Convergence, Corporate Restructuring, and Canadian Online News, 2000-2003

Abstract

This paper critically examines the corporate restructurings that took place in the Canadian news industry in 2000, using findings from website analyses in 2001 and 2003 that assessed the impact of the changes on the provision of online news. The paper shows that despite their stated commitment to convergence, the restructured companies only selectively exploited the interactive potential of the Web, and that they tended to operate under traditional news and revenue strategies. It also documents a continued shift in Canadian regulatory policies toward neo-liberal conceptions of news and the public good framed in terms of private ownership, free markets, and consumer choice. Ces analyses avaient pour but de mesurer l'impact de ces réorganisations sur la présence de nouvelles en ligne. L'article montre que les entreprises réorganisées, malgré l'engagement qu'elles ont exprimé de s'avancer vers la convergence, n'ont exploité le potentiel interactif du Web que de manière sélective continuant à recourir à des stratégies traditionnelles en ce qui a trait à l'actualité et au revenu. L'article observe aussi une tendance continue dans les politiques régle-mentaires canadiennes vers une conception néolibérale de l'actualité et du bien public qui privilégie la propriété privée, les marchés libres et l'offre de choix au consommateur.

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