From my earliest days in an entry-level production role to producing, leading a newsroom, and later taking on executive responsibilities in media, I’ve had a front-row seat to journalism’s transformation. Now, as the academic chair of the School of Media at Seneca Polytechnic, I find myself reflecting on both the resilience of this field and the challenges it faces.

Back in the day — and I hate using that phrase — my job at Citytv was to bring audiences “a day in the life of Toronto.” In its heyday, the combined newsroom of CityNews (formerly CityPulse) and CP24 included more than 200 people. There were beat reporters, seasoned editors and producers, cameras and videographers working together with one purpose: to inform the public and hold power to account.

Today, those same newsrooms are shells of what they once were. Across Canada, journalism is shrinking — not because the need for it has lessened, but because the traditional business models that sustained it are collapsing. Yes, the process of creating content has become more efficient with enhanced technology, regardless, we are seeing fewer eyes on city halls, the courts, school boards, and corporate boardrooms. And the next generation of journalists often enters the field without the editorial infrastructure or mentorship we once took for granted.

Yet what hasn’t changed — and what must not be lost — is journalism’s purpose: to serve the public interest and strengthen democracy. Journalism remains the first rough draft of history. And in an age of misinformation, disinformation, and AI-generated content, that first draft matters more than ever.

At its best, journalism makes governments more accountable, citizens more informed, and our world more transparent. And while the platforms and technologies have evolved, the core skills of the journalist remain essential: critical thinking, ethical judgment, storytelling, interviewing, writing, and fact-checking.

This is where journalism education plays a crucial role.

Journalism schools are no longer just training grounds — they are incubators of civic literacy, ethical reasoning, and inclusive storytelling. In our classrooms, students don’t just learn to report; they learn to challenge assumptions, explore bias and representation, and understand the impact of their words. They’re taught to verify sources, navigate deepfakes, and consider the ethical weight of their reporting. They’re exposed to solutions journalism, advocacy, and the evolving definition of what journalism can and should be.

And while many institutions have shuttered their journalism programs in Canada, I’m happy to report that here at Seneca Polytechnic, we have not.

At Seneca, we continue to offer journalism and media training because we believe in its future. We are proud to still be here, at a time when students face fewer choices and limited options. We don’t say this to be opportunistic. We say it because we believe it’s part of the larger narrative — that investing in journalism is an investment in democracy, accountability, and informed citizenship.

Our graduates are not just reporters. They’re working in digital media, nonprofits, advocacy, public policy, research, and content strategy. The skills they’ve gained — writing, analysis, ethical communication — are among the most future-proof in any industry.

So yes, journalism is under attack — from political forces, public skepticism, and economic pressures. But it is not dead. It is adapting.

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CBC/Radio-Canada, The Canadian Press, Torstar, Postmedia, and The Globe and Mail have come together to file legal action against OpenAI, alleging their content is being used to develop products like ChatGPT. Filed in Ontario Superior Court, the copyright infringement suit maintains that Delaware-based OpenAI is “unjustly enriching themselves” at the expense of the news media companies. The suit’s Statement of Claim says in order for OpenAI to obtain the significant quantities of text data needed to develop their GPT models, the company deliberately “scrapes” content from the websites of their news organizations, web-based applications, and/or third party partners, and then uses that proprietary content to develop its GPT models without consent or authorization. The claim says it is then continuing to augment its models on an ongoing basis by accessing, copying, and/or scraping content in response to user prompts. The suit seeks damages in an amount to be determined at trial, or alternately a settlement of $20,000 per work (or an amount the Court considers just), for the infringement, in addition to a permanent injunction prohibiting the direct or indirect use of its content. Read more here.

Bell Media is regrouping its Quebec content teams, bringing together its French- and English-language newsrooms into one unified entity. Bell Media Quebec journalists will now work as part of a collaborative newsroom that will include French-language service Noovo Info, including radio journalists from Rouge and ÉNERGIE; CTV News Montreal; CJAD; and the team from digital platform Noovo Moi. The network also announced that its Quebec music radio stations – CHOM, Virgin, ÉNERGIE and Rouge – are combining to create a single team. The unified team will be led by Suzane Landry, Vice-President, Content Development, Programming and News, Quebec. Read more here.

