“I think its really disappointing to see a political party attack independent media.”.It was a watershed moment. It was the press conference to end all press conferences: Our prime minister, while criticizing Poilievre for criticizing the CBC, was standing up for independent media. .Would that be all independent media? The Western Standard, too?.“I think its really disappointing to see a political party attack independent media,” he said..The words keep rolling around the cranium; they just don't fit our impression, but there they are..The good people over at Rebel News must have been rolling off their chairs in disbelief. Is this the same man who attacked their news agency — truly “an independent news institution that means a lot to so many Canadians” — and who barred them from election debates? Who publicly stated that he doesn't consider them news media?.Could Rebel News now expect a seat on the Trudeau bus during the next election?.Affirmed now are all the ClydeDoSomethings, the Viva Freis, the GregWycliffe's — all the podcasters sending their views into the airwaves, or donning those pepper spray goggles, their phones and webcam helmets and nap-sacks and foraying deep into the midst of heated protests! The Canadaland, Blacklock's Reporter, and of course the Western Standard! All the up and coming journalists who have no loyalty to advertisers or government!.It must feel great to be affirmed by your PM in the face of gigantic competitors like Quebecor, BCE, Rogers, PostMedia and other “billionaire [media] giants.” (BTW: when will Canadian billionaire giants “pay their fair share?”).But let's approach this day with some caution and sobriety ... as Canadians. You've got an uphill battle, Mr Trudeau. For one, what about all the local CBC affiliates who closed up shop and headed for the hills in March of 2020, right at the start of the pandemic, when taxpayers were in fear and needed local information? When these local stations' broadcasts at 6 and 11 from Charlottetown, to Ottawa, to Regina, to Vancouver, were replaced by CBC NewsNetwork coverage? Our tenacious journalists disappeared when we needed them most! Yes, the majority of these outlets, after widespread protest, were reopened, but it does leave a sour taste, no?.It was a huge time of upheaval, and so many community newspapers like The Labrador Voice, Amherst News, The Western Star were all gutted. Postmedia alone shut 13 community newspapers in Manitoba and Ontario, such as the Napanee Guide and the LaSalle Post..By comparison, at least the CBC seems to have done OK, except for the the 70 positions cut from news, current affairs, and local news at Radio-Canada?.Economic trends don't exactly point in favour of independent media..For independent media proponents like myself, though, I have to ask, what about the problem of cash for hiring real talent? I don't think Derek Fildebrandt or Ezra Levant earn the $400,000 of CBC's top anchors and its CEO. Even the average CBC/Radio-Canada reporter gets $69,600 — 53% above the national average. And still they will tell you the CBC is cash-strapped. That's independent media for you, though..But you've laid down the gauntlet (if not the writ): Independent Day is here: journalists will be hired for their tenacity, curiosity, and disinterestedness and not for their ideological beliefs. They will write stories packed with information, with an array of viewpoints — elite and non-elite alike, so we all can make our own decisions and not have them made for us. Protest coverage, whether it be against drag queen day at the local library, the prime minister, abortion, or COVID masks will be fair and the numbers will not be intentionally fudged..The release of findings on vaccines, coverage of other countries who are banning vaccines, or info on the WEF, the war in Ukraine and the hidden machinations of government involved — it will all find its way freely onto our Canadian news pages, without worry of government censure..Gone will be the tired old lists of go-to Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and other 'experts' supported by, say, big pharma, Soros or China. Our leaders won't receive the questions before live interviews, and those questions will be tough and hard-hitting. News stories will not be cut and pasted from either the Canadian Press or government press releases, and news agencies will never get preferential treatment on either government leaks, government bailouts, government interviews, PM appearance schedules or any host of crumbs thrown from the government table to procure loyalty..And when a news agency gets it wrong, they will apologize, and not just expect the public to forget..What a day that will be, when I don't have to pull up Youtube or Rumble—or Al Jazeera, Barrie Weiss' The Free Press, Substack, the Guardian, or others — for various perspectives, but will enjoy true diversity in my own country!.It's a bold move, standing up for independent media and the freedom of thought it brings, but it fits when a government takes seriously its role to preserve freedom..Does this mean that Bill C-11 is off the table, too?
