Media representatives offered clashing views on press subsidies, with outlets such as Rebel arguing they lead to greater government control, while media association representatives said subsidies are the only way to preserve journalism in the country.
MPs heard from several witnesses from the media industry who testified on April 16 before the House of Commons Canadian heritage committee, which is currently studying the state of the journalism and media sectors.
Sheila Gunn Reid, president of the Independent Press Gallery and chief editor of Rebel News, told MPs that independent journalists who are funded solely by their readers, and not by government subsidies, are being “pushed out” of Canada’s media landscape….