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Canada  

Buying media loyalty?

After promising millions to prop up Canada's failing legacy media, the union representing the majority of journalists at the nation's largest news outlets appears to have placed itself firmly in the pocket of the federal Liberals.

Flying in the face of journalistic objectivity, Unifor has declared itself the unofficial resistance to Andrew Scheer and his Conservative party.

The federal government unveiled a $595-million package this fall, to be handed out over five years to help Canada’s media sector. It includes measures to facilitate fundraising by non-profit news organizations and tax breaks to fund the production of original content.

It's no secret the digital revolution has hammered print and broadcast media, with dozens of operations closing the doors in recent years. But, as Ali Taghva reports for The Post Millennial, Unifor's pronouncement treads new ground in the relationship between government and journalists.

"We will #StopScheerStupidity! @AndrewScheer," Unifor national president Jerry Dias tweeted on Nov. 14, declaring the union “Andrew’s worst nightmare.”

"For years, many have argued that Canada’s mainstream press maintain a centre-left bias. This post only goes to further that sentiment in a dangerous way," Taghva contends.

Journalists are pushing back against Dias' partisan pronouncement, however.

“I am a member of this union as a condition of my employment, and I cannot stress enough how stupid an idea this is for a union that represents journalists," said David Akin.

The union represents about 13,000 journalists across the country, a number that has been shrinking as more outlets cut back or close their doors.

The promise of political support threatens press freedom and democracy, says John Feldsted, a political consultant and strategist in Winnipeg.

"If we cannot turn to the media for unbiased reporting on government and political affairs, press freedom is dead, and democracy, in terms of people armed to make an informed voting decision, is over," he says.

 



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