Ayanna Reid
In The Margins: An Analysis of Public Interest In Broadcasting Policy
Biography
Ayanna Reid is a curious thinker with specific interests in politics, fashion, writing and law; particularly enjoying graphic design and analyses of media and abstract concepts. Graduating with an undergraduate degree in Professional Communication this semester, she is excited to apply the cumulative skills she has attained throughout her academic journey at Toronto Metropolitan University in real life contexts. She is prospective of a future career where she is an effective communicator, able to exercise her critical thinking and writing skills in a fulfilling way. Ayanna particularly enjoys working with people, as this is where her communicative strengths shine. As a team lead in the delivery of Signify 2025, Ayanna has exemplified her leadership skills by working collaboratively with her team members to put on a memorable event.
Details of Project
As a form of maintenance for the development of national identity, broadcast policy has long functioned as a means for the Federal Government to facilitate the cultural development of Canada. However, if not routinely amended and realized in modern media contexts, a State may encounter the same problem Canada had in the form of the Broadcasting Act. Having not seen an amendment since 1991, the Broadcasting Act was wrought with antiquities that predate even the internet. Thus, the CRTC set out to amend this policy with the Online Streaming Act in 2023, an Act with the expressed purpose of modernizing the Canadian broadcasting system.
However, in the development of this policy, it is unknown the degree that public interest was taken into consideration during the policymaking process. This research sets out to analyze in what ways the public is represented in policy texts, and if the interests of the public are well encapsulated in policy. A critical discourse analysis using a public interest approach as described in Broadcasting, Voice, and Accountability: A Public Interest Approach to Policy, Law, and Regulation has been conducted on two texts: the Online Streaming Act and Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2024-121.
This analysis has determined that, although the online streaming act does make great efforts to modernize the broadcasting system, There is still work to be done. Of the most concerning, are the mandatory contributions international streaming services, like Netflix and Disney+, must make to Canadian media production funds. Though they may seem beneficial, streaming taxes of this nature necessitate that the consumer makes up for the streaming service’s loss.