Good morning.
I would like to pass on to you some observations from 30 years of experience in radio and television, in both major and intermediate markets. I have worked in Trois-Rivières and Montreal, and I have been working here in Quebec City for five years now.
Right off the bat, let me say that, in the markets where I have worked, people had reasonably easy access to local information. Even in smaller markets, reporters are working around the clock, seven days a week. They are ready to become involved and get on the air whenever anything happens. They are also ready to work on the websites of the companies for which I have worked.
Here in Quebec City, the audience is well served with information, because we have two dailies, two television stations providing local news every day, and a dozen or so radio stations, half of which are talk radio stations. With a media presence like that, you can see that people have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to information.
It also forces some media to go the extra mile to inform people and to set themselves apart, by investing in investigative journalism, for example.
Of course, an information battle is also being fought on the Internet. Most particularly over the last two or three years, the media have made more and more effort to have an Internet presence. Sites are now being updated around the clock, seven days a week. So the public has access to information instantly.
That said, we are seeing that more and more is being asked of the reporters. With the proliferation of platforms, reporters now have to prepare stories, report live, write content for the Internet, and be active on social media.
In conclusion, in my opinion, the public has never had so many sources of information. The problem that comes with that is that the public now has to distinguish credible information sources from those that are not. Reporters too have to quickly get used to this new reality. They must handle news more and more quickly on various platforms while still keeping their rigour.
That is my presentation. I am available to answer your questions.