BAILOUT MEDIA FAIL: 96% of TV news skips costs of Ottawa’s child care, dental and pharma programs
Instead, 53.9% of the government’s press releases and the majority of news coverage were focused on the programs themselves — how they’ll supposedly benefit Canadians. But benefits come with a price tag, and it’s about time Canadians were told the truth about who’s going to pay for this.
According to a recent Fraser Institute analysis, 96% of television news coverage from major outlets like CBC and CTV barely touched on the massive costs associated with the federal government’s huge new social programs — child care, dental care and pharma care.
Instead of scrutinizing the financial black hole these programs are digging, the media decided to focus on political talking points and feel-good headlines.
Of the content analyzed, only a paltry 4% of the coverage on these programs even mentioned their costs. Conversely, 96% of the time, mainstream outlets like CBC (3.7%) and CTV (4.1%) conveniently forgot to inform Canadians how much these programs would cost taxpayers.
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Meanwhile, government press releases were just as bad, with 0.6% bothering to discuss the costs.
What’s worse, the lack of media scrutiny is allowing the government to push permanent spending programs — completely ignoring Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s mandate to “avoid creating new permanent spending.”
Out of all the coverage, only seven mentions (five on CBC, two on CTV) even acknowledged the creation of permanent spending.
Instead, 53.9% of the government’s press releases and the majority of news coverage were focused on the programs themselves — how they’ll supposedly benefit Canadians. But benefits come with a price tag, and it’s about time Canadians were told the truth about who’s going to pay for this.
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In a time when federal deficits are soaring and our national debt is climbing, the media should be asking tough questions about how these programs will be funded.
But don’t expect that from the likes of CBC or CTV, especially when both are cashing in on government bailouts. They’ve effectively become Ottawa’s PR machine, opting to protect the government’s image rather than provide real, balanced reporting.
As long as the media remains beholden to government subsidies, don’t expect any real accountability when it comes to how Ottawa is spending your money.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.
