Despite all the challenges they face, being a watchdog remains intrinsic to Canadian journalists’ identity. In line with Burke’s notion of a fourth estate, journalists and newsroom leaders see it as their job to hold decision-makers (government and business) to account. Canadian journalists envision themselves as independent truth-tellers and honest brokers of information, playing an important role in Canadian democracy. By their nature, Canadian journalists are sceptical of authority and see it as their job to challenge authority.
In line with the watchdog role, CBC/Radio-Canada’s mission “is to inform, to reveal, to contribute to the understanding of issues of public interest and to encourage citizens to participate in our free and democratic society” (CBC, 2020). Similarly, the Toronto Star’s so-called Atkinson Principles, named after the newspaper’s founder, commits the news organisation to “the advancement of society through pursuit of social, economic and political reforms” (Toronto Star, 2019). Moreover, many journalists interviewed for this study highlighted their commitment to holding decision-makers accountable, especially in a time marked by political spin and post-truth politics. One interviewee described their job as fact-checking what powerful people say.
