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It’s fantastic that Andrew Coyne can rage against the idea that there should be some measure of government support for newspapers in Canada — in the pages of those very newspapers. It demonstrates the value of what those of us arguing for government support are trying to preserve: independent publications providing forums for news and opinion on matters of public interest.

News is not about spewing propaganda or public relations; it is about independently gathering facts and presenting fair opinions not tarnished by falsehoods. The ability of a large and central part of Canadian news media — newspapers — to do this has been diminished as old business models have fallen apart and new ones have been slow to develop.

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Canadian publishers have made the case for measures from the federal government that could help newspaper companies further develop sustainable business models that will continue to present news and information to communities across the country. We have done so openly, transparently and, yes, in our own papers and on our digital platforms. Why wouldn’t we? We haven’t skewed news stories to favor our case. The first headline on this subject in my own newspaper was “Publishers want feds to subsidize newspapers; proposal criticized by Democracy Watch, taxpayers group.”