“So hopefully these funds will help newsrooms do that and it’s not just some kind of a crutch that kind of just prolongs something for another year.”
Taylor said he doesn’t believe the government should subsidize newsrooms in the long-term, but the funding could give publications a critical boost to innovate and figure out new ways to generate revenue.
“I don’t think it’s buying the media. We’ll have to wait and see what kind of stories are produced. But I think this is something that is worth experimenting with to see how it goes and then after a year do a content analysis to see what kinds of stories were produced.”
Newspapers in difficult position
Executive director of the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association, Steve Nixon told paNOW that his members were split on whether the government should subsidize journalism.
“I wish we didn’t need to do things like this. I would prefer that the government stayed out of the journalism business just for the fear of maybe influence or public perception of influence,” he said.
The advent of the Internet disrupted the entire media industry. But newspapers in particular have faced dwindling ad revenues and decreased readership in the decades since news began to move online.
“For me it would be easier if the government didn’t remove public notice advertising from newspapers. Then they wouldn’t have to do things like this,” Nixon said.
Broadcasters say subsidies unfair
Meanwhile, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) says the way the government is distributing its media subsidies is unfair.
Private broadcasters, including Jim Pattison Broadcast Group, of which paNOW is part of were excluded from applying for funding to hire reporters under the Local Journalism Initiative.
“There is no policy rational for the government making a distinction between print and broadcast journalism,” CAB Board of Directors Chair Lenore Gibson told paNOW.
“For us they both provide local news and should be supported in an equal manner.”
Gibson said she believes the federal government was alarmed by the over 200 newspapers that have closed in Canada in the last decade. However she says radio and television stations have been facing the same pressures but cut costs to avoid having to shut down.
“So by the CAB members choosing to have restraint, watch their spending and not closing our stations, we’re sort of in fact being penalized,” she said.
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On Twitter: @alisandstrom
