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Alternative Media in Canada
The Question of Definition
The question of what makes media alternative has not been adequately answered. Michael Albert, in an article on ZMagazine, has written that primarily, organizations self-identify as alternative.[1] In the same article he suggests, “an alternative media institution (to the extent possible given its circumstances) doesn’t try to maximize profits, doesn’t primarily sell audience to advertisers for revenues (and so seeks broad and non-elite audience), is structured to subvert society’s defining hierarchical social relationships, and is structurally profoundly different from and as independent of other major social institutions, particularly corporations, as it can be. An alternative media institution sees itself as part of a project to establish new ways of organizing media and social activity and it is committed to furthering these as a whole, and not just its own preservation.”[2]
Where Mainstream Media Fails
Mainstream media in Canada fails to adequately portray a diversity of voices, especially for those from a diversity of background. “[W]ithin the discourse of the mainstream media in Canada, visible minorities are seen as ‘others’ and a threat to the social-cultural fabric of the country. The discourses of the Canadian mass media, whether consciously or unwittingly, present a view of the world that serves to stigmatize whole communities of people based on their ethnicity and/or skin colour.’[3]
“The misrepresentation, invisibility, and marginalization of people of colour and First Nationas peoples by the media communicates the message that members of these diverse communities are not full participants in Canadian society.”[4] The mainstream media are helping preserve cultural hegemony.[5]
During senate on the state of Canadian news on January 31, 2005, Deborah Campbell, of the Canadian Association of Journalists said, “Although aboriginal affairs and land claims are the biggest economic and social issue in B.C. across all of the critical resource industries, there is not a single dedicated reporter covering it at the local dailies, nor is there a labour reporter at either paper, … nor is there a dedicated legislature reporter, nor a dedicated fisheries reporter. The Province has no forestry reporter but there are lots of entertainment and sports reporters.”[6]
And while mainstream media are failing to adequately represent minorities, there is an apparent lack of alternative papers with a sufficient voice. A paper in 2003 that discussed racial profiling as a topic in Toronto’s media had a section on oppositional/resistant discourses. Despite findings of a racialized and perversively negative image of black Canadians within mainstream media, nowhere in the article did the authors mention alternative media as a voice in opposition to the dominant narrative. Individuals and associations were mentioned- but none that acted as a media organization, though individual actors within larger mainstream media were mentioned.[7]
Government Oversight
The Canadian government regulates the state of media through the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission. In section 3 of the Canadian Broadcasting Act, it states media organizations should reflect “equal rights, the linguistic duality and multicultural and multiracial nature society and the special place of aboriginal peoples within that society…” [8]
The Alternative Media Map in Canada
Canada does not have any independently owned national newspapers. They do have alternative online papers, both nationally, regionally, and locally.
In terms of representing minorities, Canada has approximately 14 full-time ethnic radio stations and over 250 ethnic newspapers. These ethnic-oriented media are primarily located in large urban areas like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. (p.343)[9] A study in 2006 said the CRTC, Canada’s regulatory body, had licensed five ethnic specialty and pay-television services, and 44 digital specialty services across the country.[10]
Alternative Media’s Importance
A study in 2006 said that an individual or a group of individuals who are from ethnic backgrounds themselves usually establish ethnic media. These organizations “offer an alternative view to the news and commentaries in the mainstream media.” The article also said, “They contribute to a sense of community identity for the people that they serve by meeting the specific information needs of the community.” [11]
Alternative Audiences
Before the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, Professor Will Straw testified, ”For the last several years I have asked members of my post-graduate seminars in communications whether or not they read a daily newspaper, and for the last three years, in classes of 15 to 20 people, none of them said that they did. These are students surrounded by information, immersed within it and committed to the idea of being informed, and they are not against newspapers, but they have not acquired the habit of subscribing to newspapers or buying them on a daily basis.”[12]
Young people aged 18 to 29 now primarily get their news via the Internet, according to a PEW Research Center report.[13] And while the centre is American, general trends are probably indicative of Canada’s youth, considering the country has the highest Internet use in the world.[14] Sixty-five percent of youth now primarily access the news online.[15]
Aboriginal
The Aboriginal People’s Television Network was the first national public television network for indigenous peoples. Estabished in 1999, they say they are the only national broadcaster in the world programmed “by, for and about Aboriginal Peoples.”[16] The site carries a list of Aboriginal media in Canada.
Rabble
Judy Rebick and others started rabble.ca in 2001.[17] The site was begun before the Summit of the Americas protests in Quebec City. The 250,000 visitors monthly, the site produces its own news, opinions, and has a popular podcast network and forum.[18] All of rabble’s content is offered free of charge.[19] When it launched, the site raised $200,000, which included $120,000 from the Atkinson Foundation.[20] Researchers have found that Rabble.ca connects with activists in four ways: “political dialogue, social mobilization, information for progressive action and progressive social change.”[21] The same researchers found that rabble is effective at engaging young activists.[22]
The Tyee
The Tyee began in November of 2003.[23] They write that they are “independent and not owned by any big corporation. We’re dedicated to publishing lively, informative news and views, not dumbed down fluff.”[24] Tyee’s original promise was for “investigative reporting no one else is doing, and fresh viewpoints from all over B.C.”[25] The Tyee has two charitable fellowship funds for independent journalists.[26]
Adbusters Credited for starting the Occupy Wall Street Movement, or at least its starting point, Adbusters has been around since 1989 and is based in Vancouver, BC.[27] They are known for their counter-advertising artistry and anti-consumerism stance. On July 13th, 2011 it was the staff at the magazine that created the #OOCUPYWALLSTREET hashtag on Twitter.[28] Within their latest edition, a poster showed a ballerina dancing on the back of Wall Street’s bull, with simple text relaying the hashtag, the date of September 17th, 2011 and the words “bring tent.” The question at the top of the ‘advertisement’ is, “What is our one demand?”
