Newspaper readership remains strong in Canada, even among increasing publication closures
Connor Lalande
Pontiac Oct. 2, 2023
Newspaper readership in Canada remains strong, according to News Media Canada’s annual study.
The research, conducted in November and December of 2022, suggests that the vast majority of people in Canada engage with newspapers in either a print or digital format. According to the study, 83 per cent of Canadians read newspapers at least once a week – a number that has remained nearly unchanged since News Media Canada first started its research in 2012.
While 97 per cent of readers are accessing “at least some” of their newspaper content online, 58 per cent of readers are still engaging with print, including e-papers.
Younger generations, the report continues, are “prime drivers of readership”, with 89 per cent of millennials and 87 per cent of Gen Z consuming newspaper content on a weekly basis.
News Media Canada’s research suggests newspapers are the most trusted media source for consumers, with 54 per cent reporting a complete or somewhat trust in editorial content in printed newspapers compared to 53 per cent for TV programs, 51 per cent for radio programs and 34 per cent of magazines.
“Given heightened levels of global mistrust, we’re seeing a clear and continued affinity for the reliable reporting that newspapers provide. Newspapers continue to be the go-to source for credible, trusted, and independent news in both print and digital formats,” wrote Paul Deegan, President and CEO of News Media Canada about the studies findings.
Community news under threat
While Canadian readership remains strong across varying age demographics, access to local community news is increasingly under threat across the country.
On Aug. 11, President and CEO of Métro Media Andrew Mule, announced the “immediate suspension of Metro’s activities, all our newspapers and our community websites.”
Often described as a pillar or Montreal local news, Métro Media owns and operates 17 publications in the Montreal and Quebec City region.
While Mule suggested the suspension of Publisac – a flyer distribution method used by the company to distribute its paper-based content in Montreal – was largely to blame for the decision, he added that the landscape for local, community media outlets was increasingly precarious across the country.
“The fact remains that we could not suffer a devastating loss of our income suddenly and follow an ambitious and expensive digital road map without external financial support. We are, after all, a small business with no funding, and the premature end of our print media meant that we had no way to quickly finance our future without a significant investment,” wrote Mule in a statement.
“What’s happening with Métro is part of a tsunami of bad news when it comes to Canadians’ ability to stay informed about what’s happening in their communities,” said April Lindgren, a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Journalism during an interview with the Globe and Mail in August.
Lindgren is the lead investigator for the Local News Research Project, which tracks trends in the Canadian media industry. According to the organization’s statistics, between 2008 and Aug. 1, 2023 “a total of 482 local news operations closed in 338 communities across Canada.” Community newspapers account for 76 per cent or 264 of those closings.
As the suspension of Métro Media services suggest, closures to service reductions are not unique to local, community news outlets. Since June 2022 Postmedia Network Corp. has cancelled some or all print and e-editions of many of its daily and community papers, in a trend that continues to grow within larger print-media organizations.
“All of this adds up to evidence of an increasingly difficult environment for local news providers in a world where it was already really difficult for them,” Lindgren said in the interview.
“I usually like to err on the side of optimism, but these days, with all of these factors coming into play, I’m actually more concerned than ever about whether people are going to have access to timely, verified news that’s independently produced,” Lindgren said. “It’s quite depressing.”
