Written by by WENDY MESLEY at theglobeandmail.com
I’m a former anchor of the CBC News program The National and I have an uncomfortable confession to make: I don’t watch the news.
This is really hard to say but I don’t watch The National any more. I can’t tell you the last time I watched W5. I don’t get news from people who do what I used to do for a living. It’s sad, but it’s much more than that.
I’ve been sitting on the sidelines as I watch people react to all the job cuts, amid our shrinking media landscape. It hurts to see people I know and love lose their jobs. There is lots of anger and disappointment over the latest layoffs at Bell. I get it: W5 is the longest-running investigative program in Canada. CBC could be next, if Pierre Poilievre becomes prime minister and defunds it.
But here’s the awkward part: If everyone who is complaining about the cuts actually watched, the situation would be very different.
It breaks my heart to say this, but I understand why people don’t watch the legacy stations any more. If I’m being honest, the stories, tone and presentation are just not working. I have lots of other options, and they’re better. By 10 or 11 at night, I have all the information I need. We’re not going back to the 1960s – or the 1990s, for that matter.
It’s disappointing and scary, and it’s beyond sad. That said, it’s happening. So what are we going to do about it?