Consistent with Davies’s (2009) Flat Earth News, the downsizing of newsrooms across Canada has made it tougher for Canadian journalists to fulfil their watchdog function. The reporters left in the newsrooms across Canada told us they are squeezed to produce more. Many journalists are shooting and editing their stories as well as writing their online copy, and reporters complain about the constant grind to report more (sometimes for multiple platforms) and churn out a steady stream of social media. These demands, they worry, detract from reporting and advancing stories. As a result, journalists say they are forced to produce more single-source stories and stories based on news releases, news conferences, and official statements. Journalists worry they are not doing enough fact-checking.
Still, most news workers and newsroom leaders say investigative journalism is important and central to what they do. They stressed that even in financially tough times, it is important not to short-change audiences by failing to dig deeper and uncover important truths. CBC News and The Globe and Mail, for instance, have committed significant resources to producing investigative news, reinvesting in investigative units. CBC’s The Fifth Estate and CTV’s W5 produces a steady stream of in-depth investigative reporting that prompts government reaction and policy changes. The television programme has also exposed serious miscarriages of justice in Canada’s legal system. The public broadcaster argues its investigative work sets it apart from the rest of Canada’s news media, highlighting its important journalistic contribution as part of its mandate and a justification for the taxpayer money spent on the public broadcaster.
