Brief Regarding the Future of Regional News Submitted to The
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Brief Regarding the Future of Regional News Submitted to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage By The Fédération nationale des communications – CSN April 18, 2016 Contents Contents ............................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Foreword .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................... 5 The role of the media in our society ..................................................................................................................... 7 The informative role of the media ......................................................................................................................... 7 The cultural role of the media ................................................................................................................................. 7 The news: a public asset ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Recent changes to Quebec’s media landscape .................................................................................................. 9 Print newspapers ..................................................................................................................................................... 9 Magazines................................................................................................................................................................. 11 Television in Quebec ........................................................................................................................................... 11 Radio .......................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Digital media ........................................................................................................................................................... 15 In search of a new model ........................................................................................................................................ 17 The media in Canada and Quebec: a highly concentrated industry...................................................... 20 Media concentration and the quality of information .................................................................................. 20 Concentration and convergence .......................................................................................................................... 21 The impact of concentration and convergence on employment ............................................................ 22 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................................... 24 Brief regarding the future of regional news Foreword The Fédération nationale des communications CSN represents 6,000 workers in the media and the cultural industries, including most of the unionized journalists working for the major print and broadcast media− in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick. Introduction We would like to thank the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage for allowing us to participate in consultations on the future of regional news. The Fédération nationale des communications (FNC) is very concerned about the profound changes affecting the media, given that many of our members in various branches of the media regularly work in news production in Quebec as well as in Ontario and New Brunswick. News also plays a vital role in our democratic life and helps citizens to participate fully in society. The struggle for access to diversified, quality news, whether it be local, regional, national or international, is everybody’s concern. As many witnesses have told the Committee: the media industry is in crisis. Given its role, the FNC is in an excellent position to understand the full extent of the problem. We see this crisis played out in our workplaces every day. During collective bargaining, we constantly hear employers call for cutbacks. Over the past few years, we have seen a steady decline in working conditions in our industry, whether in Montreal or elsewhere in Quebec. Wage reductions and job losses are nothing new. We need only look at the dispute at the Journal de Montréal and the subsequent layoffs. Replacing the print version of La Presse with the digital version La Presse+ was not painless; hundreds of jobs have been lost since the start of this initiative. The financial situation at Le Devoir is also tense. Things are scarcely better in the regions. The regional print media are fighting for their lives. Shortly after acquiring several regional papers from Gesca, the new owner, Martin Cauchon, had to launch a major restructuring initiative involving many job cuts. Basically, this crisis is hitting all forms of traditional media. From an organizational standpoint, the traditional media’s revenues and audiences have dropped dramatically in recent years in favour of international digital media giants such as Facebook and Google. The digital media and social media are attracting not only users — especially young users — but also advertisers, given the low cost of advertising. This trend increases the financial vulnerability of our traditional media, challenges their business model and hinders their primary objective, which is to inform. Considered from this perspective, the media crisis does not just involve media companies. It is first and foremost a news crisis. Although the digital media offer news from a range of sources, they obviously do not produce all the content they disseminate. Most of them are gobbling up a growing percentage of advertising revenues while simply giving users access to news produced by the traditional - 5 - Brief regarding the future of regional news media at great expense. If lowers revenues mean that the traditional media can no longer produce quality news, then society as a whole will be affected. The media’s inability to do their job will undoubtedly lead to a democratic deficit and limit citizens’ participation in public life. While this is not a new trend, we have also seen a growing concentration of the Quebec media in recent years, supported by economic globalization and financialization. Companies seeking short-term profits and economies of scope and scale have transformed themselves into conglomerates. While this convergence- related strategy makes sense economically, it compromises the quality and diversity of the news, undermines the work of journalists, and damages their independence and integrity. These problems exist in major centres but, given the size of markets, they are proving to be more significant in the regions. This consultation on regional news is timely. It invites policy makers at all levels of government to consider the tools needed to ensure Canadians and Quebeckers have access to diversified, quality news in the digital age. In this brief, the FNC will discuss the media’s role in a democratic society, the crisis that is shaking the industry, and the concentration of the media and its impact on news quality and working conditions. In our conclusion, we will present several recommendations. - 6 - Brief regarding the future of regional news The role of the media in our society Generally speaking, the media, particularly the commercial media, is made up of profit-based organizations. They contribute to the economy by creating jobs and stimulating consumption through advertising. The media’s economic role is justified and largely recognized in societies that believe in free enterprise. As important as this economic role may appear, however, it is not the media’s primary purpose. As the sociologist Alain Pilon points out,1 as producers of news and entertainment, the media are called on to play other equally important roles in our society. The informative role of the media While the media have many roles, their primary purpose is to inform. They encourage debate by producing and disseminating news of public interest and social benefit, freely and impartially, taking into account the diversity of opinion and a pluralist society. The media’s informative role is vital in a democratic society, where citizens must have access to the widest possible range of opinions, analysis and information so that they can make informed decisions and participate fully in society and in democratic life. As news providers, the media also have the ability to form public opinion. Whether through the free circulation of ideas, news reports or surveys on an issue of public importance, the media influence public opinion, which in turn influences decision makers and public authorities. To understand the media’s influence on public opinion, we need only think of the investigative journalism that led to the creation of the Charbonneau Commission. The Panama papers scandal regarding tax havens is another example of the media’s role. If the media are to play a vital role in our democratic society, then they must be able to do their job with rigour and in compliance with rules and ethical