By Emily Stonehouse
46,406. That’s how many words have been strictly dedicated to sharing the platforms of every (responsive) candidate in this upcoming municipal election. That’s how many words I have read, reviewed, edited, and approved.
That equates to exactly 114 pages. That’s how many pages I have meticulously sifted through, added apostrophes, indented lines and highlighted bullet points around.
That’s how many contributions I have pulled from emails in all formats, adjusted fonts for, sifted and sorted through on evenings, weekends, and even vacation times.
That number doesn’t even include coverage of the all-candidates meetings, which have taken up my weekends since they started. There’s still two more to go.
Only to log into Facebook and read that someone “can’t find any information on any candidates”.
Honestly, I get why journalism has a high turnover rate.
In 2023, Bill C-18 was introduced. While everyone with access to a flag budget loves to blame the Liberals for every wrongdoing, this was a situation where the party had our back. They had requested to Meta – the social media conglomerate that owns Facebook and Instagram – that journalists be compensated for their product, the exact same way an influencer or advertiser is paid through the platforms for generating content.
It was a nod to the work and integrity of Canadian journalism, and a situation where it felt like the government was looking out for the little guy.
Unfortunately, Meta called their bluff. And instead of paying journalists, they blocked all Canadian news from major social media sites. That means that you cannot share links, photos, pages, or headlines via Facebook or Instagram. We get a warning that says “In response to Canadian government legislation, news content can’t be viewed in Canada.”
So now we’re at a standstill. If the government backs down and agrees not to pay journalists, then Meta wins. And there’s no way Meta is going to pay for journalistic content. They cut corners wherever possible.
Therefore, you will not see our news stories online. That’s not because we don’t wish to share. It’s because we’re banned and blocked from sharing. And we have been for years.
So, as we head into this municipal election, please, pick up a local newspaper. While I have edited 46,406 words, I know the Highlander has their own strategies for sharing content as well. So does Canoe FM, so does Moose FM.
We’re trying – desperately – on evenings, weekends, and vacation times, to get these platforms out there. We’ve committed time, energy, and in some cases, literal blood sweat and tears, to chase these candidates, to elevate their voices, to educate voters on the best fits for their communities.
If you want to see coverage of these elections, the Haliburton Highlands Healthy Democracy Project (www.hhhdp.ca) has the videos of the all-candidates meetings available. If you missed a week that our paper highlighted your ward, let me know, and I will personally make sure you have access to that newspaper. Email emily@haliburtonpress.com. If you’re willing to learn, I am more than willing to help.
Educate yourself. The information is out there. Over 46,406 words of it.
It’s up to you to read them.
