Good for you and an accurate assessment. All but a tiny fraction of the industry has, covered in grease, signed on to this grubby mugging. It's quite disgraceful. The weird thing is that they seem to think that if they just spike the op-eds opposed to C-18 and either ignore the issue entirely in their reporting or make sure no one approaches Geist et al for interviews, no one will know. But people know. And we've already seen coverage distorted and stories spiked. The money won't be enough to make them whole - just enough to keep them alive and needy and make innovation unnecessary. I hold to the prayer that those of you who value a truly Free Press will eventually triumph.
Excellent piece. As with others here no risk of losing me as a subscriber, however I did feel a pang of guilt about not being more forward with encouraging others to subscribe - I will endeavour to do better
Jen: You & Matt don't have to worry about losing this subscriber! Most recognize that word of mouth is the best advertising you can get - and I do that regularly for The Line. Jim
The signs of legacy media collapse are in plain view for everyone to see. Big Tech and C18 might make the balance sheets green for a time, but the big issue for readers is the huge swing away from objectivity in reporting. In many cases (hi CBC!), the news outlets are inserting themselves into the narrative instead of reporting to Canadians what is happening on the ground. I don’t want reporters shaping the story with their lived experiences. I want the facts.
One of the best pieces of journalism I have read recently was Terry Glavins beautiful, balanced story in last weeks NP. The topic: How did the media get the “Unmarked Graves” story so wrong last year? The story is a flicker of the past that reminds us that good journalism is a treasure, but it is also a reminder that media outlets are slipping badly in quality control and objectivity to report on all facets of a story. Herd mentality and poor reporting is going to doom the legacy media.
Kudos for an absolute classic paragraph. " Meanwhile, the legacy media they have managed is little more than a zombie in nun's drag. It is in a state of terminal decline, and keeping it alive poisons the earth for the generations to come after. "
Jen, I have praised your work and that of Matt so many times but I must do so again. Bravo.
Of course, in this case, it is serendipity that your reasoning mirrors my own - well, kind of. The "kind of" is that I came to my opposition to the legislation with only a few of the facts that you enumerate. Those few facts were absolutely adequate for me to determine that I did not at all approve of the bill. You have provided me with ever so much more ammunition that buttresses my previous opinion.
Now, having said all of that, sometimes I disagree with you but your writing (and Matt's, as well) is sufficiently clear and informative that you (a collective you, to be sure) - sometimes - cause me to change my mind. Sometimes.
In the 2019 election a Liberal candidate had the misfortune to knock on my door. I started giving him shit about the Mark Norman affair. He had never heard about it. Was completely unfamiliar with the story. And this illustrates the problem nicely. So many people have decided to get their "news" from social media because it's "free" and comes in small bites. No thinking required. No cost. That has killed legacy media and is a major impediment to new start ups like the Line. Information is out there and it's fairly easy to access. But you can't force people to be engaged. So yes, C-18 sucks and so does social media. And the current situation. But I don't really see how to fix it.
Wow...When you get on your soapbox, magic happens. This is an utterly brilliant read....maybe emotion is part of what is missing from journalism. I get the need to report facts is critical, but there is so much pure humanity in this. I loved it.
Jun 3, 2022·edited Jun 3, 2022Liked by Line Editor
Are you saying that I don't get to claim The Line or The Hub subscriptions on my taxes for the digital media credit? (sarcasm - there really needs to be a font for that) That's OK. I can't claim my NY Times subscription either, so consider yourself on par with that news publication.
I like this article. It seems real and that’s why I subscribed, even though my views may be different. You’ve aligned yourself with the population that’s looking for honesty, and a population that’s had it’s more than fair share of hardships over the last two years and longer. I need to research ever thing I read now,because my trust in media and leadership of any kind is gone. The line has peaked my interested! I thank you for that.
I regularly disagree with many of the opinions that The Line produces, But (and this is a big But) The Line produces true and honest discourse. I believe Jen and Matt endeavour to bring their subscribers the straight goods. No BS. No white washed propaganda. That’s really all that every Canadian wants. Unfortunately, most Canadians are apathetic to the information gruel they are fed every evening by MSM.
I am an Albertan Separatist. Alberta and the Albertan way of life cannot survive in a Canada of today, IMO. If the goal is to mirror the cesspools of TO or Van (Edmonton and Calgary are fast doing so) then I want nothing to do with it. In the end, I search for sources of clean, honest information. The Line delivers that. So keep up the good work Jen and Matt and I’ll continue to send you, my credit card number.
I love newpapers but I am endlessly disappointed in what they've become. There is little of the reporting that you note requires funding. While they cry that their business model is broken, they don't bother to change their operations. The advent of Craig's List & Kijiji should have given them a wake-up call but they continued to do the same old thing while decreasing their expenses (i.e. reporters & reporting). While claiming that they have accurate, fact-checked content (and I believe they do), they have reduced that content so significantly that fewer and fewer people bother with them. They dug their own grave.
Jen Gerson: Burn C-18 or fix it
A magnificent rant today, and well worth the price of my subscription.
