How social media news ban is keeping voters in the dark
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National Post
10 hours ago
- National Post
Lisa Sygutek: Canadians have the power to fight back against Big Tech
Recently, I was a panellist at the Canadian Association of Journalists conference in Calgary. The session was titled, 'Local Journalism in the Age of Cutbacks.' A great headline, sure, but that's not why I was there. I was there to talk about our $8-billion class-action lawsuit against digital advertising giants Google and Facebook. Article content Alongside Sotos LLP, I launched a national class-action lawsuit in 2022. I'm the representative plaintiff in a case filed in the Federal Court of Canada on behalf of all Canadian newspaper publishers, big and small, independent and chain owned. We allege that Google and Facebook have engaged in anti-competitive practices in digital advertising and siphoned billions in ad revenue from Canadian journalism. Article content Article content If we really want to talk about cutbacks, then let's talk about what's causing them. The bleed of advertising dollars away from Canadian newsrooms and straight into the pockets of two unregulated tech giants is the reason we are all hurting. We can't stop the drain without getting to the root of the problem. That's what this lawsuit is about. Article content Article content Our case is one of the first of its kind in the world. Countries like Australia, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have also picked up the cause, some with their own legal action, others with groundbreaking legislation forcing Big Tech to pay for journalism. Article content On that panel in Calgary, I listened to a lot of 'woe is me.' Stories of shrinking newsrooms. Struggles to retain talent. Frustrations over government ad policy. It was the same old tune. The media in this country has become far too comfortable living with a victim mentality. Well, I am nobody's victim. I'm a fighter. And it's time our industry remembered how to fight, too. What I didn't hear on that stage was resolve. What I didn't hear was fire. We've become so used to decline that we've forgotten how to push back and stand tall. Article content Article content We forgot that newspapers aren't just businesses. We're institutions. We are the watchdogs. The check and balance. The public record. And somewhere along the way, we let Silicon Valley billionaires convince us we didn't matter anymore. Article content Article content Well, I haven't forgotten. And I haven't given up.
Winnipeg Free Press
13 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
A simple strategy for investing in Canadian media
Opinion Manitoba's November 2024 speech from the throne noted, 'One of our society's most important freedoms is freedom of the press. It holds the powerful to account, including government. In an age of so much misinformation and polarization, we can't afford to let journalism disappear. At the same time, we can't allow this issue to become politicized. So, we are establishing an all-party committee to explore the future of local journalism including rural and cultural media such as Filipino, Punjabi and Chinese-language publications.' Those were very welcome words to news publishers from across Canada, especially in light of U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated attacks on Canada's economy and sovereignty, which have changed the nature of our bilateral relationship. For generations — all the way back to the founding of the Halifax Gazette in 1752 — government advertising had been an important source of revenue for news businesses. In recent years, this has waned considerably. For example, the federal government reports that during fiscal year 2022 to 2023, it spent more than $86 million on advertising. Of that, less than $1 million went to all the print publications in the country combined. Where did the money go? Largely to American tech giants like Google, Facebook/Instagram, Snapchat, Apple and X. One of the most effective ways to sustain independent Canadian journalism would be for governments — federal, provincial, and municipal to set aside a minimum of 25 per cent of their advertising spend for trusted Canadian news brands. This is working in other jurisdictions and across the political spectrum. A year ago, Ontario's Progressive Conservative premier, Doug Ford, directed that 25 per cent of his government's advertising spending would be set aside for news publications. This made an immediate and meaningful difference to many news titles. Five years ago, former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, mandated that city agencies allocate at least 50 per cent of their print and digital advertising to community and ethnic media. According to the Center for Community Media at the City University of New York, 'The impact of this policy cannot be overstated: In its first five years, it injected more than (US)$72 million into the local community media sector. This helped critical information reach New Yorkers who rely on community media as their primary source of news, and added an important source of revenue for these outlets.' The not-for-profit Rebuild Local News found that advertising set-asides, done right, have the following benefits: ● They can provide substantial revenue to local news organizations and help community journalism thrive; ● It is money the government is already spending — not new money — so it does not require enlarging state or local budgets or raising taxes; ● Government messages can reach a full range of residents, including those who may not be using larger media; ● As advertising, it is payment for a service rendered, not a subsidy per se; ● And, advertising in community news helps government be more effective by reaching audiences through community and ethnic publications that are more trusted in their communities. According to a recent study conducted by Cossette Media, Vox Pop Labs and the Google News Initiative, advertising in trustworthy environments led to a 25 per cent lift in brand rating. News publishers in aggregate are seen as 35 per cent above the baseline level of trust across information environments. Local news publishers see an additional 16 per cent gain in perceived trustworthiness among local audiences, so newspapers are a highly effective way for the government to reach Manitobans, especially the 43 per cent of Manitobans who live in rural communities. Moreover, a provincial set-aside would help preserve local journalism jobs and keep local and community newspapers open. The fact-based, fact-checked journalism produced in Manitoba keeps communities connected and residents informed, so they can effectively participate in democratic processes. It would also send an important signal to private sector advertisers about keeping ad dollars in Manitoba, rather than sending them to Big Tech behemoths in California, whose algorithms amplify misinformation and disinformation. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. On June 19, Sen. Andrew Cardozo asked a question in the Senate: 'Could the government review its advertising program and make sure we spend the majority, that is over 50 per cent — News Media Canada is suggesting 25 per cent, I'm suggesting the majority — of its advertising dollars in Canada on Canadian news media?' We look forward to participating in Manitoba's all-party committee, chaired by Robert Loiselle, MLA for St. Boniface. Loiselle has noted, 'It's never too early to look at supporting the free press here in Manitoba and whether it be paper, radio, online media. We just want to see if there's a way to support papers across Manitoba (in the) different ways we share information with Manitobans and in communities as well.' We couldn't agree more. Manitoba should seize the opportunity and show the rest of Canada what 'Elbows Up' really looks like. Paul Deegan is the president and chief executive officer of News Media Canada.
Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Vancouver Sun
Nenshi's former aides see an eerily similar story in New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani
OTTAWA — Two architects of Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi's surprise victory in the 2010 Calgary mayor's race say they're feeling déjà vu after seeing another thirty-something Shia Muslim — with family ties to East Africa and Gujarat, India — upend the politics of a major North American city. Stephen Carter, now president of Decide Campaigns , says he sees shades of his old boss in 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani, who rode an outsider campaign to victory in last week's New York City Democratic mayoral primary . 'The similarities are hard to miss,' said Carter. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Carter said that, on top of the biographical similarities, Mamdani followed Nenshi's playbook of using digital tools to build a strong personal brand that transcends party labels. 'I won't pretend to be an expert on the inner workings of the Mamdani campaign but one thing I can say … is that the brand construction … was spectacularly implemented,' said Carter. Fifteen years ago, Carter helped then 38-year-old Nenshi leverage newfangled social media platforms Facebook, YouTube and Twitter (now X) to launch a similarly powerful digital brand. Nenshi's then novel grassroots digital campaign helped him become the first Muslim mayor of a major North American city. Carter says that the digital landscape has changed in the past 15 years but the fundamentals of building a political brand haven't. 'Of all the things we talked about back in 2010, I think the strongest thing was actually the development of brand politics,' said Carter. 'Both parties and individual politicians have brands. And one thing we really thought hard about was where does the (candidate's) brand lie?' With Carter at the helm, the Nenshi campaign poured significant resources into brand building . For instance, candidate Nenshi frequently donned the colour purple — a mixture of Liberal red and Conservative blue — to put himself above partisan politics. Nenshi has held onto his purple personal branding since making the jump to provincial politics last year, despite admitting on a recent podcast appearance that purple doesn't coordinate especially well with the Alberta NDP's traditional orange. Carter said Mamdani first crossed his radar a few weeks ago, when his social media algorithms started to feed him short videos, known online as 'reels,' promoting the upstart mayoral candidate. 'When you're starting to see (reels) from a New York municipal election in Calgary, it grabs your attention. I'll tell you that,' said Carter. And while today's young adults have migrated from Facebook and X to newer platforms like the China-owned TikTok, Carter says that the big picture remains pretty much the same. 'This is another one of those moments in time where a campaign comes along and captures the zeitgeist in a bottle,' said Carter. Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, ran on an unabashedly far-left platform, promising New Yorkers a rent freeze, free buses and child care, a $30 dollar minimum wage and city-run grocery stores . He's also aligned himself closely with the 'free Palestine' movement , a cause that roiled college campuses in New York City and beyond last year. This audacious platform, wrapped in a hip, telegenic package, propelled Mamdani past establishment rival Andrew Cuomo, formerly the governor of New York State. Exit polling shows that 18-29 year olds voted in the highest numbers in last week's Democratic mayoral primary, after being one of the lowest voting demographics four years ago. Mamdani will likely be the frontrunner in November's general election, as the Democratic nominee in a city where Democrats dominate municipal politics. Chima Nkemdirim, Nenshi's longtime best friend and ex-chief of staff, stressed the ideological differences between Nenshi and Mamdani. 'The politics are a bit different. Actually, quite a bit different,' said Nkemdirim. Nkemdirim noted that then university instructor Nenshi positioned himself as a forward-looking pragmatist to Calgarians, touting his business background and textbook knowledge of city planning. Nenshi also differed stylistically from Mamdani, swapping out the latter's simple slogans for a more detailed 'politics in full sentences.' Nkemdirim nevertheless sees a few similarities in how each candidate rose from obscurity by keeping an ear to the ground. 'I think the biggest similarity is that you've got two politicians that are really listening to what people want and telling them that they can get it,' said Nkemdirim. 'When you go back to 2010, study after study indicated that people wanted … a city where it was easy to walk around, where things were affordable, where you could ditch your car if you wanted to … and no politician was running on that,' remembers Nkemdirim. 'And when Naheed (Nenshi) ran, he said, well why can't we do all that stuff?' Nkemdirim said that Nenshi's revolutionary idea of figuring out what sort of city Calgarians wanted, and then telling them how to get there, helped him go from two per cent name recognition 60 days out to an eight-point victory on election night. 'I think that's similar to what's happening in New York. (Mamdani) is talking deeply about this issue of affordability … and saying, maybe we can do something about that.' Nkemdirim admits that his friend Nenshi has yet to capture the same magic since entering provincial politics but says that listening is a skill that applies equally well in his new arena. He notes that Premier Danielle Smith's recent convening of the Alberta Next panel , a panel focused on narrowly appealing topics like the Alberta Pension Plan and creation of a provincial police force, gives Nenshi an opening to set up a genuine listening post. 'I think you'll see that from Naheed over the summer. People want to talk about the issues that actually matter, as opposed to the manufactured ones the UCP is putting forward to them,' said Nkemdirim. Nenshi won last week's Edmonton Strathcona byelection in a landslide but still trails Smith in popularity . He declined a request to be interviewed for this article. National Post Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
