Federal research commissioned by the Privy Council found Canadians care less about propping up failing legacy media and more about the cost of housing. The research, the details of which were obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, was conducted September 7, weeks before the Trudeau Liberals on November 21 doubled payouts to legacy media with a $129 million increase to a maximum $29,750 per employee.The study was contracted to the Strategic Counsel at a cost of $814,741.Researchers found participants when “asked whether they felt that protecting and supporting the Canadian news industry should be a priority for the federal government, few agreed,” according to their report, Continuous Qualitative Data Collection Of Canadians’ Views. “Only a small number believed the news industry in general should be a top priority,” wrote researchers, noting Canadians now have access to a multitude of options for news sources and the legacy media is no longer a concern for them. “It was generally felt most Canadians had access to a wide range of news sources on a variety of platforms and there were currently more pressing issues for the federal government to focus on such as housing affordability and the cost of living,” the report states. Respondents were indifferent when told many news outlets had cut jobs or become insolvent, said the report. “Asked to what extent this decline in the number of Canadian news outlets was concerning to them, only a small number indicated being worried about this issue,” wrote researchers.“While a few expressed concerns that the decrease in news outlets could lead to less legitimate sources being available to Canadians, most believed this did not represent a problem,” researcher wrote. The report said the typical Canadian spends about 30 minutes to an hour each day following current events, mainly on television, the internet and radio and generally had a low opinion of Canadian newsrooms, it said.“Asked to share their impressions regarding how news media had changed over the last decade a large number believed news had become more opinion-oriented and sensationalized in recent years,” said the report. “It was thought that almost every outlet now appeared to have its own perspective and as such it could be difficult at times to determine what the truth of a story was.”The Privy Council also polled public support for Bill C-18 the Online News Act passed by Parliament last June 22. The Act was intended to compel online platforms such as Facebook and Google to pay publishers a portion of advertising revenue generated by links to stories.“Participants were mixed in their reactions,” said the report. Opponents warned it “may have the unintended consequence of reducing the amount of news available to Canadians.”
