Erosion of Local News Weakening Community Bonds and Civic Engagement Across Canada
A chilling new report from the Public Policy Forum think-tank reveals the devastating impact of dwindling local news outlets on small towns across Canada. The study, titled “The Lost Estate: How to put the local back in local news," paints a bleak picture of a vital pillar of democracy crumbling, leading to increased alienation, distrust, and a weakened understanding of local governance. The decline, fueled by plummeting advertising revenues, corporate ownership models, and the dominance of online platforms, has left many communities grappling with an information vacuum. This void, often filled by divisive national news or the unreliable echo chamber of social media, exacerbates cynicism and hinders informed civic participation.
The report’s findings, based on an Ipsos poll of over 1,000 Canadians residing in communities with populations under 100,000, underscore the critical role local news plays in a healthy democracy. A resounding 87% of respondents affirmed the importance of local news to democratic processes. Furthermore, 61% agreed that less local news directly translates to decreased knowledge about local government, schools, and hospitals, while 58% linked it to diminished community ties. These alarming statistics underscore the urgent need to revitalize local journalism to bolster community engagement and civic understanding.
The decline in local news outlets is startlingly evident. Research from Toronto Metropolitan University reveals a net loss of 252 local news sources since 2008, despite the emergence of new digital startups. In the past two years alone, 24 outlets have vanished from Canadian communities. This erosion of local news sources leaves residents with fewer avenues to stay informed about critical local issues, impacting their ability to hold local institutions accountable and participate effectively in community decision-making processes.
However, amidst the gloom, glimmers of hope persist. The report highlights a burgeoning ecosystem of digital startups, such as Village Media, which has expanded to over two dozen online properties across Ontario with a mission to "save local news." These innovative ventures offer a potential path forward, demonstrating the viability of digital platforms for local news delivery. However, the report emphasizes the crucial need for diverse funding sources to ensure the sustainability of both existing and emerging local news initiatives.
The report’s authors, including Andrew Phillips, Edward Greenspon, and Alison Uncles, propose a multi-pronged approach to address the crisis. They advocate for tax incentives to encourage local businesses to support local media through advertising, alongside philanthropic contributions from local foundations and individual readers. They also propose a non-profit organization to fund reporters in local newsrooms for three-year terms, expanding the reach and impact of local journalism. Further recommendations include directing a portion of government advertising budgets towards local media and encouraging community and private foundations to support local news organizations, aligning their investments with broader goals of promoting community health and democratic engagement.
The authors stress that the decline of local news creates a dangerous vacuum, often filled by national news, which can be more divisive, or by social media, where misinformation thrives. This erosion of trust in credible news sources poses a significant threat to informed public discourse and democratic participation. Phillips emphasizes the importance of local news as an antidote to cynicism, providing a vital link between communities and their local institutions. The challenge, he notes, is to provide adequate support for existing and emerging local news organizations to ensure their survival and growth. He calls for collective action, urging readers to consume and support local news, recognizing their crucial role in sustaining this vital community resource. The poll’s results carry a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.5 percentage points, highlighting the representativeness of the findings and the urgency of addressing this critical issue for Canadian communities.