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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

By APRIL LINDGREN, JAIGRIS HODSON & JON CORBETT

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 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.