Articles like this are why I subscribe. While I don't agree with all your stuff, this I do. The so called legacy media seems less and less about news.
You are in great form today Jen. Keep up the good work!
Good for you and an accurate assessment. All but a tiny fraction of the industry has, covered in grease, signed on to this grubby mugging. It's quite disgraceful. The weird thing is that they seem to think that if they just spike the op-eds opposed to C-18 and either ignore the issue entirely in their reporting or make sure no one approaches Geist et al for interviews, no one will know. But people know. And we've already seen coverage distorted and stories spiked. The money won't be enough to make them whole - just enough to keep them alive and needy and make innovation unnecessary. I hold to the prayer that those of you who value a truly Free Press will eventually triumph.
Excellent piece. As with others here no risk of losing me as a subscriber, however I did feel a pang of guilt about not being more forward with encouraging others to subscribe - I will endeavour to do better
Jen: You & Matt don't have to worry about losing this subscriber! Most recognize that word of mouth is the best advertising you can get - and I do that regularly for The Line. Jim
The signs of legacy media collapse are in plain view for everyone to see. Big Tech and C18 might make the balance sheets green for a time, but the big issue for readers is the huge swing away from objectivity in reporting. In many cases (hi CBC!), the news outlets are inserting themselves into the narrative instead of reporting to Canadians what is happening on the ground. I don’t want reporters shaping the story with their lived experiences. I want the facts.
One of the best pieces of journalism I have read recently was Terry Glavins beautiful, balanced story in last weeks NP. The topic: How did the media get the “Unmarked Graves” story so wrong last year? The story is a flicker of the past that reminds us that good journalism is a treasure, but it is also a reminder that media outlets are slipping badly in quality control and objectivity to report on all facets of a story. Herd mentality and poor reporting is going to doom the legacy media.
Kudos for an absolute classic paragraph. " Meanwhile, the legacy media they have managed is little more than a zombie in nun's drag. It is in a state of terminal decline, and keeping it alive poisons the earth for the generations to come after. "
Jen, I have praised your work and that of Matt so many times but I must do so again. Bravo.
Of course, in this case, it is serendipity that your reasoning mirrors my own - well, kind of. The "kind of" is that I came to my opposition to the legislation with only a few of the facts that you enumerate. Those few facts were absolutely adequate for me to determine that I did not at all approve of the bill. You have provided me with ever so much more ammunition that buttresses my previous opinion.
Now, having said all of that, sometimes I disagree with you but your writing (and Matt's, as well) is sufficiently clear and informative that you (a collective you, to be sure) - sometimes - cause me to change my mind. Sometimes.
Again, good work.
In the 2019 election a Liberal candidate had the misfortune to knock on my door. I started giving him shit about the Mark Norman affair. He had never heard about it. Was completely unfamiliar with the story. And this illustrates the problem nicely. So many people have decided to get their "news" from social media because it's "free" and comes in small bites. No thinking required. No cost. That has killed legacy media and is a major impediment to new start ups like the Line. Information is out there and it's fairly easy to access. But you can't force people to be engaged. So yes, C-18 sucks and so does social media. And the current situation. But I don't really see how to fix it.
Wow...When you get on your soapbox, magic happens. This is an utterly brilliant read....maybe emotion is part of what is missing from journalism. I get the need to report facts is critical, but there is so much pure humanity in this. I loved it.
Are you saying that I don't get to claim The Line or The Hub subscriptions on my taxes for the digital media credit? (sarcasm - there really needs to be a font for that) That's OK. I can't claim my NY Times subscription either, so consider yourself on par with that news publication.
I like this article. It seems real and that’s why I subscribed, even though my views may be different. You’ve aligned yourself with the population that’s looking for honesty, and a population that’s had it’s more than fair share of hardships over the last two years and longer. I need to research ever thing I read now,because my trust in media and leadership of any kind is gone. The line has peaked my interested! I thank you for that.
I wish you the best of luck with The Line. Anybody willing to spend time and brain cells on reporting news to other Canadians sings with the angels.
I regularly disagree with many of the opinions that The Line produces, But (and this is a big But) The Line produces true and honest discourse. I believe Jen and Matt endeavour to bring their subscribers the straight goods. No BS. No white washed propaganda. That’s really all that every Canadian wants. Unfortunately, most Canadians are apathetic to the information gruel they are fed every evening by MSM.
I am an Albertan Separatist. Alberta and the Albertan way of life cannot survive in a Canada of today, IMO. If the goal is to mirror the cesspools of TO or Van (Edmonton and Calgary are fast doing so) then I want nothing to do with it. In the end, I search for sources of clean, honest information. The Line delivers that. So keep up the good work Jen and Matt and I’ll continue to send you, my credit card number.
I love newpapers but I am endlessly disappointed in what they've become. There is little of the reporting that you note requires funding. While they cry that their business model is broken, they don't bother to change their operations. The advent of Craig's List & Kijiji should have given them a wake-up call but they continued to do the same old thing while decreasing their expenses (i.e. reporters & reporting). While claiming that they have accurate, fact-checked content (and I believe they do), they have reduced that content so significantly that fewer and fewer people bother with them. They dug their own grave.