MONTRÉAL, Sept. 28, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Following the speech by Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly announcing the Government of Canada's vision for the future of the cultural and creative industries in a digital world, La Presse President Pierre-Elliott Levasseur reacted with the following comment:
"Although Minister Joly acknowledged the existence of the crisis that is shaking the newspaper industry and showed a willingness to support the digital transformation, we are disappointed that no specific measure was announced for the print media.
"The major crisis affecting our industry is unprecedented. The business model is broken and must be repaired. There is one concrete solution to achieve this, but it requires significant investments.
"Newspapers must continue to develop their digital platforms for tablets, smartphones and computers, create data intelligence centres and adopt advertising platforms that can effectively manage this information, as well as promote the production of interactive ads.
"In order to do this, our industry must be able to rely quickly on government support with the introduction of timely and time-limited assistance.
"The print media make an important social contribution to society. Journalism is one of the pillars of democracy. It plays an essential role, whether through major investigations, contribution to societal debates or in-depth analyses.
"Our industry has never asked for government assistance in the past, but it is at a pivotal juncture in its existence. The government must intervene with a temporary measure to accompany newspapers through their digital transformation."
SOURCE La Presse
Paul Gilbert, Senior Advisor, Communications, La Presse, Telephone: 514 969-3633, E-mail: [email protected]
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