02.19.2014 08:00 AM

I am part of the problem

How representative is the Canadian media? Specifically, how much do so-called opinion-makers reflect the country that ostensibly makes up their audience?

Not much.

Got home from Son Two’s game last night, fired up National Newswatch, and this is what I saw: all white, all male, all middle-aged in the columnist line-up. Every single one.

There’s all kinds of reasons why traditional news media are in so much trouble: bad business decisions, underestimating the Internet, big changes in the way people receive news. But I’d be astounded if the homogeneity of the media wasn’t part of the reason, too.

9 Comments

  1. MississaugaPeter says:

    Twenty-five years from now, it will be dominated by women.

    They are making up 60%+ of the journalism schools and all other non-engineering/mathematics/physics faculties.

    Folks expecting equity now in media, like lawyer salaries and business directors, fail to realize that in the 70’s women were a minority in universities and many who went to university, took time away from their careers. In 2040, it will be whole different world. It will be dominated by those who have embraced higher education: women.

  2. !o! says:

    not only of the people who hold the views, but the views themselves, as well.

      • !o! says:

        oh, not sure if you thought I was, but I wasn’t talking about anyone specifically at all. I’m agreeing with Warren completely.

        In a way I was referencing McLuhan– the media really is the message. The network allows the proliferation of many many many more viewpoints than were ever available in media before. A newspaper can’t be everything to everyone. Before they didn’t have to be, but the world is moving on. But, there’s also the more prosaic thing of it, middle aged white men are a homogenous group, and you can’t separate the views from the people holding them.

  3. Bruce A says:

    I’d add that there’s far too much conventional wisdom being tossed about and those taking a different approach are pushed to the side. Like the ‘commentary’ that was used to sell the Iraq debacle or the Wall Street fraudsters. There aren’t many that challenge the assumptions of things but here’s two examples:

    http://www.ipolitics.ca/2014/02/18/rex-dale-and-the-cbcs-double-standard/

    http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/ex-morgan-stanley-chief-jams-foot-in-mouth-complains-of-ceo-abuse-20140213

  4. Matt says:

    Just an FYI:

    It’s off topic, but related to what your posted tweet above is talking about.

    The head of Environmental Defence is telling people his group is very close to having their charitable status pulled after the CRA found issues regarding the percentage ED is using for political activites during the audit.

  5. David says:

    That’s damn right! When I turn on Sun TV I don’t want to see you anymore. I’d like someone more ethnic like Emilio Estevez or his Mexican brother Charlie Sheen.

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