Canwest imposes national business pages on Gazette
November 1st, 2008 | Call to action
Financial Post pages in The Gazette
Gazette readers were surprised today to find two pages in their newspaper that didn’t look like they belonged there.
The pages, produced by the Financial Post (a part of the National Post), were inserted into The Gazette, and identical pages inserted into all 10 Canwest-owned daily newspapers, as well as the Winnipeg Free Press (the National Post is no longer available for home delivery in Winnipeg). They include comment pieces from Financial Post writers that appear in the same day’s Financial Post, and a markets summary page similar to what appears in the Post.
This latter page replaces the Saturday stock listings that had already been reduced from three pages to one. Among the latest cuts:
- Bond listings are deleted entirely
- NYSE and NASDAQ’s 100 most active stocks are deleted, leaving only the top 10 winners and losers
- The three main indexes list only the daily change, and no longer include volume, daily highs and lows, or 52-week highs and lows
- The TSX industry indexes are deleted
- The number of foreign currencies listed drops from 40 to 10
- Mutual fund listings are deleted entirely, though The Gazette says they will “return soon”
In order to fit these new pages in the continually-shrinking Saturday Business section, the amount of locally-produced content has shrunk from five pages to less than three.
The Montreal Newspaper Guild believes this is a gross assault on the independence of local newspapers that hasn’t been seen since Canwest attempted to institute a national editorial policy shortly after purchasing the newspaper chain. Not only that, but subscribers to both The Gazette and the National Post are treated to intentional duplication of content.
The Gazette has no control over the content of these pages. Gazette copy editors and managers are not permitted to alter their content in any way.
Gazette Vice-President of Marketing Bernard Asselin told CTV News this week that “The Gazette’s goal, which is the same as the union’s goal, is to protect local content.”
With this move, it seems clear that The Gazette’s goals are subject to veto by Canwest management.
Do you believe pages in your Gazette should be replaced with nationally-produced Financial Post content? Do you believe The Gazette should have control over its own pages? Sign our petition and tell Gazette and Canwest management that you will not tolerate the continued erosion of local news.
Can you spot the local content on these pages?
Ottawa Citizen
Starting today, the Citizen’s Business & Technology section brings you two pages of highlights from the Financial Post. Each day from Tuesday through Saturday, you’ll find the trusted business analysis, markets insights and personal finance information that make the Financial Post an indispensable source of business intelligence. We welcome your comments. Please send them to feedback@thecitizen.canwest.com
Vancouver Sun
We’re very pleased to introduce today two new pages of content from the Financial Post. … I am delighted that this high-quality content is now part of your Vancouver Sun reading experience.
Calgary Herald
Beginning today, Herald readers will benefit from a new partnership between Calgary Business and the Financial Post.
Edmonton Journal
Edmonton’s best source of local business news is getting a special value-added boost from Canada’s most trusted financial newspaper — the Financial Post.
Victoria Times-Colonist
Starting today, one of Canada’s most trusted sources of financial news will become a regular part of the Times Colonist Business section.
Windsor Star
Today’s Windsor Star introduces a new feature designed to make you a better money manager. Two pages of stories, columns, graphs and charts from the highly respected Financial Post will break down market activity and give you the latest advice from top experts. … We hope you enjoy this enhanced coverage, and invite you to give us your opinion by dropping a line to fp@thestar.canwest.com
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Regina Leader-Post
November 1st, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Canadians should be very concerned about this homogenization of their news. What about news that matters to Montrealers? Vancouverites?
We are all not the same across the country. Please, let the Aspers know you won’t buy a newspaper that doesn’t reflect your city.
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:02 am
And this is clearly just the beginning of a larger move to outsource and streamline content. What is the current status with the labour conciliator?
I’m somewhat suprised the Gazette would go forward with this in the midst of negotiations, if they’re still taking place. It gives the impression that the negotiations are a sideshow to CanWest as they steam ahead with the original plan to create the Hamilton Gazette.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
What’s happening to the Montreal Gazette???
Monday’s edition is just 3 sections; Sunday’s is also very small.
And now we have 2 pages from the Financial Post, headers and all, inserted
into Business Section.
Also, in Section A, Pages A14 and A15 are looking too .American’ for my taste
with headers saying ‘America at the Crossroads’ and showing the American Flag.
I find it both interesting and disturbing that CANWEST with its Mountain of Debt,
is trying to reduce the number of people who subscribe to the Gazette. Shouldn’t
they be ‘on-their-knees’ begging the Subscribers to keep on being so by offering
us Quality Canadian News and Montreal Business Reports.
Moving jobs to Hamilton is NOT THE WAY to keep Montrealers happy!!
With the Internet available to most of us, why would we be willing to read a paper
not written, composed, and printed in Montreal.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:09 am
[...] Canwest wishes to replace Gazette copy editors by non-unionized workers at Canwest Editorial Services in Hamilton, Ont., who are not trained on the newspaper’s style guide, are not kept up to speed on design changes, and are not familiar with Montreal’s unique culture. (In December, they misspelled the name of Claude Lamoureux, the former president of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, in a feature headline. Gazette editors were powerless to fix the mistake, which appeared in special Canwest-produced Financial Post pages which local papers are being forced to insert into their business sections.) [...]