corporate_media

Corporate media concentration is out of control. It’s high time to support rabble after 15 years of free, daily, progressive news coverage. Make a donation now.

We’re fighting the good fight. But rabble is one of just a handful of independent media outlets in Canada. There are far too few of us and far too many issues to deal with. Our overly concentrated corporate media channels spew right-wing conjecture endlessly and we need to take the fight to the next level. Just these last few weeks we’ve had our work cut out for us. But we’ve rolled up our sleeves and put our dukes up.

Our writers and editors worked tirelessly to respond to the abysmal and often racist coverage of the recent Black Lives Matter Toronto pride parade action. We’ve also covered the reckless behaviour of Canada Post Corporation management as they attempt to lockout workers. But at the heart of this is a growing problem that we don’t often get to talk about. The corporate media problem.

Canada’s traditional media outlets continue to decline, sink further in debt and come up with more and more ways to cut staff and editorial resources. Meanwhile, their CEOs cut new deals with investors, shareholders and advertisers.

What’s been lost already are the core elements of journalism that are needed to hold power to account. There’s no better example than the way big news outlets have scaled back their political coverage. We now have fewer journalists covering politics on a full-time basis than ever before.

Press galleries everywhere are shrinking. Where numbers are stagnant, they should be growing. In Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Manitoba, political news coverage has stayed relatively the same. But in Nova Scotia, only six reporters now cover their legislature — a 40 per cent decline from 10 years ago.

There are now 17 per cent fewer journalists in the Quebec press gallery than in 2013. At its height, over 50 journalists were full-time members of the Ontario press gallery — now there are under 20. In Alberta, thanks to the Postmedia newsroom mergers, there are fewer press gallery members. And here‘s a petition you can sign to reinstate the one CBC reporter who used to cover politics full time in Saskatchewan. Right now, there are none.

The situation is beyond abysmal and it’s no small wonder why Canada’s media outlets are so overtly right wing and, when considering the figures above, why they so often act as stenographers for the powerful.

If any of this concerns you, you should donate as much as you can to independent media. Think of it as a voluntary subscription.

The fact is while corporate media outlets can weather financial tumult by selling their souls, we can’t. We’re proud of that. Instead we’re running our fundraiser celebrating our 15th anniversary and we’re asking for your help.

Our budget is too small to take on the editorial tasks we need to put more pressure on government and unravel more of Canada’s growing social problems. For 15 years, we’ve provided completely free, daily coverage of the issues and events that matter to you. All we need are 150 new supporters right now to step up and donate to keep us online.

If we don’t succeed we don’t stay online. So donate now.

Our donors receive the 15th anniversary edition of the best of rabble and as a bonus, if you donate $15/month or more, we’ll give you either Michael Moore’s new documentary Where to Invade Next or Lawrence Hill’s The Illegal.