Spring 2007CMNS 1300 Democracy’s Oxygen The Media and Canadian Politics

Spring 2007CMNS 1301 Objectives Map the Political Press in Canada Contrast ideal and reality of theory of press freedom Identify at least three principal outcomes from concentration of ownership

Spring 2007CMNS 1302 Structure of the Political Press in Canada Source: The Senate of Canada, Interim Report on the Canadian News Media April 2004, Chaired by the Honourable Joan Fraser ( Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications)

Spring 2007CMNS 1303 Theory of the Press in Canada Classical Liberal/libertarian view: Fraser Institute, old Alliance wing of the Conservative Party –Argues for radical freedom of expression –No difference between freedom of press and freedom of expression –Property rights of press synonymous with freedom of expression –Thus, do not restrain “marketplace of press anymore than you restrain marketplace of ideas” –A thorough rejection of any propaganda model

Spring 2007CMNS 1304 Theory of the Press in Canada Cont’d Social Responsibility View –Origins with the CBC/radio –Argued by two major Royal Commissions –Assumed in the professional standards adopted by the news profession: eg. htmhttp:// htm –But: low awareness, only 2 public editors( news ombudsmen in Canada) –Reactive, under funded

Spring 2007CMNS 1305 Background 37years since the Davey Commission: the Uncertain Mirror (1970) 23 years since Kent: Royal Commission on Newspapers ( 1981) 2004 ( April) Interim Report on the Canadian News Media: Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications, chaired by the Honourable Joan Fraser

Spring 2007CMNS 1306 Changes Professional training of journalists –More formal education –More standards to comply with –Technological change –Proliferation of electronic news sources –Drive for growth and consolidation

Spring 2007CMNS 1307 Statistical Snapshot Daily Newspapers –Circulation about 5 million daily –About one in two read one every day ( General Social Survey 98) –Now about 100 papers nation wide –Big Five Dailies( share as at 2003) CanWest ( 13) 28.5% Quebecor (15) 21% Torstar(5) 13.8 % Gesca(na) 9.2% Osprey (22) 9.2% Bell GlobeMedia (1) 6.4% –Note: this replaces estimates CC234.

Spring 2007CMNS 1308 Snapshot cont’d Top 3 control 63% of circulation. Top 5 …79% About 1000 community papers –Much less highly concentrated: top 8 control 39% of circulation TV: –According to Statistics Canada, one quarter of all viewing is of news and public affairs. –Viewing share: 19.2 % for Bell/CTV/Globemedia –CanWest:14.7% CHUM 7.6%CBC 15.2%

Spring 2007CMNS 1309 TV News Summary Newsworld, RDIm Newnet, LCN CNN, CNBC, CNN headline News TV%, BBC World Application from Al Jazeera/Fox News for direct importation on satellite and cable channels in Canada In English share, CNN gets 1.7% and Newsworld 1.1% ( with bumps for major events) Most watched: supper hour news, where CTV or Global dominate local markets

Spring 2007CMNS TV News cont’d Of Canadian broadcasters, 50% of spending on Canadian broadcasters is on news. Total news spending in 2002 was $654 million ( Broadcasting Policy Monitoring Report) –$230 million by CBC alone Would expect at least that again by print media Major wires: CP and Broadcast News –CanWest uses own wire –Wire Coverage Provides one third to one half of average paper content

Spring 2007CMNS Internet: 16.8 million users 27% view the news, or 29% access government information directly Media Metrix says the following sites most frequent: –1. Msnbc.com –2. Cbc.ca –3. Cnn.com –( bbc ranks 8th.) –Foreign ownership: 25% in print, 20% direct and 33% indirect in TV –Of the 12 largest firms, only BCE widely held –Very profitable: margins 20% or more, lower in TV than print

Spring 2007CMNS Urban Landscape Most competitive market: Toronto 5 dailies 2 alternative weeklies Many third language papers, 3 TV all news 3 all news radio Internet Least competitive: Vancouver

Spring 2007CMNS Profile of Journalists Montreal: 150 journalists on TV Plus 351 for print Vancouver employment highest for community papers 113 work for 25( 5 p per weekly) On TV: CBC has 15, CTV 22, Global 13 nationwide. Sun employs 96, Province 70 Many more print journalists

Spring 2007CMNS Ethics & Diversity of Coverage Differing interpretations of the Charter Differing interpretations on balance CanWest’s drive for a national editorial policy: resignations of editors ( Russell Mills)( Stephen Kimber) –A firing of an editor for publishing an editorial critical of then Prime Minister Chretien: Shawinigate –Tried to impose a national editorial policy 3 times a week: partial retreat –Caught instructing insertion of the word “terrorist” for Fallujah insurgents ( CC:254) and protested by the National Council on Arab relations

Spring 2007CMNS Reality Collides with the Ideal Press freedom presupposes free, fair and equal competition But the market does not allow that: instead, it promotes concentration of ownership –Oligopoly: control of a view –Monopoly: control of one What oligopoly can do: –Raise the threat of direct owner censorship of editorial content –Diminish freedom of individual journalists –Prioritize cost cutting/shareholder value –Reduce local coverage and substitute chain coverage –Lead to a decline in public service values ( CC: 252)

Spring 2007CMNS Major Media Issues Relaxing restrictions on Foreign Ownership Avoiding forced sale or significant regulation of competition Linguistic Solitudes: french, english and third language media? Loss of journalistic specialization/training

Spring 2007CMNS Pending Mergers BellGlobeMedia ( CTV) takeover of CHUM Canwest/Goldman Sachs takeover of Alliance/Atlantis and over 14 Specialty Channels eg. History

Spring 2007CMNS Other Proposals before Senate National public newspaper Professional designation for journalists like doctors National ombudsperson( more consistency among provincial press councils) Arms length monitoring( like Pew Foundation or Canadian Media Research Consortium) Need for study of impacts of concentration

Spring 2007CMNS POSSIBLE IMPACTS OF CONCENTRATION OF OWNERSHIP Costcutting after acquisitions? –Closure of CITY news after proposed buy out by Bell Globemedia –Closure of high cost bureaus: eg. Foreign News Current breakdown: CanWest: 2, CTV 9, Globe 7, La Presse 3, Torstar 6 CBC 12 ( Final Report on the Canadian Newsmedia, Report of the Standing Committee on Transport and Communication, June 2006). Decline of voter Turnout? –Loss of local news bureaus in Ottawa in 3 communities leads to larger decline ( Christopher Waddell, ibid. 11)

Spring 2007CMNS Experience in Other Countries France restricts ownership and control of press UK limits concentration indexes US and Germany limit cross ownership

Spring 2007CMNS Recommendations Revise Competition Act Require Self Identification: declaration of controlling shareholder CRTC put a priority on news and information programming

Spring 2007CMNS THE DEMOCRATIC IDEAL IN CANADA Fletcher and Everett –Media define a national political discourse –Allow Canadians to defines themselves as members of an “imagined community” –Set the Agenda for public debate –May even influence the values, attitudes and beliefs of Canadians Strong hypothesis: a kind of ‘hyperdermic needle’ model of propaganda cultivation A weak hypothesis: tell us what to think about, not what to think Certainly: important enough in Canada that we regulate the summit of political discourse: election speech ( see next week)