In the heart of the credit crisis, when it looked as though a handful of large U.S. banks were going to collapse, the government stepped in with a massive bailout and new regulations. In 2009, the Quebec government struck a task force to propose solutions to the province's "media crisis", in light of new technologies that have diluted the industry.

The first report from the Working Group on Journalism and the Future of the News has just been published. Among the potential solutions: transforming journalism into a card-carrying profession.

In the heart of the credit crisis, when it looked as though a handful of large U.S. banks were going to collapse, the government stepped in with a massive bailout and new regulations. In 2009, the Quebec government struck a task force to propose solutions to the province's "media crisis", in light of new technologies that have diluted the industry.

The first report from the Working Group on Journalism and the Future of the News has just been published. Among the potential solutions: transforming journalism into a card-carrying profession.

The report's lead author is retired CBC journalism Dominique Payette (who in 2008 sued The White Stripes for using a clip from one of her radio broadcasts in the intro to their song Jumble Jumble). In the report, Payette calls for legislation, subsidies and the creation of a new system that would ensure Quebecors "continue to benefit from high-quality information, a foundation of democracy and citizen participation ….", the National Post reports. The Post's Graeme Hamilton writes:

"[Payette] concluded that urgent government action is needed 'to ensure that the supply of information and the conditions of practicing professional journalism do not deteriorate further.' The linchpin of the Payette plan is a proposed law creating a status of 'professional journalist.' This would allow the government to identify which media organizations and reporters would be eligible for subsidies. It would provide certain privileges to the holders of a 'professional journalist' card. And it would help the public distinguish professional journalists from 'amateurs' or publicists."

Payette doesn't want the government to decide who qualifies as "journalist", and hopes an independent federation would take on the task. Quebec's Press Council would also need to enforce a code of ethics. Journalist training would include a French language course.

News orgs that hire these new accredited journalists would be eligible for tax cuts.

So, what's in it for journalists? They'd get preferential treatment in access-to-information requests and wouldn't have to pay for remote access to courthouse files. They'd also have access to a $370,000 Fund for Quebec Journalism, which Payette recommends be drawn from provincial revenue.

The Montreal Gazette reports:

"Yves-François Blanchet, the Parti Québécois’s communications critic, called upon Quebec Communications minister Christine St. Pierre, herself a former journalist, to act quickly on the report’s recommendations, particularly those calling upon the government to make high-speed Internet access available throughout Quebec.

"Blanchet also criticized what he described as the growing “imbalance” of news coverage between Montreal and the province’s regions.

" 'The imbalance between (regional coverage) and the growing ‘montrealization’ of news are sad realities,' he said in a press release."

The National Post notes that "The 'crisis' facing Quebec media was brought about by the advent of the internet. But instead of looking to new technology for solutions, Payette recommends circling the wagons. Just wait until those pesky bloggers feel the sting of being denied a professional journalist card. Her proposal to get young people reading newspapers is to copy a French government offer of free print subscriptions to people aged 18-25."

Quebec English weekly TheSuburban.com worries that "A weapon such as this in the hands of a government will give it the power to silence any opposing voice simply by influencing the 'professional corporation' it gave birth to to deny 'accreditation.'"

The Fédération professionnelle des journalists du Québec (FPJQ) supports portions of the report, the Gazette reports, although it doesn't want to see restrictions on who could act as journalists.

"Journalism remains open to everyone by the right of freedom of the press and expression,” the FPJQ said in a press release.

Now, will other provinces follow Quebec? Will Canada ever see a media bailout?