By David Farrell
Conrad Black: An improbable supporter of the CBC
A desultory debate over the principle of public broadcasting, and in particular the performance of the CBC, has been waged in this country for decades and seems to be escalating again as we approach another federal election. Some people have been more vociferous in their criticism of the network than I have, but few have been more consistent. Just as the media has changed radically in the 50 years that I’ve been peripherally involved in this discussion and have intermittently appeared on the CBC, the argument should have evolved, as well. But instead, it tends to be the same stale exchange between people who are not listening to each other, in which one side demands the defunding or the outright sale of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and the other side recites rather tired pieties about national identity. There is some truth in the arguments espoused by both sides… – Conrad Black, National Post
Blocking of news in Canada by Meta affects media outlets that don’t produce news
The blocking … is affecting satirical websites and university radio stations
The Beaverton, which describes itself as a "satire and parody publication," was blocked by Meta on Facebook and Instagram a week ago after the technology conglomerate mistakenly lumped it in with news providers in Canada. Its readers, however, could once again see its content online by Thursday. – CBC News
Meta is not the biggest threat to Canadian newspapers
Broadcasters would be the biggest winners under C-18 if Meta and Google complied with the law by negotiating with news outlets to compensate them for using their content. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has estimated that fully three-quarters of the $329-million in annual compensation Meta and Google would be required to pay would go to the CBC, Bell, Rogers, Quebecor and other broadcasters. – Konrad Yakabuski, The Globe and Mail
Alberta’s CKUA Radio gets a tsk-tsk from the CRTC for regulatory violations
Despite terms of licence breaches, the regulator imposed no sanctions and renewed the broadcaster’s licence. – Jonathan Bradley, Western Standard
Global refugee statistics
100 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of conflict, persecution, human rights violations and violence. Now, humanity is witnessing the highest levels of displacement on record.
Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar account for two-thirds of people displaced across borders.
42 percent of forcibly displaced persons are children under the age of 18. – The UN Refugee Agency
More and more asylum seekers are coming to Canada. Is it enough to stem a global tide of refugees?
Canada processed almost 60,000 applications from asylum seekers looking to take refuge here so far this year — the highest count in almost a decade. – Vanessa Balintec, CBC News
Top 10 origins of asylum seekers coming to Canada
The homeless refugee crisis in Toronto illustrates Canada’s broken promises
Canadians live in a time of threadbare morality. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Toronto’s entertainment district, where partygoers delight in spending disposable income while skirting refugees sleeping on sidewalks. The growing pile of luggage at the downtown corner of Peter and Richmond streets resembles the lost baggage section at Pearson airport but is the broken-hearted terminus at the centre of a cruel city. – Alexa Gilmour, Broadview
There is no housing crisis
… The highest-paid CEOs in Canada earn the equivalent of the annual income of average workers in just one morning. People need to work, and if the jobs available are low paying, they have no choice but to accept them. The wages these workers take home represent but a small portion of the total value of their work; executives and shareholders pocket most of that value. This is legal and widely accepted, which doesn’t mean it is not exploitation. On the contrary, it is exploitation because laws, institutions, and moral norms allow some people to enrich on the backs of others. Unless tightly regulated, labour markets enable exploitation. – Ricardo Tranjan, The Walrus
Notable
SiriusXM sued by SoundExchange over US$150M royalty underpayment claim – Variety
Musk's X delays access to content on Reuters, NY Times, social media rivals – Reuters
A strike scripted by Netflix: The writers are trying to roll back changes that the streaming service already made a new normal – James Surowiecki, The Atlantic
Student project creates an accessible database of Canada's first newspapers – U of T
CNN lineup changes give Christine Amanpour an anchor role – Los Angeles Times
Times obituary writer Damian Arnold on how to make a living out of death: If you’re not on the books already, you might have the good grace to die early in the morning. Or late at night. And ideally, if you can, with some warning. Especially if you’re a big deal. – Killian Faith-Kelly, Press Gazette
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