before Christmas, B.C.’s Overstory Media Group eliminated reporting positions at The New West Anchor and Burnaby Beacon. And that was only months after the upstart OMG picked up The Georgia Straight…a move that resulted in the departure of some of the province’s best journalists. Meanwhile, staff at Vancouver’s former NEWS 1130-turned-CityNews unionized…an extremely rare move in private Canadian radio and one reflecting some questionable working conditions. The radio-TV-digital convergence has resulted in journalists across several companies being pushed out while too many stations, papers, and websites lost decent reporters and editors who made a reluctant dash to media relations positions.
Given this small sample of what’s happened in 2022, it’s easy to see how a chicken-and-egg scenario continues to play out. Without adequate resources, pay/benefits/working conditions, those who produce information content are left without the ability or time to adequately serve their audiences. Those audiences turn away. That turn-away has corporate dough-heads wrongly concluding there is little desire for so-called conventional news. Meanwhile, they unicorn-hunt a younger demographic that will never buy into what they want to feed.
So what happens to great journalism? Where does the media stand in shining a light on the underdog and catalyzing change? How can Canadians rebuild a trust, desire or need to get news from reliable sources? Will elected leaders renew a long forgotten fear of having their dirty laundry exposed? Will the phoenix rise from the ashes?
Fortunately, we have a small caucus of very strong, driven reporters here in B.C. They are role models for what the fourth/fifth estate should be and can be again. I admire the work of many reporters in Vancouver alone and just a few of those names include; Janet Brown, Penny Daflos, Kim Bolan, Bob Mackin, Salim Jiwa, Charlie Smith and Frances Bula.
I also hold out hope that we all can return to a time when solid journalistic integrity is key and society benefits from those embrace it. Of course, much of that depends on those who employ and manage the few who continue to work in the mainstream news media in 2023.
My five hopes for those in the news media in 2023
Be bold and represent the interests of your readers, listeners and viewers
Editors and reporters take note - yes, you have an audience. There are people who want to read what you tell them is newsworthy. Of course, if you over-indulge in looking at the world through one lens - yours - prepare to lose trust. Over the next year, I’d love to see a return to aggressive journalism that exposes those who need to be exposed and gives a voice to those without one. That means skipping low hanging fruit - ignoring hurt feelings as the basis for easy stories. Also it means digging for ideas and not just relying on Reddit, Facebook or TikTok. And or course, great journalists should know how to expand beyond their lens or personal bias. So what is news that represents the interest of readers, listeners and viewers? Start by knowing who your audience is and what they care about or should care about. Thinking about expanding that audience but not at the expense of your existing one. Health, heart and pocket book (finances) are a great place to start when asking if a story has impact, meaning or connection. Also, does the story deepen the conversation, add something new or have a call to action? NO MORE NO-SHIT -SHERLOCK STORIES!
Reintroduce the how and why in media questions
Notice the headlines of late? More and more stories seem to be emerging from news conferences and not by direct observation, interviews, research or figuring out what’s happening. There are many reasons for this, not the lease of which is a lack of staffing resources. Yet, routed deep in the heart of every decent journalist is an underappreciated superpower - the ability to ask great questions and go far beyond simply repeating some speaking notes. To this end, I would love to see questions centered in how and why make a comeback. Get explanations, get colour and hold those in power to account. It’s what an audience deserves and it should separate journalists from anyone else who shares stories online.
Stop repeating police news releases without adding journalist value
When I went through journalism school back in the mid 80s, we were taught to never simply repeat a news release - especially one from the RCMP. That concept was reinforced over the years when I came across many stories where official police spokespeople left out key pieces of information or (at worst) lied about what happened. The tasering death of Robert Dziekanski at the Vancouver Airport stands as a prime example. Unfortunately, many community papers and even some big city news organizations continue to repost what the police say - devoid of any context, useful information or relevant questions. I get it - police often won’t comment beyond the controlled release. Yet, there are so many times when we never learn the story behind the story. My hope is that news releases become just a starting point for digging, understanding and then writing. A better hope is that reporters are able to learn such stories before the often delayed release of that minimal cop-talk information. It’s one of those things that comes down to a simple pride in the truth and a zest for asking serious questions in the hopes of getting a better understand of what’s happened.
Evangelize access to information
Over the past year, I’ve seen or heard examples of governments and agencies not releasing what should be widely available public information (or heavily redacting it), police agencies failing to report situations where people have died as a result of something untoward, judges holding secret trials, businesses failing to disclose information that could hurt Canadians and politicians hiding questionable actions. None of these should happen in a free and democratic society. Many who like to hide such information use weak arguments that don’t fly in other jurisdictions around the world - things like the need to protect an investigation. I have high praise for many bloggers and journalists who continue to challenge Freedom of Information rules and systems that make it expensive and difficult to access public domain. Also, I’m inspired by those such as Hilla Kerner with Vancouver Rape Relief, who has pushed hard to get the RCMP and BC Coroners service to recognize the importance of identifying victims of femicide. Our society is better served when people understand the scope and magnitude of the stories they take in.
Support good journalism and colleagues
It’s not about calling-out the competition for their mistakes. Those days are mostly gone. What I enjoy seeing now is when reporters give kudos to their colleagues who break important stories or tackle issues that could and should result in change. Social media helps with that. So does a small collection of Facebook groups where ‘the press’ gathers to share insights. It’s important to embrace a redeveloping news ecosystem and encourage a pride in good work. I believe that pride could grow, starting at the grassroots level. Media ownership can learn from those they employ. 2023 can and should be the year that great journalism makes its comeback.
Editor’s Note: It should be noted Overstory Media Group did rehire multiple journalists that left The Georgia Straight during the tenure of the previous ownership.
Bruce Claggett is a 35 year veteran in the news media, having worked as a reporter, newscaster, producer/editor, senior editor, news director, journalism instructor and media consultant. He holds a BA (political science/geography) from UBC, B.Ed. (secondary education) from UBC and a Dipl. T. (broadcast journalism) from BCIT. He continues to work as a guest host on 980/CKNW, media trainer and communications advisor.
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I think you do the likes of Rafe Mair and Jack Webster proud.
News is just not reading press releases, it is finding the truth behind the press release, the real story.
Try transit, where independent journalism on the subject is left to one or two blogs and not the mainstream media, How many people know the real cost to extend the Expo and Millennium Lines a mere 21.7 km is around $11 billion?