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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. 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.”

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.’

“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.”  The mainstream media are helping preserve cultural hegemony.

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.”

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.

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…”

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)  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.

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.”

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.” Young people aged 18 to 29 now primarily get their news via the Internet, according to a PEW Research Center report. 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. Sixty-five percent of youth now primarily access the news online. 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.” The site carries a list of Aboriginal media in Canada.

Rabble

Judy Rebick and others started rabble.ca in 2001. 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. All of rabble’s content is offered free of charge. When it launched, the site raised $200,000, which included $120,000 from the Atkinson Foundation. Researchers have found that Rabble.ca connects with activists in four ways: “political dialogue, social mobilization, information for progressive action and progressive social change.” The same researchers found that rabble is effective at engaging young activists.

The Tyee

The Tyee began in November of 2003. 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.” Tyee’s original promise was for “investigative reporting no one else is doing, and fresh viewpoints from all over B.C.”   The Tyee has two charitable fellowship funds for independent journalists.

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. 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. 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.

“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.””

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