These are challenging times for news media in Quebec and larger Canada. More and more journalists are leaving the industry and traditional advertising revenues are diminishing, which in turn affects both the quality of news coverage, and media workers’ salaries. The proliferation of mis- and disinformation adds to the complexity.
To gain a deeper understanding of the impact on French-language news, I reached out to Amélie Daoust-Boisvert, a journalist with nearly two decades of experience and an assistant professor in the journalism department at Concordia University in Montreal, and Éric-Pierre Champagne, president of the Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec (FPJQ).
Fewer journalists, poorer information
In her recent opinion piece titled "Regarder le journalisme canadien se noyer" ("Watching Canadian Journalism Drown," in English), published in November in the Montreal daily, Le Devoir, Daoust-Boisvert raised an alarm.
Between 2010 and 2020, Canada witnessed the departure of nearly 23% of its journalists, amounting to approximately 3,500 professionals*, a troubling statistic that the author condemns, pointing fingers even at the governmental level, where no resolution is in sight. She warned of an alarming indifference: "If a quarter of the Canadian justice system's workforce had vanished in a decade, would we remain apathetic? Would we merely propose half-hearted measures barely sufficient to keep the community afloat, if at all?"
The harms of this deteriorating media landscape are echoed in a plea made by Christine St-Pierre, former minister of culture and communications and Radio Canada journalist from 1976 to 2007, in an article published later in November. In her piece, St-Pierre advocated for the convening of “états généraux,” or a general assembly on information and journalism in Quebec as a means to address and rectify the current state of affairs.
Against the worrying backdrop, St-Pierre also identifies an emerging trend of what she calls informational drift. Her investigation into environmental reporting and last summer's forest fires in Quebec and the U.S. revealed lingering uncertainty regarding the direct correlation between climate change and wildfires, particularly evident in media outlets such as the New York Post.
Overall, she lamented, media in North America tends to approach climate change superficially, offering cursory analysis devoid of supporting data: "By sidestepping this cause-and-effect connection, are we not perpetuating a type of misinformation?"
Rapid spread of disinformation
Champagne shared concerns of his own about the lack of data in news coverage in Quebec and North America as a whole. This void is being addressed in part by specialists at national media outlets such as Radio Canada who sift through information, distinguishing between fact and fiction.
Champagne underscored the gravity of the situation, noting that instances of mis- and disinformation are proliferating at a rate six times higher than in 2018, likening the situation to a "many-headed monster." He emphasized the rapid generation and dissemination of false news, highlighting how easily it can be created and spread within minutes. He also stressed the challenge of combating the phenomenon, as readers often may not take the time to verify the false information they come across.
Disinformation presents a persistent issue across generations in Canada. How do young people consume it, and are they more exposed to it online?
Contrary to more pessimistic views, Champagne believes that young individuals have a thirst for knowledge. Although many young people no longer rely on traditional print media, they continue to seek information through alternative formats such as podcasts.
Champagne also expressed optimism regarding the diversity of news consumption habits among young people in Quebec, as they are accustomed to accessing information in a variety of formats and languages, and in both English and French. It’s a trend, he believes, that indicates a shift toward a more diverse ecosystem of information and opinions within the province and Canada as a whole.
More investigation to counterbalance opinion
When addressing the journalists of tomorrow in her classroom, Daoust-Boisvert tries not to discourage them about what lies in store for the future of the media industry. She harbors concerns, however, about the decline of regional news in Canada due to limited resources.
Highlighting the lack of coverage surrounding the disappearance of Indigenous women as a poignant example, she explains how such critical issues often go overlooked by national media outlets. These investigations, asserts Daoust-Boisvert, often only gain traction if prompted by activist involvement. This further underscores the erosion of local media in Canada and the information voids it leaves behind.
The call for increased investigative journalism to deliver high-quality, unbiased information is juxtaposed against the prevalence of opinion-based journalism in Quebec. This form of journalism, supported and promoted across various media platforms including print, radio, television, and the web, tends to be subjective and serves primarily to fill airtime, explained Champagne.
Despite the growing challenges posed by disinformation, Champagne maintains confidence in the quality of journalism within French-speaking North America.
"In the past decade, there has been an unprecedented openness to the world, allowing for significant advancements in investigative reporting, including penetrating multinational corporations. Quebec is producing a substantial amount of content that is catalyzing societal changes,” he said. “One thing is clear: the public demands information, and it is incumbent upon the media to meet this demand both now and in the future. It is essential for the media to effectively deliver accurate information to their audience."
* Based on census data from 2016 and 2021.
Photo by Michael Beener on Unsplash.
This article was originally published on IJNet French and translated by Nourredine Bessadi.
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