Special Edition: Philanthropy and the Press

The expression “nothing ever changes other than the fact that everything changes” seems to be made to describethe reality of the media ecosystem. In fact, the history of the media illustrates a sector that is continuously forced to adapt itself, innovate and redefine its image in the face of social, political and economic pressures. This being said, the disturbances currently shaking up the press seems to be taking on a scale never seen before. In 2017, the Fédération des journalistes du Québec even had to publish an open letter addressed to the federal government to warn them of the threats to our democracy if nothing is done to save several endangered media platforms. The combined effect of several factors – be it the reduction in advertisement income, the competition of under-taxed American giants, a loss of confidence in the quality and trustworthiness of journalistic information, the imposed requirements of the digital age, and much more -, all of which provoke an unprecedented crisis with unknown consequences. Thus, philanthropy could be called upon to play a role in the management of this crisis. In the United States, faced with a political context that is hostile towards the media, we witness an increased engagement from the philanthropic sector within the media ecosystem. In Canada, fiscal regulations are being revised in order to allow news media to obtain charitable status and to benefit from private donations and philanthropic support. If, as Edgar Morin states, “the crisis is both an uncertain and decisive moment”, let us cross our fingers that philanthropy will continue to turn the ship around and help media platforms restructure themselves without having to give up anything regarding their political role in so-called enlightened democracies.