More Canadians now encounter news and cultural content through a small number of dominant digital platforms. While this has changed how information circulates, it also raises questions about visibility, accountability, and who ultimately shapes what audiences see.
From a policy perspective, platform design, algorithms, and business incentives increasingly influence how Canadian journalism is distributed and discovered. That has implications for news sustainability, public broadcasting, and democratic discourse.
Curious how others here see this shift.
What policy levers, if any, should Canada be considering to ensure access to Canadian news in a platform-dominated environment?
Start by ensuring Canadian news is Canadian news and not American or crypto-American Canadian owned and edited.
There are precious few traditional news outlets I read, and those I do are all accessible here for engagement with the topic and discussion.
I’d say we should open more business models and tax write-offs for legit news producers with majority Canadian ownership. I’d be ecstatic if there were disincentives for media concentration and foreign ownership.
But generally I’d prefer that the government avoid picking winners. The whole news subsidy thing feels like a bad idea: direct funding of legacy outlets creates a perception of bias, even if it’s unjustified.
I think providing some money and support to Canadian platforms like those on thesocialweb.ca would help public conversation, free from corporate pressure. Also sign e-6879 if you are concerned about foreign influence in our media.
