{"id":264767,"date":"2017-02-07T11:31:21","date_gmt":"2017-02-07T16:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/issues\/canada-as-a-global-leader-in-journalism\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T21:27:49","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T01:27:49","slug":"canada-as-a-global-leader-in-journalism","status":"publish","type":"issues","link":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/02\/canada-as-a-global-leader-in-journalism\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada as a global leader in journalism"},"content":{"rendered":"

By now, the contentious relationship between news media and America\u2019s 45th president is well-established. At his first news conference since November\u2019s election, Donald Trump berated a CNN reporter<\/a> and unfairly accused the network of airing \u201cfake news.\u201d On his first full day as president, Trump called journalists<\/a> \u201camong the most dishonest human beings on Earth,\u201d and falsely said<\/a> they fabricated his feud with CIA officials. White House press secretary Sean Spicer also scolded reporters in the West Wing<\/a>, echoing Trump\u2019s lie that media outlets downplayed the size of his inauguration crowd.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s on top of Trump\u2019s previous attempts to blacklist, <\/a>sue,<\/a> insult<\/a> and blame news organizations for \u201cinciting violence.\u201d<\/a> Not to mention his peddling of those pesky \u201calternative facts<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re only weeks\u00a0into his presidency, and freedom of the press in the United States is already facing an unprecedented threat<\/a>. Never in modern American history has a president so vigorously attacked First Amendment rights.<\/a> And never has there been a greater opportunity for Canada to showcase its journalistic gravitas in comparison.<\/p>\n

The world order is shifting, and Canadian outlets should take advantage of this pivotal moment. For decades, America defined the global news agenda as arguably the<\/em> major media power<\/a>. That\u2019s changing.<\/p>\n

Not only is the Trump administration compromising American journalism, public trust in mass media has also fallen to a \u201cnew low,\u201d according to a September Gallup poll<\/a>. The recent rise of hyper-partisan fringe sites and the spread of fake news<\/a> likely contributed to that dim view. By and large, these obstacles paint a bleak picture for the future of media in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Canada can and should fill this vacuum.<\/p>\n

Deserved or not, Canada is increasingly seen as a beacon of liberalism<\/a> and morality amid the surge of right-wing populism in the U.S. and Europe. Save for one decade under Stephen Harper, Canada has typically enjoyed a stellar\u2014albeit muted\u2014global reputation, flying under the radar as a respected middle power. But in recent times, our international profile has been elevated, thanks largely to Prime Minister Justin \u201cAnti-Trump<\/a>\u201d Trudeau, who assumed office just over a year ago.<\/p>\n

Photogenic, \u00a0blessed with good hair<\/a>, physically fit<\/a> and a self-proclaimed feminist<\/a> to boot, Trudeau mastered the PR game and won over international media, even as homegrown<\/a> critics<\/a> remain<\/a> skeptical<\/a>. Throw into the mix Canada\u2019s current pop cultural dominance \u2013 Drake, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Ryan Gosling, the list goes on \u2013 and it\u2019s clear our soft power is growing. The world is paying attention to us, so we\u2019d better make the most of it.<\/p>\n

How? By establishing Canada as a leader in ethical, innovative journalism and as a protector of press freedom.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already got the ethics and standards part down; recall back in 2014 when Canadian outlets received wide praise from foreign media for their measured coverage of the Parliament Hill shooting. What\u2019s more, after a protracted \u201cdark age<\/a>\u201d for media under Harper, embattled journalists covering Parliament Hill emerged even more skilled at their jobs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The issue of press freedom, however, is ongoing. Despite publicly supporting<\/a> independent media, Trudeau is combatting criticism<\/u><\/a> that many of the Harper-era infringements on the media are continuing under his watch. So, although Trudeau\u2019s relationship with journalists is far better than that of his predecessor<\/a>, he still has a lot more to do before Canada can recover from its poor showing in last year\u2019s World Press Freedom Index.<\/a><\/p>\n

That leaves innovation\u2014the most important hurdle for Canadian media to clear. To truly become a global leader in journalism, we should actually follow America\u2019s lead when it comes to risks. Meaning: Take more.<\/p>\n

