Majority of Canadians Oppose Government Funding of Newsrooms, Media Outlets: Poll

Newspaper front pages are displayed at the Newseum in Washington on July 10, 2017. (Carolyn Kaster/The Canadian Press, AP)

The majority of Canadians oppose government funding of media organizations and newsrooms, and most want the consolidation of news outlets discouraged in order to maintain healthy competition in the industry, according to a new Angus Reid survey.

A July 13 news release from the polling company says that two possible solutions to declining newsroom revenues, a reduced workforce of journalists, and fewer readers have been rejected by Canadian poll respondents.

“A majority (59 percent) oppose the government funding of private newsrooms, believing it ‘compromises journalistic independence,’” Angus Reid said.

A similar proportion of those polled (57 percent) say the consolidation of media—such as the recently considered merger between Torstar and Postmedia that has since collapsed—should be discouraged “so there is more competition in news coverage in Canada.”

The survey asked a number of questions. Although the government funding of private newsrooms is an unpopular concept among Canadians, half (47 percent) of those polled disagreed with the federal government completely defunding CBC.

Only one-third (36 percent) of respondents said they wanted to see CBC’s funding cut off entirely. That number is much higher (72 percent) among past Conservative Party voters.

Very few Canadians were in favour of the now-failed merger proposed between the two media giants, Torstar, which operates the Toronto Star, and Postmedia, which operates the National Post and papers across the country. Less than one out of five, or 17 percent, said they were in favour of the merger, while 43 percent were opposed and 40 percent were uncertain.

The majority of older Canadians polled still rely on television for their news. Three-quarters, or 74 percent, of those polled over the age of 54 said they turn on the TV daily to watch the news. Only 26 percent of those aged 18 to 34 said the same. The 18 to 34 age group is most likely (93 percent) to rely on the Internet for their news.

The majority of Canadians want media outlets to stay competitive by avoiding consolidation.

“Large organizations including Rogers, Bell, Corus, and Quebecor Inc., own a vast network of websites, radio stations, and papers in Canada which tends to improve prospects for advertisers, but increase challenges for high-quality local journalism,” Angus Reid suggested.

Of the Canadians surveyed, 57 percent want consolidation discouraged. Only 20 percent say that mergers are needed to keep newspapers in operation. The survey found that less than one-in-six (15 percent) Canadians indicated they currently pay for an online news subscription, Angus Reid said.

The federal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in 2018 an almost $600-million support package for media outlets, which included financial assistance for print magazines, non-daily newspapers, digital periodicals, and tax credits on wages paid to newsroom employees and for Canadians who subscribe to digital news.

“The government also passed Bill C-18 in an attempt to push the ‘Big Tech’ companies to compensate Canadian news companies for their content linked on sites such as Google News and Facebook,” Angus Reid said.

The platforms responded by announcing they will block Canadian news content when the law is officially enacted.

The Angus Reid Institute conducted the online survey for the latest data from July 4–6, among a representative randomized sample of 1,610 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum.