The University of Victoria’s Gustavson Brand Trust Index has updated its 2020 rankings to reflect Canadian brand trust in the early weeks of the pandemic. Among media outlets, CTV News came out on top, ranking third overall behind most-trusted brands Canada Post and Shoppers Drug Mart, while The Weather Network came in fourth overall, followed by CBC News (6). They were followed by Global News (9), The Globe and Mail (22), Maclean’s (26), National Post (60), and the Sun newspapers (102). When looking at digital brands, Google ranked 32nd, Netflix and Walt Disney Co. tied for 33rd spot, while Spotify ranked 82nd on the list, followed by YouTube (93), Twitter (101), Snapchat (103), and Facebook (105).
The Canadian Association of Black Journalists (CABJ) has penned an open letter to Corus Entertainment CEO Doug Murphy, saying that overt racism and a lack of representation within the company have left Black employees “feeling frustrated and overlooked.” The CABJ is calling on Corus to make a clearer commitment to the regular collection and public release of its demographic data, with a specific focus on the news division; introduce a policy requiring that interviews for newsroom, managerial and leadership roles include BIPOC candidates; and require everyone in a leadership position undergo regular anti-Black and anti-oppression training, with the first session taking place by Fall 2020. Following several CBC employees voicing similar concerns, the public broadcaster has announced its expanding the scope of its Diversity and Inclusion Working Group “which will continue its consultations with employees from all of the equity seeking groups to identify other initiatives to improve representation and workplace culture at CBC/Radio-Canada.” It’s set hiring targets that across CBC/Radio-Canada, by 2021–22, would see half of all new hires for executive and senior management roles filled by candidates who are Indigenous, visible minorities, or people with disabilities; with retention and promotion rates from those within those groups doubled.
Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) and TVO.org have partnered on a call for stories from emerging Indigenous journalists in Northern Ontario. They’re looking for original reporting and feature stories relating to COVID-19 on Northern Ontario First Nations. Stories will be published on the TVO.org website and other TVO platforms. Applications are open until July 24. Previous journalism experience is not required.
A Hamilton Police officer has been found guilty of four charges under the Police Services Act after arresting two photojournalists at the scene of a fatal, May 2017 crash, including former Global News VJ Jeremy Cohn and freelance cameraman Dave Ritchie. Cst. Jeff Todoruck was found guilty on four of five counts he was charged with, including unlawful or unnecessary exercise of authority. The ruling follows an investigation by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director.
The CRTC has rescheduled the public hearing into CBC’s licence renewal to Jan. 11, 2021. The new deadline to submit licensee replies is July 23. The public broadcaster has also submitted to a request to provide more documentation of its digital activities, following intervenors concerns about a lack of transparency around digital revenue and expenses. CBC’s existing licences have been extended until Aug. 2021.
TELUS has added Samsung to its list of 5G network infrastructure suppliers, following previous announcements it had tapped Ericsson and Nokia as rollout partners. Telus has announced the launch of the first-phase of its 5G mobile network in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal and Greater Toronto, with plans to expand to an additional 26 markets across Canada through the remainder of the year.
Rogers Communications and the University of Calgary have announced a five-year agreement to advance innovative Internet of things (IoT) research. Together, they’ve established the Rogers Internet of Things Chair, led by Dr. Steven Liang, renowned researcher at the Schulich School of Engineering. Liang will focus on IoT research in the areas of energy, smart cities, transportation, and workplace safety, including COVID-19 related solutions.
