The $500 Million Corporate Handout the Media Isn’t Talking About

Mark Carney’s budget expands support for the news industry, including opening a newsroom salary tax credit to audio and video journalism. Former Calgary Herald publisher and CRTC vice-chair Peter Menzies calls it a disaster for press independence. Host Noor Azrieh wants to know what happens to the reporters—and the reporting—if that support disappears. And what a possible end to Meta’s news ban could mean for the industry?

Plus: who put CBC in charge of Canada’s Eurovision ambitions? And the Blue Jays’ painfully vague response to Anthony Santander’s Islamophobic reposts.

Host: Noor Azrieh

Credits: James Nicholson (Senior Producer), Julian Abraham (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Caleb Thompson (Mixing & Mastering), Harrison Lowman (Managing Editor), Jesse Brown (Editor & Publisher)

Guest: Peter Menzies

Additional music by Audio Network

Further reading:

EXTRA! EXTRA! Canada budget ensures all but a handful of journalists depend on the feds – Peter MenziesFrom Making Web Giants Pay to Paying Media Giants: Budget 2026 Replaces the Government’s Internet Platform Strategy With $1.5 Billion in Taxpayer Dollars for Culture and News – Michael GeistCBC/Radio-Canada welcomes Budget 2026 investment in public service media – CBCCanada's new budget proposes $5B for culture. Here's where it would go – CBC NewsOttawa boosts journalism tax credit by $501M, extends eligibility to broadcasters – CTV NewsBlue Jays response to Santander’s Islamophobic reposts ‘not enough’ for some fans – CBC News

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