Thursday March 20, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC
Editorial analysis by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Journalism in Canada is a key component of democracy.
Asking questions of elected leaders and government helps to reveal information to the public that might otherwise not surface or be put in a context that informs with meaning.
Issues of social, economic and public policy can be better understood by the public through responsible journalism, in a way that enables citizens to better participate in their democracy. That is especially true during election campaigns and voting periods whether local, provincial or federal.
There is no shortage of information provided by governments at all levels across all digital platforms and other documentation. Public engagement is offered more than ever before.
But journalists — with the implicit permission of broader society — do something that is embedded in the very word that describes their profession, i.e. they journal. They follow and record and analyze events and political statements as they go along.
Nothing beats the immediacy and reality of news gathering ‘on the ground’, i.e. reporting in person or via remote scrum access and getting photo images in real time.
All governments and major corporations have media communications departments; they anticipate the inquiries that come on behalf of the public’s right to know.
Readers and viewers:
A key component of the journalist’s world is readers and viewers. Without people to read, consume or justifiably act upon the news of the day, there is much less point to the daily, weekly, monthly and year-round work of journalism.
Recording, documenting and archiving of ‘news at it happens’ is a key part of journalism. Not all news is consumed immediately or in the time frame that it first happens. The longer view helps citizens put news of the day into the longer term and overall societal context.
Things that you know as a part of modern history were at first written down or otherwise recorded by journalists. Libraries and historians build upon what journalists produce.
As another federal election cycle soon arrives, the role of journalism will be in the spotlight. The news that comes your way is first in the hands, pens, cameras, recordings and minds of journalists.
Some pushback:
The process of journalism has lately been increasingly challenged by some governments and elected officials. This is spreading to the realm of candidates who are — in many cases — new to the process of public life.
In the past week there have been some unusual incidents that indicate a shift in the relationship between politicians and professional members of media.
Prime Minister Mark Carney in his first week on the job quipped a barb toward a national TV journalist that was a personal attack on her style of questioning. And Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre says that members of the accredited press won’t be allowed to travel on his campaign plane (as they do with other party leadership campaigns).
In light of these two most recent events, Green Party co-Leader Elizabeth May has reaffirmed her party’s “commitment to transparency and freedom of the press”, in particular noting the Conservative Party’s decision to exclude journalists from its election campaign trail.
“The Conservative Party’s long history of obstructing the free press continues,” said May in a news release yesterday. “This pattern of contempt began under Stephen Harper and today it is practised by his protégé, Pierre Poilievre.”
The public will want to hear from their federal Conservative candidates through more than press releases. Without scrums or interviews there is no guarantee of fresh insights.
Tough times for media:
“This has not been a good week for the press,” said Green Party Co-Leader Jonathan Pedneault yesterday. “As a former journalist, I’m appalled. A few days ago, the Prime Minister lectured journalists on how to do their jobs, and now the leader of the Official Opposition won’t let them ride the campaign bus. Canadians must wonder what they’re hiding.”
Accredited press who travel with politicians on election campaign buses and planes pay their own way for the travel. They are there to observe and ask questions. This process requires the resource of larger media enterprises in order to deliver the news that the public often takes for granted.
Political parties should be upholding traditions that promote democratic deliberation, say the Greens. “Providing journalists with access to campaign events, including transportation on campaign planes and buses, is one such crucial tradition.”
OF course, media must do their part to ensure that their questions are intended as part of the process of moving social, economic and political issues forward that are of concern to the public.
Attempting to fully replace media with government or corporate communications and public relations is to disregard the public’s right to inquire.
Gathering photo and video images in the moment is an irreplaceable service to the societal record.
Broader picture:
At a time when authoritarianism is rising globally, restricting media access is a troubling sign.
Controlling the press is a well-documented tactic used by autocratic leaders to weaken democratic institutions. Having a free press is one of the few things that separates democracies from autocracies and dictatorships.
Journalism and the work of media might sometimes look disjointed or all over the map, but in the totality there is information-gathering, archiving and the potential for delivering perspective and context.
Some comments:
Provincial:
- BC Premier David Eby said in February 2024: “In an age of disinformation, people rely on the work of journalists and local news stations for unbiased and balanced information.”
- BC NDP Parliamentary Secretary for Arts and Film, Nina Krieger, told Island Social Trends this week: “In this moment where there is so much misinformation and disinformation and the influence of social media on all segments of society it really underscores the importance of journalism that really is so integral to our democracies.”
- “It’s important to get good information out to people. We need to have unbiased reporting and let people form their own opinions,” said MLA Dana LaJeunesse (Juan de Fuca-Malahat) in October 2024.
Federal:
- “There is still a place for trusted independent media,” said Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, in December 2023.
- “Journalists work tirelessly to report the truth, help hold governments accountable, and provide Canadians with accurate, reliable, and trustworthy information,” said former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on World Press Day in May 2023.
