NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ont. — Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre doesn't believe outlets that serve the nation’s “news deserts” deserve financial help to continue giving Canadians the important and accurate information that affects the areas they work and live.
The man who hopes to be the next prime minister of Canada said the Local Journalism Initiative, which provides rural and small community news outlets with funding to hire reporters to cover specific areas outside the reach or interest of large media organizations, is nothing more than a sounding board for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s liberal government.
“It is terrible … how local journalism has done under nine years of Trudeau,” he told The Lake Report in an interview last Thursday after speaking to a Conservative-friendly crowd at a NOTL food co-operative.
“He’s tried to take it over and basically wants everyone to work for the government so that he can have regurgitated propaganda paid for by taxpayers.”
News deserts — areas that have little or no regular news coverage — have grown enormously over the past 15 years as scores of newspapers have closed.
Launched in 2019, the Local Journalism Initiative gives grants to independent publishers, such as Village Media.
Those organizations then hire reporters to cover specific areas, such as agriculture or civic government. Those reporters have no connection to the federal government nor does the government tell the publishers what stories should be covered.
Publications pick and choose what news items to cover without the threat of reprisal from any form of government.
LJI reporters, for example, often tackle issues that do not align with the federal Liberals' agenda and messaging.
Poilievre claimed the program threatens free speech and when asked what he would do with it if elected prime minister, he did not directly answer.
“I am looking into it. But more important than that, the question is how do we bring back free speech," he said.
"The answer is journalists getting eyeballs so they can sell subscriptions and advertising, get sponsorships and do what media have done for, I don’t know, 3,000 years.”
“How has the media funded itself for 3,000 years?” he asked. “Subscriptions, advertising, sponsorships. That’s how it has worked for 3,000 years.”
Today's journalists have to contend with the internet, where stories are often shared by people not trained in journalism and whose ethical standards or motivations may be suspect. Their work is often distributed free via social media and digital platforms.
This practice, combined with online giants like Google and Meta sharing legitimate news items on their platforms without compensating publications for the content, has deeply dug into news organizations’ bottom lines.
Poilieve seemed fine with letting what is often illegitimate news be the source of information for Canadians.
“Media and journalism is stronger than ever today because we have the internet, which allows for more voices to reach Canadians and that competition is positive," he said.
"We can’t have the government try to shut down the competition just to favour those who favour the political viewpoint of Justin Trudeau.”
The Lake Report / Local Journalism Initiative
