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This is an op-ed written by News Media Canada chair Bob Cox. It appeared in today's Winnipeg Free Press.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lied to the country.
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That’s not an easy thing to write about the most visible authority figure trying to inform and keep the nation calm during a worldwide pandemic.
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But he did. “Right now it’s more important than ever that Canadians have access to the latest news and information,” Trudeau said during his daily news conference on Wednesday.
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“To ensure that journalists can continue to do this vital work, our government is announcing new measures to support them.”
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Then his government re-announced measures to support journalism that were first announced a year ago that have been mismanaged and delayed and to date have provided zero dollars to news outlets.
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There was nothing new. No new support. Nothing to help journalists do the essential work the prime minister said they are doing. In fact, there was not even a promise to fix problems with the existing programs that have all but stalled them.
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Let’s be clear. Journalists may be doing essential work, but the COVID-19 restrictions now in place could kill the businesses behind news outlets in general and newspapers specifically. A lot of our revenues depend on advertising, which has disappeared as businesses shutter and events are cancelled.
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