The Liberals handed out millions in taxpayer dollars to Canadian media companies willing to push their narrative on climate change.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, news outlets that wrote stories with an environmentalist angle were rewarded with funds from a $50 million Local Journalism Initiative organized by the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The federal website describes the fund as supporting “the creation of original civic journalism that covers the diverse needs of underserved communities across Canada.”
The Canadian News Media Association received $14.4 million to peddle the mainstream climate change message. Another $1.2 million was handed off to the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations, while the same amount was given to the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada.
Francophone outlets also received a cut of the fund, with both the Québec Community Newspapers Association and the Association de la presse francophone getting $600,000.
Despite the focus on local coverage for underserved communities, grants were awarded to mainstream outlets like the Toronto Star and the Montreal Gazette.
The Liberals have also previously announced a $600 million bailout package for struggling mainstream media companies.
As part of the bailout, media companies will be listed by the government as “Qualified Canadian Journalism Organizations” which are then able to claim tax credits on newsroom salaries.
In August 2019, it was also revealed that the Toronto Star was recording a total of $115K a week in federal tax rebates as part of its share of the bailout fund.
Despite its numerous government subsidies, the paper was forced to lay off 73 people as it halted the publication of print StarMetro papers in December 2019.