First, like the U.S., we must bet on diversity<\/a>. One in five Canadians are visible minorities<\/a>, while half identify as such in Toronto, our country\u2019s largest media market. It\u2019s good business sense (not to mention good news sense) to invest in coverage that reflects a rapidly growing demographic<\/a>. That means hiring more people of colour in newsrooms, especially for leadership positions, to ensure a diversity of story ideas.<\/p>\n

To meet growing demand, there should also be greater supply. The sheer number of media outlets competing in America<\/a> forces them to innovate to stay ahead. Canadian news organizations, however, are slower to respond to industry changes because they face less competition. In particular, legacy publications tend to hold on to outdated editorial processes (e.g. prioritizing print over online, failing to invest in new technologies) because there\u2019s no incentive to evolve.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where the federal government comes in. Trudeau said Ottawa will invest $800 million over the next four years into strengthening \u201cinnovation networks and clusters<\/a>\u201d\u2014 that is, areas where tech startups, universities and government work together\u2014to drive productivity and, ultimately, economic growth. As Discourse Media CEO Erin Millar recently predicted<\/a>, let\u2019s hope this \u201cInnovation Agenda<\/a>\u201d will help launch digital media startups that \u201cwill attempt to bring a unique viewpoint and funding model, transforming Canada\u2019s media market into an entrepreneurial laboratory for the future of media.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right now, though, Canadian outlets are struggling. Last summer, after a spate of newspaper closures and layoffs across the country, Ottawa hired think-tank Public Policy Forum<\/a> to assess our journalism industry and suggest ways to keep it afloat. That report, released recently, made a number of substantive recommendations<\/a>, including taxes on Google and Facebook.<\/p>\n

But we need to think beyond surviving, and start thriving.<\/p>\n

Always the underdog, it might be hard to imagine Canada assuming America\u2019s traditional role as the dominant media power. But it\u2019s less difficult to envision a Canadian, a Scot or a Singaporean all visiting CBC.com, TheGlobeandMail.com or TheStar.com for reliable reporting and innovative storytelling techniques.<\/p>\n

Now is the time to make our media as integral to Canada\u2019s global reputation as poutine and peacekeeping.<\/p>\n

This article is part of the special feature\u00a0The Future of Canadian Journalism<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photo:\u00a0Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to reporters while flying from Antalya, Turkey to Manila, Philippines on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, to attend the APEC Summit. The Canadian Press\/Sean Kilpatrick<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Do you have something to say about the article you just read? Be part of the\u00a0<\/em>Policy Options\u00a0discussion, and send in your own submission.\u00a0Here is a\u00a0<\/em>link<\/em><\/a>\u00a0on how to do it.\u00a0<\/em>|\u00a0Souhaitez-vous r\u00e9agir \u00e0 cet article ?\u00a0<\/em>Joignez-vous aux d\u00e9bats d\u2019<\/em>Options politiques\u00a0et soumettez-nous votre texte en suivant ces\u00a0<\/em>directives<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By now, the contentious relationship between news media and America\u2019s 45th president is well-established. At his first news conference since November\u2019s election, Donald Trump berated a CNN reporter and unfairly accused the network of airing \u201cfake news.\u201d On his first full day as president, Trump called journalists \u201camong the most dishonest human beings on Earth,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":252577,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-08-30T05:50:08Z","apple_news_api_id":"fe2c15bc-cbc9-4c18-9536-0cd4d8cf109c","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-08-30T05:50:08Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A_iwVvMvJTBiVNgzU2M8QnA","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[9385,9358,9357,9372],"tags":[9187,8413],"article-status":[],"irpp-category":[4295,4251],"section":[],"irpp-tag":[7136],"class_list":["post-264767","issues","type-issues","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medias-et-culture","category-politique","category-politiques-sociales","category-recent-stories-fr","tag-desinformation","tag-journalism-fr","irpp-category-politique","irpp-category-politique-sociale","irpp-tag-medias-et-culture"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nCanada as a global leader in journalism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/02\/canada-as-a-global-leader-in-journalism\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Canada as a global leader in journalism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By now, the contentious relationship between news media and America\u2019s 45th president is well-established. 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