This TVO documentary, which cites that latest data from the Local News Map, explores how the loss of timely, verified, independently produced local news creates a vacuum that misinformation and disinformation rush in to fill.
How journalistic roles are performed in Canada is a topic of hot debate, encompassing everything from coverage of Gaza to crime statistics. Such debate is happening in a journalism landscape where cuts just keep coming, newsrooms – particularly local — keep closing, Canadian news is blocked on Meta, journalists are facing increased harassment and accusations of bias…
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being used in journalistic work for everything from transcribing interviews and translating articles to writing and publishing local weather, economic reports and water quality stories. It’s even being used to identify story ideas from the minutes of municipal council meetings in cases where time-strapped reporters don’t have time to do so.
What’s lagging behind…
April Lindgren is committed to researching local news poverty, particularly through a database she maintains, the Local News Map. Press Forward called Lindgren to talk about journalism as a public good, the signs of hope, and how publishers can better connect with the communities they serve.
By NICOLE BLANCHETT, CHARLES H. DAVIS, MARIIA SOZONIUK and SIBO CHEN
When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) and news production, Canadian news consumers want to know when, how and why AI is part of journalistic work. And if they don’t get that transparency, they could lose trust in news organizations.
By ANA SOFÍA HIBON and APRIL LINDGREN
Philanthropic support for journalism in Canada is in its infancy, but evidence to date suggests that even on a modest scale it can propel powerful reporting that makes a difference.
Charitable foundations are increasingly recognizing the democratic value of quality independent journalism, and the link between journalism and the social, economic and environmental issues they care about. Philanthropic support for journalism can create many opportunities for newsrooms. But, for the relationship between philanthropy and journalism to flourish, the two sectors need a shared understanding of their respective fields.
“Funding Journalism: A Guide to Philanthropic Support for Canadian Media” provides practical tools for Canadian media interested in exploring philanthropy as a revenue source.
By APRIL LINDGREN, ANA SOFIA HIBON and SARA KRYNITZKI
A collaboration between academia and non-profits shows how philanthropy can play a role in securing the future of journalism in Canada—and why it should.
By APRIL LINDGREN
A not-so-modest proposal for an annual census of local news outlets and a news poverty index.
It is impossible to randomly choose a Canadian municipality and then find a current list of radio, TV, newspaper and online news outlets that produce local coverage for that community. No such searchable, all-inclusive database exists…
Quality journalism is a pillar of democracy. It provides trustworthy information and holds power to account. Now more than ever, we know that media influences dominant narratives that drive public conversations and policies that affect our lives. At its best, independent journalism can give voice to underrepresented narratives and create a forum where people from diverse backgrounds can engage in informed and constructive dialogue across lines of difference. While journalism’s contributions to a healthy society are widely recognized, funding journalism is still uncharted territory in Canadian philanthropy.
“Funding Journalism: A Guide for Canadian Philanthropy” contains practical information and tools for foundations interested in funding journalism.
By APRIL LINDGREN
There is growing recognition in the philanthropic sector that journalism produced in the public interest is part of the critical infrastructure of communities.
News organizations in this country are increasingly in need of more diverse revenue sources as advertising dollars disappear. Philanthropic support is one of those new revenue sources…
“Philanthropic Support for Journalism: A Canadian Roadmap” is a project of the Local News Research Project (LNRP) that investigates the potential for Canadian foundations and other sources of charitable giving to shore up journalism. In this podcast, the challenges and opportunities associated with philanthropy as a revenue source for news organizations are discussed…
By APRIL LINDGREN, STEPH WECHSLER AND CHRISTINA WONG
What the rise of hate, a surge in government support and a relentless pandemic have meant for media in Canada…
By APRIL LINDGREN & CHRISTINA WONG
Government, industry and philanthropic responses to the decline and disappearance of local news in Canada need to be informed by robust empirical data…
By KRISTEN CUSSEN
LOCAL NEWS DATA HUB
A new collaborative data journalism project launched by students and faculty from the School of Journalism at X (also known as Ryerson) University will generate stories for local newsrooms across Canada and train the next generation of reporters and editors…
By STEPH WECHSLER
We tracked the layoffs, wage cuts, service reductions and closures since last year. Here’s what we know, what we don’t and what could come next…
By TANJA SARIC Long-awaited updates now offer path for news media to issue tax receipts to donors. But the road to philanthropic journalism is paved with Canada Revenue Agency rules, uncertainty about Canadians’ willingness to give…
