I would like to draw the attention of all Montreal elected officials, whether federal, provincial or municipal, to the danger that currently threatens the survival of local news on the island. Indeed, the end of door-to-door distribution of local weekly newspapers through the Publisac in May 2023 could also mark the outright disappearance of this local press.
In the media world in which we are currently evolving, this would be silencing a voice essential to municipal democracy as well as to the development of local initiatives, community life, neighborhood businesses. The local press is generally the mirror of the vitality of communities, and its loss would amount to no longer giving space and visibility to many events that would never be covered in the mass-circulation press.
In the current context of media transformation, the domination of social media platforms in the referencing of information, the loss of professional journalistic expertise in the municipal landscape would be irreparable and irreversible.
The Métro Média group was very proactive when the announcement of the end of the Publisac was announced to reposition itself and in particular ensure a digital redeployment that would guarantee the maintenance of its activities. Unfortunately, the timetable for implementing the policy concerning Publisac did not allow it to complete the exercise which was to ensure its continuity. Currently, Métro Média must maintain two infrastructures, that of paper and that of digital. In terms of expenses, this is a significant pressure, given that revenues have fallen by almost 50% with the announcement of the abandonment of door-to-door distribution.
A think tank headed by the City of Montreal was even created last year, but none of the solutions identified were adopted. Was it a parrying exercise?
Calls for collaboration
Many calls for collaboration and reflection have been made to the City of Montreal and the boroughs in order to find creative and lasting solutions to guarantee the survival of weeklies in order to complete the process of switching to fully online mode. In particular, the preservation of investments in publications and promotion of the boroughs and the city center in the local press. This would allow predictability and recurrence which would ensure the maintenance of activities.
Unfortunately, it is clear that the response is rather lukewarm, not to say indifferent. And, in some cases, we prefer to rely on the giants of the Web rather than the local company to reach the public. Which seems a little alarming to us given the recent news concerning multiple platforms, but above all challenging as to the posture that this implies vis-à-vis Montreal entrepreneurship.
We are also primarily concerned about the loss of jobs that the cessation of activities of the Métro Média group would generate. The press room currently has more than forty journalists, who cover the greater territory of Montreal. It is an important cohort. This newsroom is recognized for its dynamism, but also as a high quality incubator for young information professionals.
We cannot remain indifferent to the threat posed by the City’s current apathy in the search for concrete solutions. This is why we are launching this call for collaboration, because we want to work together to ensure the survival of the local press in Montreal and the maintenance of professional jobs in the field of information. We are open to all discussions that can lead to promising solutions. Save the local press!