Apparently “fact checking” is no longer an inherently objective process — and to no one’s surprise, if you aren’t willing to work with the government, you may find yourself in financially risky waters..The Canadian Press (CP), a news agency functioning as an election campaign fact-checker, received almost $1.7 million from the federal government over the past year according to records obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter..On August 17, the agency launched a feature called Truth Test meant to gauge the integrity of candidates. CP said in a statement the Truth Test is a project of theirs that examines the “accuracy of statements made by politicians.”.“Each claim is researched and analyzed to provide Canadians with facts instead of spin,” the statement read. The same August 17 article said a statement made by NDP leader Jagmeet Singh “is certainly not true.”.Truth Test said on August 24 Opposition leader Erin O’Toole “dodged repeatedly” when asked questions. Again on August 24, Truth Test drew attention to a misstatement made by the Prime Minister but did not reference Justin Trudeau himself..Since the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, CP has received $1.6 million in “sole-sourced federal contracts for news clippings and another $100,000 in federal grants.” CP president Malcolm Kirk asked in a 2020 letter to the Commons finance committee for even more additional subsidies from the federal government..These subsidies were sought “to fully offset subscription fees paid by CP’s media clients.” The grant Kirk asked for is worth an estimated $2 million per month..Kirk said the subsidies would not only “provide instant relief,” but also keep the company viable. “With flexibility to extend the funding depending on the duration and economic fallout related to the COVID-19 crisis.”.Kirik referenced apparently receiving “numerous calls from clients who worry they will not survive through this crisis to serve their communities and have asked for fee holidays.”.Kirk said CP is “not in a position to defer revenue” while simultaneously maintaining “its staffing levels to ensure the coverage it currently provides.”.If awarded the grants, Kirk said they would provide CP with “badly needed financial breathing room.” Kirk said it would be most “efficient” for the grants to be allotted directly to CP..Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, CP was forced to eliminate 15% of its workforce — according to the Canadian Media Guild. In an earlier email to staff, Kirk lamented that “cash flow is tightening for everyone.”.CP is not a completely independently run company. It is partially owned by the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star. According to accounts, all three media outlets “received federal wage subsidies last year.”.The publisher of the Globe, Phillip Crawley, cited loss of revenue in CP in a submission to the Commons finance committee on May 21, 2020. The submission requested more subsidies to pay Crawley’s own newspaper’s printing costs..Crawley said he signs weekly bills for approximately a million dollars in printing. “If the government was to step in and say, ‘We’re going to help with your printing costs,’ every newspaper in the country could benefit.”.The Globe is forecasted to drop 32% in print advertising revenue, “that’s many millions of dollars of high-margin revenue, and we won’t be the biggest victims in Canada,” said Crawley..Crawley did not reveal whether CP was operating at a net loss. “We’ve been cutting costs over the last few months to minimize layoffs and I have suggested schemes to the Department of Canadian Heritage like a rebate on our printing costs.”.The Western Standard does not accept any government bailout money..Jackie Conroy is a reporter for the Western Standard.jconroy@westernstandardonline.com
Apparently “fact checking” is no longer an inherently objective process — and to no one’s surprise, if you aren’t willing to work with the government, you may find yourself in financially risky waters..The Canadian Press (CP), a news agency functioning as an election campaign fact-checker, received almost $1.7 million from the federal government over the past year according to records obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter..On August 17, the agency launched a feature called Truth Test meant to gauge the integrity of candidates. CP said in a statement the Truth Test is a project of theirs that examines the “accuracy of statements made by politicians.”.“Each claim is researched and analyzed to provide Canadians with facts instead of spin,” the statement read. The same August 17 article said a statement made by NDP leader Jagmeet Singh “is certainly not true.”.Truth Test said on August 24 Opposition leader Erin O’Toole “dodged repeatedly” when asked questions. Again on August 24, Truth Test drew attention to a misstatement made by the Prime Minister but did not reference Justin Trudeau himself..Since the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, CP has received $1.6 million in “sole-sourced federal contracts for news clippings and another $100,000 in federal grants.” CP president Malcolm Kirk asked in a 2020 letter to the Commons finance committee for even more additional subsidies from the federal government..These subsidies were sought “to fully offset subscription fees paid by CP’s media clients.” The grant Kirk asked for is worth an estimated $2 million per month..Kirk said the subsidies would not only “provide instant relief,” but also keep the company viable. “With flexibility to extend the funding depending on the duration and economic fallout related to the COVID-19 crisis.”.Kirik referenced apparently receiving “numerous calls from clients who worry they will not survive through this crisis to serve their communities and have asked for fee holidays.”.Kirk said CP is “not in a position to defer revenue” while simultaneously maintaining “its staffing levels to ensure the coverage it currently provides.”.If awarded the grants, Kirk said they would provide CP with “badly needed financial breathing room.” Kirk said it would be most “efficient” for the grants to be allotted directly to CP..Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, CP was forced to eliminate 15% of its workforce — according to the Canadian Media Guild. In an earlier email to staff, Kirk lamented that “cash flow is tightening for everyone.”.CP is not a completely independently run company. It is partially owned by the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star. According to accounts, all three media outlets “received federal wage subsidies last year.”.The publisher of the Globe, Phillip Crawley, cited loss of revenue in CP in a submission to the Commons finance committee on May 21, 2020. The submission requested more subsidies to pay Crawley’s own newspaper’s printing costs..Crawley said he signs weekly bills for approximately a million dollars in printing. “If the government was to step in and say, ‘We’re going to help with your printing costs,’ every newspaper in the country could benefit.”.The Globe is forecasted to drop 32% in print advertising revenue, “that’s many millions of dollars of high-margin revenue, and we won’t be the biggest victims in Canada,” said Crawley..Crawley did not reveal whether CP was operating at a net loss. “We’ve been cutting costs over the last few months to minimize layoffs and I have suggested schemes to the Department of Canadian Heritage like a rebate on our printing costs.”.The Western Standard does not accept any government bailout money..Jackie Conroy is a reporter for the Western Standard.jconroy@westernstandardonline.com
