Media and Journalism

 

Access to reliable information is integral to democracy. The field of journalism is in the midst of a radical transformation, spurred by changes in both the networked production of news in the digital economy, the evolving norms of media consumption of media content, and the rapidly changing digital economy of news production.

The Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy works to better understand this journalism ecosystem, to develop smart public policies that support the practice and production of civic journalism, and to train journalists to engage successfully in this new media ecosystem.

 

Featured Commentary

Featured
Taylor Owen testifies before House of Commons Committee: C-18
Taylor Owen testifies before House of Commons Committee: C-18

Director Taylor Owen testifies before Canada’s House of Commons on the Online News Act

Latest Work

All Work
Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy Comments on Google’s Block on News in Canada
Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy Comments on Google’s Block on News in Canada
Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy Comments on Meta’s Decision to Block News for Some Canadians
Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy Comments on Meta’s Decision to Block News for Some Canadians

Press release

Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy comments on Google’s decision to block news for some Canadians
Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy comments on Google’s decision to block news for some Canadians

Press release

Digital Policy Rounds #2: Climate Justice, Media and Technology
Digital Policy Rounds #2: Climate Justice, Media and Technology
Canada can’t be complacent about threats to our democracy (Monitor)
Canada can’t be complacent about threats to our democracy (Monitor)

Supriya Dwivedi & Phaedra de Saint-Rome

“Canada’s democracy is under threat. Journalists must do more to protect it” (TVO)
“Canada’s democracy is under threat. Journalists must do more to protect it” (TVO)

Supriya Dwivedi

Taylor Owen testifies before House of Commons Committee: C-18
Taylor Owen testifies before House of Commons Committee: C-18

Director Taylor Owen testifies before Canada’s House of Commons on the Online News Act

The Online News Act keeps journalism alive while it adapts to a new world
The Online News Act keeps journalism alive while it adapts to a new world

Taylor Owen

“Canada’s Online News Act shows how other countries are learning from Australia’s news bill” (Nieman Lab)
“Canada’s Online News Act shows how other countries are learning from Australia’s news bill” (Nieman Lab)

Taylor Owen & Supriya Dwivedi

“Canada’s Online News Act: Repeating Australia’s mistakes?” (Policy Options)
“Canada’s Online News Act: Repeating Australia’s mistakes?” (Policy Options)

Isabel Macdonald

Competition Ministers Discuss Tools for Supporting Journalism
Competition Ministers Discuss Tools for Supporting Journalism
A COVID-era proposal to save journalism
A COVID-era proposal to save journalism

Saving Journalism: A Vision for the Post-covid World

The Shattered Mirror: News, Democracy and Trust in the Digital Age
The Shattered Mirror: News, Democracy and Trust in the Digital Age

Public Policy Forum (PPF)

The Platform Press: How Silicon Valley Reengineered Journalism
The Platform Press: How Silicon Valley Reengineered Journalism

Emily J. Bell, Taylor Owen, Peter D. Brown, Codi Hauka, & Nushin Rashidian

Virtual Reality Journalism
Virtual Reality Journalism

Taylor Owen, Fergus Pitt, Raney Aronson-Rath, & James Milward

The New Global Journalism: Foreign Correspondence in Transition
The New Global Journalism: Foreign Correspondence in Transition

Taylor Owen, Fergus Pitt, Raney Aronson-Rath, & James Milward

Latest Events

Events
Roundtable on the Online News Act (Bill C-18)
Apr 14
Roundtable on the Online News Act (Bill C-18)

Following the model of Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code, the Government of Canada has just announced the Online News Act (Bill C-18), which compels digital platforms to engage with outlets and pay for news. Hear experts’ takes on the tabled legislation in this roundtable discussion.

Media Capture: How Money, Digital Platforms & Governments Control the News
May 26
Media Capture: How Money, Digital Platforms & Governments Control the News

The Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy at McGill University and Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (Technology, Media, and Communications Specialization) launched Anya Schiffrin's book, "Media Capture: How Money, Digital Platforms, and Governments Control the Media."

Supporting Journalism: Should Countries Copy Australia's News Media Bargaining Code?
Apr 15
Supporting Journalism: Should Countries Copy Australia's News Media Bargaining Code?

Professors Taylor Owen and Anya Schiffrin chatted with Australia’s Rod Sims, the architect of the controversial Australian News Media Code which requires Google and Facebook to pay for news. Can the Code be replicated in other countries? Should it be? How should it be adapted to ensure the Code helps independent news and not just large media houses?

Saving Journalism: What Can We Learn From Other Countries?
Mar 25
Saving Journalism: What Can We Learn From Other Countries?

Professors Taylor Owen and Anya Schiffrin spoke with Steve Waldman, Julia Cagé, and Edward Greenspon about international trends to support media outlets, including tax subsidies, philanthropic support by non-profits, and new laws addressing inequality in bargaining power between news content producers and digital platforms. This event was co-organized with Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.