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Canadians from coast to coast are seeing less local content, less diversity of ideas and analysis, and less representation of minority issues. With the world becoming increasingly complex, this hurts our collective ability to participate in public debates and decisions in a meaningful way.
Just the Facts:
Well before the latest round of mergers 56% of Canadians saw consolidation of media ownership as having a negative impact on their trust in the media
http://cmrcccrm.ca/english/reportcard2004/01.html
Less than 1 in 5 Canadians think news organizations are independent.
http://cmrcccrm.ca/english/reportcard2004/01.html
75% believe the news we’re getting is often influenced by powerful people or groups.
CMRC REPORT CARD ON CANADIAN MEDIA
http://cmrcccrm.ca/english/reportcard2004/01.html
81% of Canadians between 19 to 25 year olds believe news organizations are influenced by powerful people or organizations.
CMRC REPORT CARD ON CANADIAN MEDIA
http://cmrcccrm.ca/english/reportcard2004/01.html
86 per cent of Canadian respondents to a 2002 survey believe the federal government should do something to alleviate Canadians' concerns about media concentration.
http://www.friends.ca/files/PDF/polls/cbcaug2002.pdf
The Senate report on the state of the Canadian news media (June 2006) points out that consolidation of radio ownership has reduced the availability of local news on the radio.
The same thing is happening in TV, where CHUM announced the cancellation of four local newscasts at Citytv stations on the day the sale to CTV was announced
The CBC receives half of what it received from Parliament twenty years ago on a per capita basis; Canada ranks 16 out of 18 industrialized countries in terms of public financing for public broadcasting
In 2004, a CBC-commissioned survey found that 80% of Canadians want to receive more CBC programming about their region or part of the country.
CTV, Global and Quebecor(TVA) - the three biggest private TV networks in Canada - have said they don't want rules for how much Canadian content they buy or produce and air: CTV's and Global's main strategy is to buy US programming to air during prime time
In June 2006, before the recent round of the mergers, the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications came to the conclusion that there are “areas where the concentration of ownership has reached levels that few other countries would consider acceptable.”
Other notable Quotes from the Senate include:
“an important element of a free press is that there be a variety of different sources of news and opinion. This can only be guaranteed if there is a plurality of owners.”
“The country will be poorly served if as few as one, two or three groups control substantial portions of the news and information media in particular markets or within the country as a whole.”
“In simple terms there is a public interest in having a plurality of owners.”
See the Senate of Canada. Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communication.
(June, 2006) Final Report on the Canadian News Media. Available at:
www.parl.gc.ca/39/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/tran-e/rep-e/repfinjun0...
Media Quotes:
“I am revolted by what CanWest is doing. It is simply saying that as far as our papers are concerned, we will have one opinion. They say now that you can have others, but, in fact, there is an editorial chill on that great group of newspapers. It revolts me because it used to be ours, and we had a more intelligent view of how to run them.”
Hamilton Southam, Former director of Southam Inc.
“The challenge now is to encourage and insist, if necessary, that those who have been allowed to seize control of Canada's media manage those assets in ways that are consistent with public interest and not just the enrichment of the bottom line. James Travers”
Eminent journalist, former Editor Ottawa Citizen
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