Online & Digital Media News – CBC/Radio-Canada hits pause on Twitter

CBC/Radio-Canada has joined NPR and PBS in pausing its activities on Twitter after the platform placed a “government-funded media” label on the public broadcaster’s account, which was later changed to “69% government-funded media.” In a blog post, CBC News Editor-in-Chief Brodie Fenlon wrote “CBC/Radio-Canada has made the case to Twitter that the label should be dropped or changed, as recently occurred with the BBC. Until then, the pause will remain in effect.” By Twitter’s own definition, its government-funded media label reflects news outlets “where the government provides some or all of the outlet’s funding and may have varying degrees of government involvement over editorial content.” CBC received $1.24 billion in government funding in the 2022 fiscal year. 

The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) has named The Narwhal the winner of the 2023 CJF-Meta Journalism Project (MJP) Digital News Innovation Award. The $10,000 annual prize recognizes a news organization that powers journalism’s future through digital innovation. The jury chose the Victoria.-based independent outlet for its successful expansion strategy, which last year included launching an Ontario bureau and a formula for subsequent expansion into different regions. Jury members cited the environmental online not-for-profit’s success at ensuring its revenue supported its goals, along with the careful planning that went into ensuring the Ontario expansion would be sustainable. The Narwhal will be recognized at the CJF Awards ceremony June 13 at the Royal York Hotel, Toronto.