Seneca Polytechnic is creating a series of financial aid awards for students via a new donation from Sony Electronics and the Sony Global Social Justice Fund. Twenty new financial aid awards of $2,000 each, spanning the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years, will be created across four programs within the Seneca Film Institute and Seneca’s School of Media (Creative Advertising, Broadcasting – Television, Journalism, Event & Media Production): Sony Canada Seneca Film Institute CAB Award – Awarded to a student in the full-time Creative Advertising diploma program; Sony Canada Seneca Film Institute TV Media Award – Awarded to a student in the full-time Broadcasting – Television College diploma program; Sony Canada Seneca Film Institute Journalism Award – Awarded to a student in the full-time Journalism diploma program; and the Sony Canada Seneca Film Institute EMP Award – Awarded to a student in the full-time Event & Media Production diploma program. Based on financial need, preference will be given to students who are part of an equity-deserving group.

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is accepting applications for the 11th round of its mentorship program. The Autumn 2024 program once again sees 30 top Canadian journalists working in radio, television, digital, and print publications from across the country volunteer their time to provide guidance and expertise to colleagues in the early and middle portions of their careers. The roster of mentors for this round includes Patricia Bitu-Tshikudi – Morning radio show host, ICI Manitoba; Laurence Brisson Dubreuil – Video journalist, CTV News Montreal; Adrian Ghobrial – Senior correspondent, CTV National News; Paul Hunter – Journalist, CBC News; Tamara Khandaker – Podcast producer, Al Jazeera; Steve Lambert – Winnipeg correspondent, The Canadian Press; Geoff Leo – Investigative reporter, CBC News; Colin Perkel – Retired journalist, formerly with The Canadian Press; Saša Petricic – Senior foreign correspondent, CBC News; Aarti Pole – Network anchor, CBC News; Donna Sound – Reporter, CTV National News; Salim Valji – Calgary reporter, TSN; and Connie Walker – Investigative journalist. The deadline for applications is Dec. 6.

The #CAJAwards is now accepting entries for its 2024 competition. This year’s program features 18 categories, rewarding journalistic excellence published across all platforms: digital, print and broadcast. The competition also recognizes reporting excellence in several topic areas, including: environment and climate change, labour, and human rights. New for this year, the CAJ will award both gold and silver prizes in all categories. The deadline to submit is Jan. 14.

World Press Freedom Canada (WPFC) is accepting nominations for the 2025 Press Freedom Awards and the Career Achievement Award in honour of Spencer Moore. The awards recognize those whose public interest journalism has overcome challenges such as secrecy, legal maneuvers, political intimidation or other tactics designed to stifle their work or put their career or safety at risk. This year, WPFC will award two Press Freedom prizes, one for larger publications and a Press Freedom, Local Journalism Award for a journalist who works for a small-market news organization. WPFC will also present its second annual Student Achievement Award, which recognizes an outstanding student journalist who has demonstrated a commitment to press freedom. The deadline for nominations is Feb. 17.

Bell Craft and Services members have voted to ratify a new collective agreement that secures more full-time work and wage increases. The new four-year agreement includes a $4.80 per hour wage increase in all classifications over the lifetime of the agreement, which amounts to an average $10,000 increase. The deal also supports new workers by reclassifying all current Regular Part-Time workers to Regular Full-Time status. Unifor’s Bell Craft membership includes approximately 2,900 workers, united by their 32 local unions in Ontario and Quebec. They include technicians and testers and perform duties including cable repair for the Bell network, and maintenance and repair in the central offices of the network and business clients. 

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The CRTC has approved the addition of Uvagut TV, a channel offered by the Nunavut Independent Television Network, to the basic TV package. Uvagut TV primarily offers programming in Inuktut. The CRTC received more than 5,000 comments from the public in support of the addition of an Inuit television service to the basic TV package. Uvagut TV will be included without increasing its maximum monthly fee of $25.

Bell Media has secured a content and licensing agreement with NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution that will bring the USA Network and Oxygen True Crime cable channels to Canada for the first time. Starting Jan. 1, existing specialty channels Animal Planet, Discovery Science, and Discovery Velocity, will be rebranded as CTV Wild, CTV Nature, and CTV Speed, respectively. The moves follow the loss of the Canadian brand and content licensing rights for Warner Bros. Discovery specialty channels to Rogers Sports & Media. Programming from all five rebranded specialty channels is set to be available on linear television, and on demand on CTV.ca, the CTV app, and Bell Media’s Crave streaming service. Read more here.

Corus Entertainment has unveiled more programming details around the year-end launch of its rebranded Home Network and Flavour Network channels. As of Dec. 30, Flavour Network and Home Network will replace the current channel position of Food Network Canada and HGTV Canada, respectively. Corus Studios is currently at MIPCOM, presenting many of the titles for international distribution. Read more here.

