Be wary of corporate media: Charles Campbell
by Will Johnson
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Sarah Lawley-Wakelin B.C. journalist and UVic instructor Charles Campbell will delve into the state of Canadian media during a lecture on Jan. 24. |
Five years ago, few would have guessed the invention of the blog would threaten the stranglehold of news barons on contemporary media.
But times change. The Internet is a powerful force in journalism, with newspapers offering their content online, magazines publishing exclusive features on their websites, and bloggers reaching millions of people everyday.
“The Internet is really changing the rules, and the government has not addressed this issue in a useful or thoughtful way,” said Charles Campbell, award-winning journalist and visiting UVic professor.
Campbell will share his insights next week during “News Barons vs. Internet Geeks: A Media Apocolypse?” a free public lecture on the state of mainstream journalism.
“We wanted someone in the industry to talk about things as they are now,” said Lynne Van Luven, director of UVic’s professional writing program.
Campbell is UVic’s first Harvey Stevenson Southam Lecturer in Journalism and Non-Fiction. Part of the position involves mentoring writing students and the larger community.
“We were looking for someone outside our community to spark things up a bit,” said Van Luven.
Campbell has worked as a reporter and editor for multiple publications around British Columbia, including the Vancouver Sun and Georgia Straight, and is a contributing editor for the Tyee. While some of his experiences have been positive, others have been troubling.
“There’s a lot less diversity in the newsroom,” said Campbell. “It’s a frustrating environment to work in.”
With major corporations homogenizing their output by conglomerating, and online content providing new competition, the newsroom is evolving, said Campbell, adding that many journalists have given up if they haven’t been laid off. But some print journalists have migrated online after losing faith in print journalism, he said.
“What we need, as a society, is a civic commons … where people have different views, and are given the opportunity to share them,” said Campbell. “We need to find ways to ensure there’s a bigger place for a community-based media that isn’t driven by the corporate bottom line.”
“Last week the government decided no one person can own more than 45 percent of the television Canadians watch,” Campbell said, referring to a recent decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. “It’s a joke.”
“We can’t have diversity when all the owners wear the same suits, and go to the same gentleman’s club,” Campbell added.
While the more traditional forms of media fail to address this need, the Internet seems to be picking up the slack, Campbell noted. More readers are going online for their news, seeing it as a convenient alternative to having the paper delivered to the doorsteps.
Though Campbell is optimistic about online media, he also said he worries this development is fragmenting audiences. While newspapers, television and radio aim to reach the majority of the public, online content is often geared solely toward individual groups.
“We need to value the CBC and smaller, more idiosyncratic institutions,” said Campbell. He said there are many alternatives, but they depend on public support.
Campbell’s lecture will be held in the David Lam Auditorium on Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.