Western Standard - June 29, 2023


C-18 Blowup： Big Media gets more big bailouts...


Episode Stats

Length

3 minutes

Words per Minute

178.7649

Word Count

550

Sentence Count

34


Summary

On today's show, we have a special guest on the show to talk about the current state of independent media in Canada. We talk about what the government is doing to kill independent media and what they should do to fight back.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Corey, I guess, you know, some of this is maybe internal, but it's maybe just your general thoughts like we have said no to the bailouts from the beginning, but our own tax dollars that we pay are weaponized against us.
00:00:13.780 We pay the federal government money and then they take those dollars and they hand it to these multinational conglomerates that control 99% of the Canadian media and they use it against us.
00:00:23.620 And now they pass legislation to cut off virtually all our new readership.
00:00:28.240 So maybe I want to ask the question in terms of just the Western standard, but maybe the independent, the few, very few outlets in Canada that don't take bailout money.
00:00:38.280 Do you think at some point they should like, because like, are we just going to be faced with literally zero media?
00:00:45.420 Like the independents could all go under if like, I like to think if we get more creative, I know it seems bleak, but it's hard.
00:00:52.520 But I mean, if you just sink into the rest of the pile, you get lost among the heavyweights.
00:00:56.520 Anyways, you're diving into a pool with them, which is now you're in their turf and they're just going to shove you down.
00:01:03.080 But I mean, the desperation of being cornered and the odious nature of taking your own revenues, taxing you and then shooting back at you and that is repugnant.
00:01:12.900 But I mean, it's so important that the independents just somehow managed to do so.
00:01:17.240 But what if they're facing death?
00:01:18.600 Like there's a financial reality to these, these are companies and you have to pay people competitively against your competitors.
00:01:23.700 Like if it's faced with, you know, like at some point, I think we're faced with like fighting fire with fire.
00:01:33.480 Like, what do you do?
00:01:34.960 I don't have a good, clear answer, but I just don't want to see one bigger pool.
00:01:39.060 Like this is, as you said, we're behind, like we're killing what should be an innovative market.
00:01:43.200 We should be seeing outlets like this springing up like daisies.
00:01:46.140 There's all kinds of talented people in the legacy media.
00:01:49.660 And what's happening now is they're losing their jobs altogether.
00:01:52.220 They should be evolving into smaller independent outlets instead.
00:01:56.440 I mean, the journalists themselves are losing out of this.
00:02:01.340 I mean, as for jumping in and fighting fire with fire, I think it's just jumping onto the pyre together.
00:02:06.920 That is all that's going to happen.
00:02:08.440 It might buy a little more time, but I just, I know it's an ugly scenario.
00:02:13.100 I don't have a clear answer.
00:02:14.120 If I did, I'd be just starting an independent outlet.
00:02:16.940 I don't know.
00:02:17.580 It's just absolutely disgusting.
00:02:19.860 It's not good enough that the government gets to control the media in the country.
00:02:22.540 Now they need to go out of their way to just do everything they can to try and kill anyone who would challenge them.
00:02:27.500 Yeah, you know, I don't think that's what was the original intention.
00:02:30.260 But boy, oh boy, they recognize what an interesting fringe benefit it would be if this legislation...
00:02:36.000 Fringe benefit, I think that's the right term.
00:02:37.520 It would also put some of their severest critics out of business.
00:02:41.120 So thanks for...
00:02:41.460 Thank you.
00:02:43.160 Thank you.