Blue Ant Media has struck a multi-faceted partnership with Pluto TV, which includes the launch of two of its FAST channels, Love Nature and Homeful, and a multi-genre content licensing package for the free streaming platform in the U.S. later this fall. The deal marks the first Blue Ant FAST channel launch on Pluto TV in the U.S., expanding their existing channel partnership across Canada, the UK, Latam and EMEA for Homeful, HauntTV, NatureTime, Declassified, Love Pets and Total Crime; and significantly builds on their prior content licensing partnership in the U.S.

UBCP/ACTRA Award nominees are out. Laura Adkin’s Re: Uniting; western Calamity Jane; drama series Tracker and Surrey-shot, CBC cop drama Allegiance generated multiple performance nods. This year’s ceremony will take place at the Commodore Ballroom on Nov. 23. 

ACTRA Alberta has announced the nominees for its upcoming awards on Nov. 2. Among the productions garnering multiple performance nominees are Fargo, Season 5; short thriller The Saint & the Bear; and MGM+ series Billy the Kid.

TSN has announced its broadcast schedule for the Toronto Raptors’ 2024-25 campaign. Regular season coverage begins Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. ET as the Raptors host former NBA MVP Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. Schedule highlights include Vince Carter’s jersey retirement on Saturday, Nov. 2, as they host the Sacramento Kings; a homestand against Canadian Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets on Monday, Oct. 28; and both matchups against father-son duo LeBron and Bronny James and the LA Lakers. TSN’s television coverage is complemented by live radio broadcasts of 41 regular season games on TSN 1050 Toronto as play-by-play announcer Paul Jones is joined by analyst Jevohn Shepherd.

Crave has announced new, six-episode, one-hour crime drama Underbelly, starring Stephen Amell (Arrow), Hamza Haq (Transplant) and Minnie Driver (The Serpent Queen) as residents of a tranquil riverside town in the Thousand Islands region of Ontario, who are caught up in a dark, twisted mystery centered around an international drug ring. Produced by Shaftesbury in partnership with Crave, and Fifth Season co-financing and handling worldwide rights (excl. Canada), Underbelly began filming in the Thousand Islands, and is continuing production on location across Southern Ontario, including Grimsby, Brantford, Cobourg, and Bowmanville. Filming will move to Toronto in the coming weeks. 

CBC is bringing audiences a special double-length episode of This Hour Has 22 Minutes on Monday, Nov. 4. This Hour Has 22 Minutes Has 44 Minutes: A U.S. Election Special will showcase the U.S. election candidates, including their key policy positions, quirks and cons. The special features the 22 Minutes ensemble cast, including Aba Amuquandoh, Stacey McGunnigle, Trent McClellan, Chris Wilson and Mark Critch in-studio, as well as comedy news correspondents Dan Dillabough, Clare Belford and Abdullah Usman, as they criss-cross the U.S. to cover the major issues and antics.

CTV is serving up a new season of hit cooking competition series Masterchef Canada. Casting is open with production set to begin on the new 11-episode season in early 2025. 

Pillango Productions and Aircraft Pictures have announced that coming-of-age series Gangnam Project (10×30) is set to return for a second season. The series, co-commissioned by CBC Kids and CBBC, recently wrapped production on Season 2 in Hamilton, ON and Seoul, South Korea. The 10-episode season follows the young stars from Season 1 as they transition from One Mile Entertainment trainees through the make-or-break journey of becoming professional K-pop idols. Season 1 acquisitions thus far include France Télévisions (France), ABC (Australia), YLE (Finland), TV3 Group (Baltics) and NRK (Norway).

Toronto Pearson Airport has announced a groundbreaking partnership with CP24 Toronto to provide passengers with daily operational updates, delivered live from the airport’s Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC). Pearson says the first-of-its-kind initiative in Canada underscores the airport’s commitment to transparency, modernization, and enhancing the overall travel experience. CP24 will broadcast real-time updates from Toronto Pearson every morning during its weekday morning program CP24 Breakfast, featuring key airport personnel discussing factors impacting travel, including weather conditions and operational events.

Prime Video and Simple Plan have announced an upcoming documentary chronicling the multi-platinum-selling Canadian band’s career as they tour the world in anticipation of their 25th anniversary. The untitled doc, which is currently in production with Sphere Media, was announced by lead singer Pierre Bouvier live on stage at the When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas. The doc will launch globally on Prime Video in 2025, chronicling the formation of Simple Plan in Montreal in the late 1990s and their rise to global stardom. It will feature never-before-seen archival footage, along with new interviews with the band members and icons of the punk rock community including Mark Hoppus (Blink 182), Avril Lavigne, Dexter Holland & Noodles (The Offspring) and Fat Mike (NoFX).

