PC MLAs Asked for Names to Be Removed from “All-Party” Local Journalism Report After Sham Participation
WINNIPEG — Progressive Conservative MLAs who participated in community consultations to support local journalism in Manitoba asked for their names to be removed from the final report of the so-called “all-party” committee.
In May, Riding Mountain MLA Greg Nesbitt and La Vérendrye MLA Konrad Narth were named to the All-Party Committee on Local Journalism. The two PC MLAs and four NDP MLAs heard from delegations in Winnipeg, Brandon, Thompson, and Winkler, listening to concerns of traditional local media outlets as they continue to be disrupted by U.S. tech giants like Google and Facebook.
While the PC MLAs participated in the public hearings and appreciated speaking with media and journalism representatives, they were not consulted in any capacity by the NDP in the drafting of the so-called “all-party” final report, nor were their input and recommendations included.
“We had our doubts about the process, but we were optimistic that our input and recommendations would be included,” said Nesbitt. “Sadly, we were not consulted in the creation of the final report. After we were handed a copy of the completed report, we wrote to the committee chair and asked for our names to be removed from the document.”
Prior to being elected MLA, Nesbitt was a local newspaper publisher for over 40 years, also serving as president of the Manitoba Community Newspapers Association, as well as president and chairman of the Canadian Community Newspapers Association.
The NDP committee is recommending that 25% of the provincial government’s advertising budget be spent on supporting local journalism.
“Many recommendations came out of the consultations, but none of them were discussed by the committee,” said Narth. “Instead, the NDP have drafted a document that only uses their interpretation of what was heard from media outlets that have been in operation, in some cases, for more than 100 years.”
“This NDP government has refused to divulge how much money they are spending on advertising through Facebook and Google,” said Nesbitt. “Considering the audience that the provincial government is trying to reach, we believe that the majority of government ad spend should be with Manitoba media outlets, not these American tech giants. Otherwise, Wab Kinew’s ‘Buy Local’ campaign rings completely hollow.”
The PC MLAs thank the media, advertising representatives, and community members who took part in the meetings, and pledge to continue fighting for a flourishing media landscape across all corners of Manitoba.
The final report was released late Friday afternoon.
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For media inquiries, please contact PCCaucus_Media@leg.gov.mb.ca