One third of journalism jobs has disappeared since 2010, with 470 local news operations closing across the country.
This shrinkage in the media industry has left many Canadians without access to local news and has caused job losses. It seems this trend is not reversing either, as the COVID-19 pandemic led to further reductions and job losses, with over 2 thousand five hundred positions disappearing.
The government’s response to hire 342 journalists, whose wages were entirely subsidized by a 50 million Dollars local journalism initiative, has been only a temporary solution. Trust in government and mainstream media is at an all-time low, with a recent Public Health Agency of Canada study revealing that less than one-third of Canadians have “high trust” in these institutions. As a result, more Canadians are turning to alternative news sources.
