The Ford Conservatives announced last week that various ministries will be mandated to ensure 25% of provincial ad spending is directed towards local news outlets.
This act signals a return to common sense that has long been absent. Without revenue, news sources will go silent. If spending money on advertising, why not use companies that employ Canadians?
We have mentioned this slight over the years. As memory serves it was the Harper and Wynne years when departments walked away from local media. Agencies tasked with reaching the public on behalf of the government gladly sold other products and services to enrich themselves with little regard for damage within the news ecosystem.
As odd as it sounds, media training has been so poor as of late that when propositioned with missing out on local media, an agency buyer noted they had chosen a billboard to pitch an Ontario government message in a market out east.
To be fair, not every community is served by a dedicated, wholesome newspaper of record, but left to this mentality there will be far fewer.
Some years back, after a meet and greet with MPPs from across the province, we were filled in by a former house speaker on what actually happened. In an attempt to be hip and “with it” for the sake of younger voters, the province dove into marketing to that category.
For clarity, not one MPP from any of the three major parties at that time denied the need to support local news organizations, nor the effectiveness of community newspapers. It just never became a priority.
Full credit is due to the Ford government for taking action and righting a wrong. In hindsight, the decision was never that tough, but for whatever reason, it never happened. No one had the gumption to correct it.
A similar call will now ring out to other organizations who really should participate in ensuring solid journalism doesn’t become an entirely subsidized racket, always cap in hand for its future.
The federal government needs to adopt a similar stance that it will support the newspaper and news sites that employ Canadians.
Municipalities – of which we harbour few complaints locally – need to continue supporting local journalism with advertising when they can. Statutory obligations, as in notices and such, are staples in this publication – most often paid for by proposal applicants.
Community events, help wanted and support for non-profit initiatives are categories that not only inform residents but ensure transparency for taxpayers.
We hope this concept catches on with Canadians and advertisers interested in ensuring journalistic organizations have the capacity to serve this essential public good.
