Over the last decade, more than 200 newspapers have closed in small and mid-sized Canadian communities, as have several radio and television stations. (iStock)

News coverage shrinkage called a crisis in Canada

An independent think tank found that, in the last decade, news coverage has shrunk by almost half in 20 small and mid-sized Canadian communities it studied. Research by Public Policy Forum also found coverage of democratic institutions and civic affairs declined by more than one third.

Carl Neustaedter says that in this age of misinformation, Canadians need trusted sources of news more than ever.

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“Canadians need access to trusted news sources so that they can hold their governments to account, to know what their governments are doing and to engage in civic discourse,” says Carl Neustaedter, director of communications at Public Policy Forum. “This is essential part of what journalism does in a democracy.”

‘Information…is so crucial’

Earlier research showed that more than 200 newspapers closed in small and mid-sized communities in the last 10 years and there have also been closures of local radio and television stations. “In many places people no longer have a trusted source of news,” says Neustaedter.

“We think it’s a crisis because…information in this day and age is so crucial to people making decisions about their lives and their governments. And we live in an age of misinformation now–a lot of pollution on social media and the internet. So, we really think that we need trusted information more than we ever have and it’s starting to fade.”

Canadians in small and mid-sized centres may get information over the internet but may not have access to a local trusted news source, says Neustaedter. (iStock)

Alternative funding models suggested

The aim of the study was to measure the extent of the erosion of reliable news and to make Canadians aware of it. With the exception of the public broadcaster, most news outlets in Canada rely on a for-profit model. As companies move their advertising dollars to the internet, revenues for traditional new organizations have dropped dramatically, threatening their viability.

Neustaedter says policy makers and communities could look at alternative funding that maintains the neutrality of news outlets. As a possible solution, he gives the example of a western Canadian football team which was no longer financially viable and where citizens, businesses and government got together to contribute funding but exerted no control over the team.

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