Media Updates

Final Report on the Canadian News Media (2006)

By Paul Attalah
November 9, 2006

In June 2006, the Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications issued its Final Report on the Canadian News Media, or the “Fraser Report”. Originally chaired by Senator Joan Fraser, the Committee began its work in March 2003 when CanWest Global acquired the Southam newspaper chain from Conrad Black. It took as its mandate “to identify ways in which federal public policy could be rethought to foster healthy, independent news media for the 21st century” and, over 3 years, heard from more than 300 witnesses representing media outlets, trade unions, interest groups, associations, and individuals. The Final Report contains 40 recommendations and 10 suggestions.

The Fraser Report marks the third official investigation into Canadian mass media. In 1970, the Special Senate Committee on Mass Media (the Davey Report) rendered its findings and, in 1981, the Royal Commission on Newspapers (the Kent Commission) also delivered a series of recommendations.

The findings of all three reports are highly consistent. All express anguish over the pace of technological change which disrupts established patterns of news gathering and dissemination. All point to concentration of ownership and the potential resultant narrowing of opinion as dangers to democratic life. All hope for a renewal of journalistic quality and integrity.

Some of the Fraser Report’s most notable recommendations are:

(a) that future “mergers of news gathering organizations” be subject to automatic review under the Competition Act whenever “certain thresholds are reached”;

(b) that the Broadcasting Act be amended “to give a clear priority to news and information programming within the Canadian broadcasting system.”;

(c) that CBC television ‘get back to basics’ by abandoning advertising and by focusing “its efforts on providing a range of services that do not inappropriately duplicate those of the private sector. In particular, the CBC should leave coverage of professional sports and the Olympics to the private sector.”

In addition, some of the Fraser Report’s ‘suggestions’ include:

(a) that news media establish Public Editor positions;

(b) the press and media councils continue to be created and supported;

(c) that news gathering organizations develop statements of principle;

(d) that secondary schools develop courses in media literacy.

The Report was generally poorly received by the media and has achieved little resonance with the public. A danger which lies in wait for all such reports, and which was well illustrated by the Davey Report and the Kent Commission, is that the very pace of technological change and the unpredictability of audience behaviour quickly make their recommendations irrelevant.