In recent years, local newspapers and
broadcasters were called on to prop up empires that dabbled in
everything from baseball teams to movies. At a crucial historical
moment that called for excellence – the arrival of the Internet –
newsroom resources instead disappeared down a black hole of
ill-managed conglomerates, ensuring few would care at the final
gurgle. In Canada, media concentration left many cities vulnerable to
a total news blackout, as the legs of overbloated monopolies began
their wobbling collapse.

Well, we all knew that
was coming. This very website has hosted its share of Dire
Predictions and Unheeded Warnings. So now what?

Deborah Jones wonders if the
CanWest meltdown presents an opportune moment. Alan Bass argues
that
journalism and big business need a divorce. Meanwhile, a Town
Hall post by Kim Pittaway points to an argument that
journalism is better off sticking with the marketplace.

J-Source contributors are leading the
conversation about a – dare we say it? – post-monopoly future.
Join in.