Someone from Ontario once told me that the people there are heavily influenced by what the media tell them. Another person, also from Ontario, who scans the English newspapers across Canada on a regular basis, claims some of the best editorials he finds are in the Halifax Chronicle Herald (as a subscriber that is hard to believe). <br /> <br /> Those of us who do not live in Toronto or Ottawa or any of the other larger Ontario centers tend to find the so-called "national" media does not reflect our views but reflects the neo-liberal/neo-conservative pro-business elitest perspective. <br /> <br /> I have some questions: Does the media reflect the views of the people in these cities? Does it direct their views? Does it only reflect the views of a specific clientele that pays for advertising?<br /> <br /> I know that those here tend to be "active" thinkers but maybe they can comment on the culture around them.<br /> <br /> <br />

   

Does the media reflect the views of the peopel in those cities? No but....<br /> <br /> Does it direct those views? Yes, hugely. In Calgary you have two right wing newspapers that only say the most positive things about Klien and the state of the Alberta economy. They would never write anything about our high prices for food and health service nor the large numbers of working poor in this province. The result is that the residents honestly think they live in Eden, where prices are lower than anywhere else and the citizens are very well looked after. TV stations are owned by the same people and they tow the same line<br /> <br /> Does it only reflect the views of a specific clientele that pays for advertising? yes and no, there main clientele, those that tell it what to say is the klien power boys.

   

You will never change the editorial policy of a media conglomerate. Why try? To my mind only idiots read newspapers anymore-you get far better coverage on the internet. Stop giving them money (at least just read it online-you can usually find passwords, or at the library) and support some of the fine journalists working online.

   

I am not aware that there is a "newspaper" in Canada.<br /> Have not read one in years.All propaganda sheets.Sometime ago I got a telly call for a subscription to the Calgary Herald.I said" no too much junk".The response"this isn1t the National Enquirer you know".<br /> Maybe not,but damn close.<br /> Just don`t understand why people buy them.Idiots?<br /> As for Alberta being an eden,well the police here in Calgary just finished going through the parks........<br /> chasing the homeless out.Hahahahahahahahah!Oil money...rich..get it? <img align=absmiddle src='images/smilies/twisted.gif' alt='Twisted Evil'> <img align=absmiddle src='images/smilies/wink.gif' alt='Wink'> <img align=absmiddle src='images/smilies/eek.gif' alt='Eek!'>

   

HAHA - I SO agree - there is no real "newspaper" in this country...<br /> <br /> I had a subscription to the Edmonton Sun a few years ago before I moved. It was a waste of time reading that paper. You wanna talk about a violation of Civil Liberties?? Try getting it cancelled?? At some point on the phone I wanted to say "Dude - you make 7 bucks an hour - why do you care why I don't want your paper!!" He finally accepted my cancellation ("Are you sure?" he says "May I ask why you are not interested? Can I convince you otherwise?" NO!) - I shut my curtains and turned off my lights and waited for the newspaper moffia to show up at my house. They would tie me to the kitchen table and threaten me with papercuts from the Entertainment section until I read their editorials... araghhh!! Help me!!<br /> <br /> Okay - that's my comedy relief for today... thanks - and I am here all week...

   

Don't wish to turn this into cheap politics but how can Canada aspire to be a nation if it does not have a have a credible national newspaper??? The answer is in the internet New Media I would hope. Thanks to Vive for some fresh air.

   

I agree with the Internet Media comment... perfect example is the publication ban at the sponsorship scandal - You can't read about it in our newspapers - but you can go to some American website to read all about it...<br /> <br />

   

[QUOTE BY= lis2005] perfect example is the publication ban at the sponsorship scandal - You can't read about it in our newspapers - but you can go to some American website to read all about it...<br /> [/QUOTE]<br /> <br /> Well, that's not a good example. Publication bans are there to ensure a person't right to a fair trial, and are not permanent. Bad reporting and outright lies are with us forever.<br />

   

The sad thing is, speaking as a writer, that if you want to write about issues from a more leftist/progressive perspective, ie anything that doesn't reflect well on the CEOs and the multinationals, there's almost no money/career in it. It would be great to be Linda McQuaig but notice how few of us ever get to be (and I doubt she's rich), partly IMHO because there is so little room for difference of opinion when all the media is owned by the same handful of companies. The Walrus has been trying to be Harper's for Canada and good on them, but most of the places you can publish something say, critical of Klein and co etc barely pay. eg Canadian Dimension, Straight Goods, This magazine, alties like Vue and FFWD in Alberta. AlbertaViews is much better but still nothing like you can get paid writing "business" material. Freelancing gives you more choice, but fewer benefits (ie no regular paycheque), and if you work as a staffer for a paper, good luck getting everything you write printed unless you often tow the company line and avoid "liberal bias".<br /> <br /> New media like Vive and the Dominion are certainly trying hard to present a variety of views, but we can't or barely pay writers as well, meaning really you're not getting the type of journalism you would if we could pay people's expenses and pay well for their stories, and get people to do investigative journalism. The Dominion aspires to do that some day by starting off online first; Vive I think will likely remain more blog. <br /> <br /> Now I'm not personally knocking what we ourselves are doing, because it has a place and thanks for believing in it, but it's still different than having a truly diverse and great national newspaper with truly diverse and great journalists. To get that, I think we need to address all the problems of media concentration and foreign ownership.

   

[QUOTE BY= sthompson] ...To get that, I think we need to address all the problems of media concentration and foreign ownership.[/QUOTE]<br /> <br /> Call me a gaulcon, but I think there is a market for viewpoints that challenge the status-quo, even in Canada. And this more than ever. Ask Michael Moore (at least for the US). This market in Canada is obviously in its early stage (i.e. pay crumbs) and many people are trying to figure out how to sell content. Nobody has really cracked this nut yet. <br /> <br /> I am always so sceptical about bringing in regulations, specially for the media (if you have ever dealt with the CRTC); the medicine often makes the matter worse IMHO. There has to be a way to work within the system. And in order to cheer you up, English Canada (and Quebec francos) do have substantial subscriber "markets" potentials. FHQs don't.