by APRIL LINDGREN. Originally published on Policy Options. May 27, 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic is revealing much about human nature. One of those revelations is that when it comes to matters of life and death, Canadians turn to trusted traditional news sources for information. A Statistics Canada survey done in early April found that 51…
By STEPH WECHSLER From pay cuts to layoffs, print reductions to closures, thousands across the industry are hit hard by the pandemic More than 100 media outlets in Canada have made cuts in 11 provinces and territories in a six-week period, with nearly 50 community newspapers shuttering. Upwards of 2,000 workers have been laid off.…
By TANJA SARIC A new study launched by the Local News Research Project at Ryerson’s School of Journalism will explore what can be learned from other countries about philanthropic support for news media…
By RUTY KOROTAEV Survey of small-market papers finds workers anxious about ad revenue, stressed about digital competition but still have their readers’ trust…
By APRIL LINDGREN, BRENT JOLLY, CARA SABATINI AND CHRISTINA WONG We undertook this survey to find out about conditions at small-market newspapers in Canada and to explore the sector’s prospects at a time when newspapers in general face major challenges…
By APRIL LINDGREN The Ontario city of Thunder Bay is in the headlines these days for all the wrong reasons. Canada’s highest rates of murder and violent crime. The highest number of hate crimes per capita. Systemic racism embedded in shoddy police investigations. The deaths — many unexplained — of Indigenous students who come to the city for education not available in their remote northern communities…
By APRIL LINDGREN Resignation and outrage colour veteran journalist Mary-Ann Barr’s voice as she reflects on the Red Deer Advocate and its coverage of the recent Alberta provincial election…
Canada has recently entered into a discussion about the use of philanthropy to support public-interest journalism. Underlying this debate is growing concern about the future of news – especially local news organizations, 262 of which have closed in 190 communities since 2008…
By DANIELA OLARIU News organizations have been closing at three times the rate that new ones are being launched. Community newspapers are the most frequently closed news outlets across the country and new online media isn’t making up for the losses of more traditional news media. These are just some of the striking observations that can…
March 26, 2018 By APRIL LINDGREN, Ryerson University Who holds officials accountable when cities like Thunder Bay, Ont., rife with political and racial tensions, have no local reporters? (Shutterstock) There’s $50 million in federal government money on the table in Canada to support local journalism in the country’s under-served communities over the next five…
February 2, 2018 By AMANDA POPE A new online survey is asking Canadian journalists working for newspapers with a print circulation under 50,000 to provide information about how their newsrooms are managing and adapting to the turbulent times.
By APRIL LINDGREN, Ryerson University Canadians often mourn the loss of their local newspaper. But there’s a disconnect, because few Canadians actually pay for a local news subscription. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward) Expressions of shock, concern and loss were widespread recently after Postmedia Network Canada Corp. and Torstar Corp. announced a newspaper swap and…
By APRIL LINDGREN, JAIGRIS HODSON & JON CORBETT
By ISABELLE DOCTO Efforts by the City of Brampton to reach newcomers through ethnic media will be an important test of how municipalities can better communicate with newcomers, particularly those who struggle with English, new research suggests. The study, by Ryerson University journalism professor April Lindgren, examines the evolution of Brampton’s ethnic media strategy over…
The impact of newsroom cutbacks, consolidations and closures will be the focus of a new study examining local news poverty in communities outside of Canada’s major media centres.
By APRIL LINDGREN & CHRISTINA WONG Introduction Concerns about how neighbourhoods are portrayed in the news have surfaced regularly in the Toronto area over the years. But are those concerns valid?
By ROBERT LIWANAG Toronto-area ethnic newspapers tended to cover the Conservatives more extensively than other political parties during the 2011 election, concludes a new study by Ryerson University journalism professor April Lindgren.
By SAHAR FATIMAThe misrepresentation and underrepresentation of racial and ethnic groups isn’t a problem exclusive to mainstream news organizations, concludes a new study that examined the content of ethnic media in the Greater Toronto Area.
By SAHAR FATIMAEthnic media outlets will better serve their communities if they put more emphasis on reporting local news, Ryerson journalism professor April Lindgren suggested during a recent presentation to ethnic media representatives.
By SAHAR FATIMACritics have suggested that scholars seeking to advance journalism studies must adopt a more multidisciplinary approach to research, one that looks beyond the strict confines of sociology, history, language studies, political science or cultural analysis. In this article, April Lindgren and Christina Wong argue that the geography of news coverage is a valuable…
By SAHAR FATIMAResidents of Toronto’s poorest neighbourhoods sometimes accuse the media of only reporting bad news. Is this true? And if it is true, does this matter? A study by the Local News Research Project at Ryerson University’s School of Journalism analyzes the impact of local news coverage on 13 troubled communities where social services…