Rebel News takes some heat

Will Rebel News eventually grow to become a major media empire that suffers from the same problems as Canada’s legacy media empires?

My friend Rick is a City Councillor.

Rick received a letter from Susan, a citizen, who has read about an incident in Rick’s ward that was reported by Rebel News in a one-sided manner. The Rebel journalist had not bothered to contact Rick to get “the other side of the story”. Susan’s letter was, in effect, a dressing down of Rick’s city for an alleged failure to prevent such incidents.

I wrote the following note to Rick after reading his letter to Susan. Rick penned the kind of respectful and considered response that the Rebel journalist would likely have received from Rick if attempted. Fortunately, Susan has received Rick’s reply but, unfortunately, none of the thousands of Rebel News readers will ever know “the other side of the story”.

An excellent response. Congratulations, Rick. 

I agree that Rebel News could have provided a more balanced report on the topic that Susan’s complaints initiated. I fear that, as they grow in size, Rebel News may also become increasingly focused on the kind of sensationalism and divisive opinion casting that will “attract eyeballs” and improve their bottom line. If so, Rebel could also end up earning the kind of distrust that many Canadians now reserve for the likes of the CBC and the Toronto Star. 

In the end, however, all public reporting (aka “journalism”) is a reflection of Canadian values, broadly speaking. There is a “market” for news, information and opinion. Today, that market is fragmenting thanks to the wide range of “channels”, Internet and traditional, that exist to serve that market. A Canadian’s choice of preferred channels is a clear reflection of his or her current beliefs and values. Given that we have 36 million ‘pairs of eyeballs and ears’ in Canada each belonging to individuals who have completely unique life circumstances and experiences, it comes as no surprise that we see a landscape of diverse media content for as far as the eye can see. 

Will consolidation occur?

The Fourth Industrial Revolution refers to the digitalization of all information so that it can be accessed, distributed and dissected at the speed of electricity - the sole energy driver of the Digital Economy. In the pre-digital past, businesses came and went according to the Economic forces of creative destruction that have been essential for human progress in the areas of productivity and prosperity.

In the news and opinion sphere, we are witnessing creative destruction at work as alternative media organizations are profitably invading the markets once dominated by the traditional media enterprises. Platforms for podcasting and other methods of reaching audiences have proliferated in recent years and stolen market share from organizations like the CBC, Global Media, TorStar, etcetera to the extent that they are all on life support (i.e. government subsidized and coddled). One change in government, such as a majority federal Conservative government under Pierre Poilievre, and all of their subsidies and protections could be eliminated. It is also quite likely that they will be eliminated as younger generations of citizens acquire the reigns of corporate and political power.

Some citizens fret over future global temperatures in the year 2100. However, the tectonic shifts arriving to our lives in real time from the Fourth Industrial Revolution seems more pressing by comparison. And Susan’s expressed concerns about one incident will be long forgotten after on Rebel news cycle.