Radio Canada: News coverage shrinkage called a crisis in Canada

Many different approaches to support journalism, locally and beyond, have emerged in recent years in the wake of the sharp decline of traditional industry players. Public policy will play a crucial role in shaping the rules for ownership innovation and protected space for Canadian journalism.

In our study of 20 small and mid-sized Canadian communities, the number and depth of newspaper articles about civic affairs declined sharply between 2008 and 2017, leaving citizens less informed about their democratic institutions.

The Public Policy Forum is pleased that the production of independent, original journalism for Canadians will be supported by new measures announced in the government’s fall economic statement.

"The Canadian journalism industry may be able to learn a thing or two from the Saskatchewan Roughriders, according to a new report," reads the CBC News article about the PPF report What the Saskatchewan Roughriders Can Teach Canadian Journalism. "The report is one of two released on Tuesday by the Public Policy Forum. The other adds to concerns about the decline of the industry and says the number of articles published in newspapers across 20 small and mid-sized Canadian communities declined by 50 per cent between 2008 and 2017." Accompanying the article was a radio interview with PPF's CEO Edward Greenspon.

Local news across Canada has been cut in half in the last decade, writes Terry Pedwell of The Canadian Press. In this Globe & Mail article, he highlights a new PPF report “Mind The Gaps — Quantifying The Decline of News Coverage in Canada” which looks specifically at the decline in civic reporting of civic institutions like city hall, police stations and courts.

Internet giants like Facebook and Google should play a direct role in investing in “trusted local journalism” and Canadian culture, Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly said