The Online News Act, the so-called Bill C-18, Canada’s legislation that directs tech companies to pay news publishers, is now in its implementation phase. An opportunity to highlight the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) quality standard for news publishers as a benchmark to boost and safeguard independent, transparent and responsible journalism.
On September 24th 2024, Reporters Without Borders/Reporters sans frontières (RSF) convened members of the Canadian media, as well as industry stakeholders, for an in-depth event on strategies for future success for Canadian news publishers. JTI Regional Officer for Canada, Mitch St.Hilaire, kicked off the programme by introducing the JTI quality standard and its 18 criteria to the audience.
Next, esteemed media scholar and Chair of the Independent Advisory Board on Eligibility for Journalism Tax Measures, Colette Brin, gave a keynote speech outlining the Board’s work, how it designates Quality Canadian Journalism Organisations (QCJOs), and added some insightful thoughts on topics including Meta’s news business, the outcomes of the recently passed Bill C-18, and potential threats and opportunities for Canadian news publishers. “We’re all going to be dealing with […] the issue of Generative AI and how that poses a challenge in terms of producing news and restoring the audience’s trust in the news,” Brin said. “We’re seeing in recent surveys that people are not that comfortable with AI being used in journalism, but it is still early.”
The event was followed by a panel discussion with four distinguished journalists and media executives – Public Policy Forum executive director Ed Greenspon, APTN executive director of National News & Current Affairs Cheryl McKenzie, La Converse editor-in-chief Lela Savić, and CBC News senior director of innovation and partnerships Kenny Yum – with moderation by Canadian Association of Journalists president Brent Jolly.
The panelists shared how their businesses have been affected by the passage of Bill C-18. Key topics discussed included how news publishers can be innovative in 2024, how to bridge ongoing difficulties in distribution channels, trends that they are looking out for in the coming years, and potential solutions to the decline in audience trust in news publishing.
Cheryl McKenzie (APTN): “Just the power that these platforms have is a little scary for sure. At APTN we are an expression of our Indigenous identity and we just want as many people as possible to see those stories. We do want [to collaborate] with others in the media and news industry.”
Kenny Yum (CBC News): “Relationship between any public broadcaster and their audience was taken by (platform) intermediaries. The challenge is we can’t now reset the clock. When you look at the generations and rank them on performed modes of consumption, you will see the younger you go it is Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat while the older you go you have live television, live radio, news websites. It’s that complexity that the audience is not a monolith.”
Lela Savic (La Converse): “Innovation actually happens a lot in small publishers, local news, and hyper focused publications where we don’t have a choice but to innovate. For [La Converse] innovation has mainly been about relationship building. With C-18 we have to give ourselves grace. We are struggling with this [Meta] ban and we are trying to find ways to meet our audience. For us it’s been doing more in person events.”
Ed Greenspon (Public Policy Forum): “Trust in journalism cannot be divorced entirely from the breakdown of trust in wider society. The polarization of trust is a real problem.”
