Could co-op news help save Canada’s media?
Alt-weeklies have fallen on hard times recently with the flight of advertising to social media, but Prairie Dog and its Saskatoon sister newspaper Planet S have endured through ingenuity and…
Marc Edge
Non-profit news is also infected by corporate ‘pink slime’ in US
“Pink slime’” journalism is a murky world of partisan websites and print outlets that deceptively pose as local news to push political candidates and parties. Photo by lane Becker/Flickr. The…
Why non-profit news might not be such a great idea
“The Fin de Siècle Newspaper Proprietor” by Frederick Burr Opper, Keppler & Schwarzmann, 1894. Image courtesy the Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons. Having been down a couple of rabbit holes recently…
The Online News Act has been like MAiD for emerging media in Canada
Cartoon by Greg Perry The hare-brained Online News Act has only been in effect for a few months, but already it has proved a disaster for small and emerging news…
Corporate ownership of media has failed Canadians
For-profit media ownership has decimated journalism in Canada and continues to gouge us with some of the highest prices in the world for telecommunications services such as cellular phones, cable…
Eby says the true part about Big Media out loud
It’s too bad that David Eby, BC’s new NDP premier, isn’t Canada’s prime minister, because at least he isn’t afraid to take on Big Media in this country. We call…
Asper’s legacy of media control lives on in HonestReporting Canada
Israel “Izzy” Asper and his son Leonard Asper in the early-2000s. Photo courtesy La Presse. One of the benefits of teaching overseas, as I was forced to do for most…
Is journalism really dying? No, it’s just evolving
A recent spate of bad news for the news business has triggered yet another round of lamentation that journalism is dying, which is kind of funny when you think about…
Liberal studies students subjected to decidedly illiberal guest speaker
Jen Gerson. freelance writer and co-founder of The Line. Photo from LinkedIn. What kind of Institute for Liberal Studies funds a Calgary-based conservative commentator to spread right-wing conspiracy theories to…
Black Press sale would increase American ownership of Canada’s news media
Yet another Canadian community newspaper chain is going to court under our bankruptcy laws, but again it has nothing to do with it going out of business. This time it…
The National Post should be the last to lecture anyone about media bias
There is something profoundly ironic about the National Post lecturing anyone about media bias, as it did on Saturday in a package complete with a distorted front-page picture of Conservative…
Bogeyman of federal interference in election coverage explodes on websites, social media
We live in a dangerous age of misinformation and disinformation which can quickly grow into conspiracy theories fueled by partisan online echo chambers. One story that hit the Internet late…
Progressive journalism outlets come together to form Unrigged
In response to the Online News Act, 20 local, regional and national media outlets, including Canadian Dimension, banded together to launch their own news aggregator, Unrigged. Image courtesy NB Media…
CTV News brings in a propagandist to spin the Online News Act
Consultants Mohit Rajhans (L) and Andrew Perez (R) debate the details of how Google’s $100 million commitment to Canadian media will be divided among news organizations. Still image courtesy CTV…
Google’s promised $100 million a year brings hope for Canadian news
Photo by Sebastian Hillig/Flickr Google has proved that it’s not evil after all by coming through with $100 million a year for Canadian news, but history is starting to again…
Sim-sub now being used by Bell to promote sports betting
Bell, which owns CTV and TSN, partnered with US bookmaker FanDuel last year on its FanDuel Sundays segments “to give fans a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes…
Ottawa extends, doubles news media bailout
You really have to hand it to the suits at News Media Canada, who have pulled yet another lucrative rabbit out their hat by persuading Ottawa to not only extend…
Trudeau interview reveals uncomfortable truth
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sits down for a one-on-one interview with Village Media Editor Michael Friscolanti in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Photo courtesy Timmins Today. It’s not often that the…
Canadian media’s promotion of sports betting should have limits
Sports betting activities have proliferated in recent years due to increased visibility through pervasive advertising campaigns. Photo courtesy Play Canada. Rick Dhaliwal was just about to launch into his show-opening…
Closure of weeklies leaves communities without a print newspaper
Photo by Ryan Berry/Flickr KAMLOOPS, BC – The final edition of Kamloops This Week was emblazoned with a giant “-30-” on its front page when it appeared last Wednesday as…