Well, the scope of the cuts was unexpected. More than 2,000 journalists, editors and administrative employees at Canada’s top media houses will be out of a job by the end of the year.
June 2022 marked the beginning of the dark ages for journalism in Canada.
The government adopted Bill C-18 this year, upsetting major social media companies. It’s a bill some say threatens the very fundamentals of journalism as social media platforms block news. Others say the social media companies were delivering news without proper compensation.
The announcement made by Meta makes online news a thing of the past for Canadian consumers who access news on Facebook and Instagram. Google is planning to follow suit.
On Emancipation Day, Meta announced on its website their full ban on news and news related in Canada, Meta said: “These changes will be implemented for all people accessing Facebook and Instagram in Canada.”
Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. (BCE Inc.) is left picking up the pieces after it laid off 1,300 people following what it considers poor financials.
Bell executive vice-president and chief legal and regulatory officer Robert Malcolmson told The Canadian Press that the company’s media branch “can’t afford” to continue operating with its various brands.
CTV National News, BNN, and CP24 were among the list of brands placed on the chopping block for employee revision.
Bell is not the only outlet reporting layoffs. Community-newspaper giant, Metroland, a corporate family member of the Toronto Star, laid off 605 of their employees this month, saying it’s because of the decline of print and flyer distribution in part caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Metroland said in subsequent interviews that an online presence would be more sufficient at this time as it moves all its publications online. The company has sought legal protection under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.
With the rise of artificial intelligence and new social media platforms, journalism stands between the mercy of a Great White Whark and a paddle boat. It seems it has only a 50/50 chance of surviving.
Just this week, another company announced its closure after 18 years of being on the air. ET Canada will be no more.
Several staff members of ET Canada took to social media to share their memories as they said their final goodbyes to fans and viewers. Indeed this is a great loss to daily entertainment.
In a LinkedIn post, Mike Cosentino president and executive producer of CosMedia recounts his time at ET Canada and how the program will be missed. Cosentino was the president of content and programming at Bell Media.
Consequently, shrinking newsrooms is causing an uproar among members of the media fraternity. The Canadian Association of Journalists said the layoffs will hurt Canadians.
“The increasing state of precarious employment sweeping across the Canadian journalism industry is an issue that will lead to devastating social impacts,” it said.
Indeed, we are seeing a trickling down caused by these trends, threatening the future of journalism.
Humber College suspended the intake of students for its Journalism Bachelors program for fall 2023 because of the dwindling number of admissions.
Mohawk College in Hamilton has also recently stopped new admissions to its journalism program, citing low enrolment and graduation numbers over the past two years.
Students having to find their internships in a shrinking market may quash the dreams of those who hope to become great journalists.
There is a greater potential danger. Fewer journalists means less interaction with communities and weaker oversight over the institutions that govern us. It acts similar to a muzzle of those who highlight and report on issues that affect the rights of people.