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加拿大媒体资助项目的旨意为何?

Is this government fund encouraging a culture of fraud?
来源: 大中报 南茜(Nancy Jin)
随着互联网日益改变媒体格局,人们的新闻消费习惯发生很大变化,越来越多的读者渐渐远离传统印刷媒体。在广告收入不断下降,订阅范围不断缩小的情况下,报刊行业面临前所未有的经济挑战。

As the internet has increasingly shifted the media landscape, it has changed the way people consume content and drawn readers away from traditional print media. As a result, newspapers face unprecedented financial challenges, struggling with reduced advertising revenues and declined readership. 

 
在媒体行业危机不断加剧之际,一项政府资助项目“伸出了援助之手”。据加拿大遗产部网站称,加拿大杂志基金旨在为包括那些非日报的报刊出版物提供财政资助,目的是帮助满足加国读者的阅读需求。

Amid the growing media industry crisis, a government fund “came to the rescue”. According to the Canadian Heritage website, the Canadian Periodical Fund provides financial assistance to publications –including non-daily newspapers, to help provide Canadian readers with desired content. 

 
加国大部分非日报刊物都是服务于移民人口的族裔社区出版物。《大中报》以及其他近30份华裔社区周报亦属于此类出版物。

Most of the non-daily newspapers are ethnic community publications serving the immigrant demographic. Chinese News, along with nearly 30 other weekly newspapers in the community, is one of such publications. 

 
但是,为获得该项政府资助项目的申请资格,这些报刊必须在过去12个月必需达到一定的销售量 。据资助申请指南称,资助金额将与报刊的出售或发行数量成正比。如果报刊销量达到5万份,就可以获得$1.2万元资助;如果销量达到10万份,则可以获得$4.6万元资助。

But to qualify for the funding, non-daily newspapers must have sold their publications over the past 12 months. According to the funding application guidelines, the amount of funding is proportional to the number of eligible copies sold or distributed. For a non-daily newspaper that has sold 50,000 copies, it can get $12,000 in funding; for 100,000 copies, $46,000. 

 
根据网站披露的获资助出版商名单,在2013/2014年,共有810个发行人获得总额逾$1500万元的政府资助,而这些发行的非日报刊物在加国销量高达4900万份之多!

The fund recipient list revealed on the websites indicates that in 2013/2014, a total of over $15 million were paid out to 810 publishers for over 49 million copies of non-daily newspapers sold in Canada!

 
 
没错,这些以族裔社区报纸为主的非日报销售量超过5000万份!但这个数字貌似已高得离谱。实际上,如今的报刊出版商已经越来越认识到旧式营销渠道已不再是吸引读者的有效途径。由于付费发行遭遇越来越大的市场阻力,传统媒体开始积极顺应数字媒体的发展潮流,许多媒体甚至被迫彻底放弃传统分销模式。

Yes, over 50 million copies of non-daily newspapers – mostly ethnic community papers -- were sold! That number seems ridiculously high. In fact, publishers today increasingly realize that old-fashioned sales venue is no-longer an effective way to reach readers. As paid circulation faces growing market resistance, media outlets aggressively embrace digital media, and many of them are forced to abandon the traditional distribution model altogether. 

 
由于报刊销售业绩惨淡,许多主流媒体出版物都决定放弃报摊销售。罗渣士旗下的 Flare杂志就是一最近的先例。该杂志在2015年每月销量只有2600份,远远低于2012年的1.2万份。该杂志销售量急剧下降亦突显出所有收费发行媒体刊物所面临的困境。

As a result, many mainstream media publications have decided to pull their publications from newsstand, due to the abysmal selling record. Rogers Flare magazine serves as the latest example. The magazine sold only 2600 copies per month in 2015, comparing with 12,000 copies in 2012. The sharply drop in sold copies has highlighted the paid circulation challenges across all media platforms.

 
免费发行也是许多非日报刊物,特别是族裔报刊赖以生存的商业模式。这种发行方式可令报刊获得更大读者群,从而更有可能达到广告预期效果,令广告商满意。在华裔社区,所有周报都是采用免费发行方式。

Free circulation is also the business model that many non-daily papers – especially ethnic papers –rely on to survive. It allows the paper to reach a broader readership, making it possible for direct advertisers to achieve the desired outcome. In the Chinese community, all weekly papers are distributed free of charge.  

 
非日报刊物在申请政府资助时,需要提交哪些文件证明其付费发行量呢?据申请指南称,那些所报年销售量不到5万份的报纸只需提供印刷厂发票证明其付费发行量。但据我们的消息来源称,许多印刷厂都愿意配合客户要求而提供任何所需的文件,以支持客户的业务。而在被问及该项目是否会核查印刷厂所提供信息时,相关官员答复称,一切全凭“申请人的诚信”。

For the non-daily newspapers applying for the program funding, what are the required documents to prove the paid circulation?  According to the guidelines, newspapers claiming less than 50,000 copies a year just need to provide invoices from their print shop indicating the paid circulations. But according to our sources, many of printing companies are willing to conspire with clients to produce any required documents to support client’s business. Asked whether there is mechanism in place to verify the information from the printing companies, the officer replied that they rely on “applicants’ honesty”. 

 
诚信是《大中报》一直坚守的道德规范之一。《大中报》一向鄙夷违反诚信的商业行为,包括夸大发行量或提供虚假发票。《大中报》可诚实地向众人告知我们去年没有售出一份报纸。但是和任何有常知人士一样,我们不相信加国去年一年的非日报报刊销售量高达4900万份,同时我们也认为那些弄虚作假的出版物不应从纳税人口袋中索取高达$1500万元资助!

Honesty is one of the ethical standards that Chinese News holds itself to.  It frowns upon dishonest business practices – such as claiming inflated circulation or producing fabricated invoices. Chinese News honestly declares that it did not sell a single copy of the paper last year. But just like anyone else, we don’t’ believe that as many as 50 million copies of non-daily newspapers were sold in Canada. Nor do we believe that publications that made the false claims deserve the $15million funding from the taxpayers’ purse.

 
与此同时,《大中报》也对该项政府资助项目的旨意深感担忧。它究竟是如其所言旨在帮助出版物满足社区的需要,还是在滋长不道德的欺骗行为?

As such, Chinese News is deeply concerned about this government program’s mandate. Is it to help publications serve community’s needs -- as it claimed, or is it to encourage a culture of cheat? 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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