By The Canadian Press
Logos of Metroland Media community newspapers are seen on a flyer, in Mississauga, Ont., Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (HE CANADIAN PRESS/Megan Leach)
The number of local news outlets has been in significant decline in Canada, leaving suburban residents in particular “starving” for local coverage, a new report found — and creating gaps for misinformation to take hold.
The report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives found that almost 2.5 million Canadians live in a postal code with either one or zero local news outlets, double the proportion from 2008.
Put bluntly, “local news is dying,” said David Macdonald, report co-author and CCPA senior economist.
“Without local news, disinformation, often from social media, will happily fill the void of high-quality, trusted local news.”
