“Canadian culture is squarely based on a democratic government which in turn needs diversity of voices to live up to its ideals. Diversity of voices can be achieved through diversity of media outlets, diversity of ownership, including ownership forms, and diversity of media products . . . An increase in the number of owners of media outlets can increase consumer choice, especially if the various owners have different objectives. ….
Many of the proposals suggested by other witnesses in these hearings may provide ways to promote diversity including liberalizing foreign ownership restrictions. In my role as an advocate of competition in Canada, I would encourage the Committee to consider these options. ”
Statement by Gaston Jorré,
Acting Commissioner of Competition
Competition Bureau, Industry Canada
Remarks to the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications Hearing on: the current state of the Canadian media industries; emerging trends and developments in those industries; the media's role, rights, and responsibilities in Canadian society; and, appropriate future policies relating thereto.
[Full text of Jorre's comments]
Journalists, academics, media critics and, now, Industry Canada bureaucrats toss around this notion of “diversity of content” but I wonder what that really means. And I don't mean what it means from an academic or theoretical sense but what it might mean from a public policy sense or from a news consumer sense. In other words: What does the diversity debate mean to news gatherers, publishers, broadcasters, and consumers?
Does diversity simply mean more and if so, more of what? More owners? More journalists? More readers? More viewers? More ads?
Would we have a more diverse media environment if we had ten versions of This Magazine? A Toronto Star-style paper in every city? Five clones of Conrad Black all vying to build their own empire here?
Or maybe diversity means more things but more things that are different than what we already have.
If that's what we mean, do we mean we want more diverse political viewpoints? Do we want, as Jorré seems to suggest, more diverse types of owners, that is, some traditional press baron types a la Conrad Black or corporate ownership, a la BCE Inc. where no single shareholder holds a controlling stake? Do we want diversity in the nationality or residency of our owners? (It's always struck me as odd that those in Canada who appeal for more diversity are often dead set against improving the diversity of the nationality of those who would own media assets.)
Do we need more public sector and not-for-profit owners? If federal and provincial governments can run news operations, why not municipal governments or school boards or the local hydro utility for that matter? (I'm not being facetious here: In some smaller Cdn municipalities, local hydro utilities, run by independently elected boards, have plenty of cash and would certainly have some of the basic infrastructure and the cash to be local radio or TV broadcasters.)
Are we for diversity of form? Should we have more pseudo-news formats that are like the U.S. shows that feature Jon Stewart or Bill Maher in the U.S.? Do we need a national tabloid — think of the honour being named a national Sunshine Boy or Girl! – when it comes to print news? What about diversity of presentation? Does the Naked News satisify those who prefer more choice when it comes to presenters of news? (OK, maybe I'm being facetious here, but not by much).
What about diverse of ethical standards? Globe and Mail business reporters are forbidden, for example, to trade on the news they report. Why not a business press that puts its money where its mouth is and lets reporters buy stocks in companies they report on?
Does diversity mean our news collectives such as Canadian Press and Canwest News Service should assign multiple reporters to the same events? Is it still OK in a “diverse” news environment for a single news agency like CP to even exist?
Does diversity mean that newsrooms ought to reflect their readership in terms of socioeconomic, gender, ethnic, and sexual preference characteristics?
Who shall decide on our diversity benchmarks? When will we know we have this much sought-after “diversity of voices”?