Adbusters has had problems previously with being unable to voice messages using mainstream media. Adbusters launched a legal challenge in 1995. A second in 2004 was against CBC, CTV, CanWest and CHUM, for refusing to air ant-consumerism commercials - therefore infringing on the staff’s freedom of speech. [29]
“Transcripts of Adbusters' conversations with TV executives are included in the legal filing. In one case, a CHUM representative is quoted as saying the ads “were so blatantly against television and that is our entire core business. . . . You know we can't be selling our airtime and then telling people to turn their TVs off.””[30]
Magazines
Abilities- lifestyle magazine for those living with disabilities
Adbusters
Alberta Views
Alternative Journal- environmental ideas
Canadian Dimension
Columbia Journal
Common Ground
Discourse and Disclosure
Dominion, The
Fightback
Global Aware
Good Girl Magazine
Just Labour
Knoll, The
Horizon
Maisonneve Magazine
Marxist-Leninist Daily
New Socialist Magazine
Our Times- independent labour
Peace Magazine
Prairie Peaks News
Press for Conversion!
The Ram’s Horn
Redwire
The Republic
Shunpiking
Socialist Worker
The Sunday Independent
This Magazine
The Tyee
Women and Environments
Windspeaker
Walrus, The
Television and Video
Boiling Frog
Chernozym Video
iChannel
Independent World Television
GlobalJustice.ca
Real News, The
TVAC
Working TV
Online
Active Voice Online
Alternatives.ca
AltLondon
Autonomy and Solidarity
BC Free Press
BCPolitics.ca
Currents of Awareness
Canadian Spectator
Creative Resistance
Dooney’s Café
Elements
The Filter
FirstPerspective.ca
FomOccupiedPalestine.org
Raise the Hammer
LabourStart: Canada
Montreal Muslim News
NoLogo.org
OneWorld.ca
Pasifikost.ca
PopCan.ca
Rabble.ca
Resist.ca
Salt Spring Island News
Seven Oaks
The Straight Goods
Toronto Whorlpool Magazine
Vive le Canada
Primarily Local
Annex Echo
Catch da Flava
EcoNews
E-Left
PlanetFriendly.net
Flotsam and etsam
Glebe, The
NovaServe
Tidepool.org
References
[edit]- ^ Albert, Michael. "What Makes Alternative Media Alternative". ZMagazine. Retrieved April 1st, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Albert, Michael. "What Makes Alternative Media Alternative". ZMagazine. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
- ^ Ojo, Tokunbo (2006). "Ethnic print media in the multicultural nation of Canada". Sage Publications. 7 (3): 343–361.
- ^ Henry, F (2003). Discourses of Domination: Racial Bias in the Canadian English-Language press. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
- ^ Henry, F (2003). Discourses of Domination: Racial Bias in the Canadian English-Language press. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press.
- ^ Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications. "Final Report on the Canadian News Media". Government of Canada. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
- ^ Henry, F and Tator, C. "Racial Profiling in Toronto: Discourses of Domination, Mediation and Opposition" (PDF). Canadian Race Relations Foundation. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Canada Broadcast Act". Government of Canada.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Ojo, Tokunbo (2006). "Ethnic print media in the multicultural nation of Canada". Sage Publications. 7 (3): 343–361.
- ^ Ojo, Tokunbo (2006). "Ethnic print media in the multicultural nation of Canada". Sage Publications. 7 (3): 343–361.
- ^ Ojo, Tokunbo (2006). "Ethnic print media in the multicultural nation of Canada". Sage Publications. 7 (3): 343–361.
- ^ Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications. "Final Report on the Canadian News Media". Government of Canada. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
- ^ Peters, Meghan. "Internet Surpasses Television as Main News Source for Young Adults [STUDY]". Mashable. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
- ^ Akkad, Omar El. "Canadians' Internet usage nearly double the worldwide average". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
- ^ Peters, Meghan. "Internet Surpasses Television as Main News Source for Young Adults [STUDY]". Mashable. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
- ^ Aboriginal People's Television Network. "About".
- ^ Rempel, Shauna (Aug. 9, 2007). "Fostering political activism; The Internet is now the new launchpad for social mobilization". The Toronto Star.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "About us". Rabble.ca. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ^ "About us". Rabble.ca. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ^ Kuitenbrouwer, Peter (19 April, 2001). "Rabble-rouser: Publisher Judy Rebick's new online magazine offers a forum for leftist thinkers and those descending on Quebec this week". The National Post.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Rempel, Shauna (Aug. 9, 2007). "Fostering political activism; The Internet is now the new launchpad for social mobilization". The Toronto Star.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Rempel, Shauna (Aug. 9, 2007). "Fostering political activism; The Internet is now the new launchpad for social mobilization". The Toronto Star.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Beers, David. "About us". The Tyee. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
- ^ Beers, David. "About us". The Tyee. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
- ^ Beers, David. "About us". The Tyee. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
- ^ Beers, David. "About us". The Tyee. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
- ^ Yardsley, William (28 November 2011). "The Branding Of the Occupy Movement". The New York Times.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Yardsley, William (28 November 2011). "The Branding Of the Occupy Movement". The New York Times.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Friesen, Joe (15 September 2004). "Adbusters sing networks for not airing its TV spots". The Globe and Mail.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Friesen, Joe (15 September 2004). "Adbusters sing networks for not airing its TV spots". The Globe and Mail.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help)