Eastlink has debuted two brand new Community TV documentary series as part of its fall premiere showcasing inspiring stories from successful local entrepreneurs and community heroes. Titans of Business, hosted by former CBC host, best selling author and CEO of the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame, Bruce Rainnie, shares compelling stories and insights from successful local entrepreneurs who have made a significant impact on their communities. Showing Up with Nancy Regan, hosted by author, former news anchor and CTV Atlantic Live at 5 host, Nancy Regan, features inspiring stories of unsung heroes and local legends from across Nova Scotia who are making their communities and the world around them a better place. Both series premiered Wednesday on Eastlink Channel 10 and 610.

Crime Beat is back for a sixth season on Global News. Anchor, reporter and host Antony Robart and the Crime Beat team return with 26 new episodes, taking viewers deeper into some of Canada’s most infamous criminal cases. Season 6 premiered with Murder in the Mountains, an episode revisiting an infamous Banff murder in the 1990s, and new information about a break in the case. The episode, and several others this season, include reporting from Senior Crime Reporter Nancy Hixt, who also hosts the Crime Beat podcast. New episodes air every Friday at 10 p.m. ET/PT until December.

TELUS is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of TELUS originals and a decade of empowering independent Canadian and Indigenous filmmakers to create social-purpose driven documentaries and docuseries. Since 2014, TELUS originals has invested more than $27 million, bringing over 350 projects to screens across Canada, highlighting the diverse stories of B.C. and Alberta. To celebrate the 10-year anniversary, viewers are invited to explore new TELUS originals content including Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun, The Interceptors, and Handle With Care: The Legend of the Notic Streetball Crew, available on TELUS Optik TV channel 8, via Stream+ and online at watch.telusoriginals.com.

Victura Media, a new entertainment franchise based in the UK and Canada, launched at MIPCOM 2024 with a slate of IP that includes writer/director Dawn O’Porter’s young adult novel Paper Aeroplanes, which it’s developing for television, alongside distribution titles PSI Cops, Super Dinosaur, and Skybound Presents: Spike & Mike’s Festival of Animation from Skybound Entertainment. Founded by entertainment executive Thom Chapman, with company director and Executive Producer Gráinne McNamara, Victura Media is taking a platform agnostic approach to discovering, building and managing global IP aimed at kids 8+, youth and adults. 

Canadian Heritage has launched the Changing Narratives Fund. As announced in Budget 2024, the federal government is investing $10 million over three years, with the funds focused on Canada’s screen, media and journalism industries. The fund will support mentorship, training and professional development opportunities for diverse communities at all career stages, to encourage better participation in the media and cultural industries. It will also support internships and work placements to provide on-the-job training and experience. The fund will be administered by the Canada Media Fund for television, digital media, screen industry and cinematic production; Canada Periodical Fund’s Collective Initiatives component and Local Journalism Initiative for magazines and community newspapers, written press, community radio, community television and online news services. Applications will be open from Nov. 21 – Dec. 20. 

The Writers Lab Canada has announced the eight winners selected to participate in its inaugural Canadian Intensive for women and non-binary screenwriters over 40. They include Penny Eizenga, Andrea Martinez Crowther, Leah Cameron, Asleigh Rains, Dorothy Rains, Dorothy Raffo, Eisha Marjara, Jennifer Wigmore, and Vicki So. The program is the only one in Canada recognizing that women and non-binary creators 40+ are an equity deserving group, that while making up 25% of the population is grossly underrepresented in the industry both on screen and in key creative positions. Academy Award-nominated writer and actor Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) joins the Lab as inaugural Ambassador. 

Seneca Polytechnic will provide $75,000 over three years to POV Film, a Toronto-based non-profit that empowers, supports and trains aspiring creatives, prioritizing equity-deserving groups, 2SLGBTQIA+, newcomer and refugee communities. The agreement grants POV participants access to Seneca Film Institute (SFI) facilities and resources, as well as SFI microcredentials. The two organizations will also co-host events to connect students and emerging creators with industry professionals. Funding has been made available through The Jane Fund, an endowment established by Seneca in 2021 to support student-focused equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS) is back for a 13th year. The horror film festival, presented by Super Channel, runs Nov. 18– 23 at Toronto’s Isabel Bader Theatre. This year’s festival kicks off with the return of alumnus Lowell Dean’s action horror feature Dark Match, featuring wrestling veteran Chris Jericho, followed by the mysterious Hunting Mathew Nichols. The festival ends with the Toronto premiere of Scared Sh*tless, featuring Kids in the Hall’s Mark McKinney.

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