- “We recognize and celebrate the significant work journalists and the media do to create a more free and open society. The press plays an important role in holding those in power accountable, providing information to Canadians and building a more democratic country,” said NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh in May 2023.
- Local MP Alistair MacGregor here on Vancouver Island (Cowichan-Malahat-Langford) points out the importance of local media for regional news coverage. In the House of Commons in 2023, MacGregor highlighted three publications in his riding – two in the Cowichan Valley and one based out of Langford.
By example:
In Canada there are still some good examples of trying to continue a healthy interplay with the professional media. At a time when social media floods the screens and desktops of so many of us, direct access to elected officials by journalists is essential for a continuing free press.
Every federal and provincial department has media officials who may be contacted for information and quotes. Access is the starting point. Professional journalists then work with the information to follow or determine what bigger picture might be happening. The public plays their part — they rely on good journalism and will rankle at the delivery of news that is off-base or incorrect.
The BC provincial government continues to hold press conferences where media may ask questions of ministers on topics that may or may not be related to that day’s formal announcement.
Media questions at news conferences or in spontaneous scrums are not about putting elected officials on the spot (aka ‘gotcha journalism’), but to elicit real-time responses that are more genuine in the sense that for the most part not scripted.
“Democracy cannot function without a free press,” said Green Party Co-Leader Elizabeth May this week. “When political leaders actively avoid scrutiny, it should alarm every Canadian. The Green Party has always been open and accessible to the media, and we will continue to lead by example.”
The Greens say they will continue to “champion a free and unfettered press” including welcoming journalists within the campaign process as part of ensuring that Canadians receive fair and accurate reporting throughout the election. They first took this position in 2008.
In BC, the legislative press gallery worked very hard to have the BC provincial government set up remote-access for journalists across the province through phone or Zoom dial-in and livestream; that proved its worth and then some during the COVID pandemic. Livestreams are available online to the public as well.
The federal NDP recently held a campaign office opening in Victoria where media was invited to observe.
Journalists need publishing platforms:
Beyond this immediate concern of access to elected leaders, Canada faces a systemic problem with its news media delivery landscape.
Without publishing mechanisms (e.g. newspapers, online news, TV and radio broadcasting stations) it’s very difficult (other than through social media) for journalists to have their work distributed.
News publishing is costly and complex. A strong concentration of media ownership has limited the diversity of voices in journalism. Large corporate publishing companies have been seen in recent years to cut back on editorial staff costs in order to help deal with debt or other financial restructuring.
Unlike manufacturing or an office-based service, cutting away seasoned journalists from the news room leaves a void of personnel who carried history, context and experience in their viewfinders. New young journalists have fewer opportunities to truly understand the process of focused information-gathering or how to formulate a story lead, or how to work a list of contacts. This might be taught in journalism school but learning from those with on-the-ground experience has no substitute.
Journalism in the active world can of course come with physical, and psychological danger as well as social isolation, and for those reasons fewer people are choosing the journalism realm for their profession. Many end up in TV news production or government communications. All roles are necessary, but journalism on the front lines has no comparable function anywhere else in the sociopolitical ecosystem.
When local communities or national audiences get to know the voices of the journalists in their regions, that imparts a sense of trust about the information being delivered. New voices should be allowed into the media ecosystem and be allowed time for readership and audiences to know them. That serves the broader purpose of informing the public with credibility, especially in times of emergency or sociopolitical challenge.
Independent commission:
An independent commission to study media concentration in Canada has been proposed by the federal Green Party. The idea would be to compare the conditions of Canadian journalism to that of other western nations, and recommend policies to ensure a more independent, diverse, and robust press — particularly for local news.
This is a bit tricky, as it could be seen as a quasi-government body setting out its view on how Canadian journalism should function.
Similar criticism was delivered to the federal government a few years ago when Bill C-18 – An Act respecting online communications platforms attempted to find some sort of benchmark for validating news outlets and linking that up with how journalism is delivered through Internet search engines. That process has met with some success — including through the creation of the Canadian Journalism Collective — but it has been a clunky process that does not necessarily ensure that all news outlets (print, broadcast, or online) are fully served.
===== RELATED:
- Sociopolitical impacts of social media explored by panel at Royal Roads (March 12, 2025)
- Premier David Eby’s first press conference following thin-margin BC election results (October 23, 2024)
- All school trustees may speak to the media (September 4, 2023)
- Municipalities & businesses can help save journalism by shifting ads from social media (August 11, 2023)
- Role of journalism acknowledged on World Press Freedom Day (May 3, 2023)
- NDP draws attention to challenges of women in journalism (August 25, 2022)
- Journalism in further danger of losing autonomy in Canada (February 20, 2020)
- NEWS SECTIONS: CANADIAN FEDERAL ELECTION 2025 | CANADA-NATIONAL | CANADA-USA
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