Randy Kitt on Canadian Journalism and Unifor

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What is your role?

Randy Kitt: I am the director of media at Unifor.

Jacobsen: So, what is your role, and what are your responsibilities?

Kitt: As the media director, I have bargaining responsibilities for some in the media sector and some outside. I am generally responsible for the media policy at Unifor in consultation with the President’s office. I also work on media policy for Unifor, which is a significant part of my role as a national representative. I engage in much bargaining and work on various projects that support media workers and journalists. We have just completed a study called “Breaking the News,” which examines media workers who have been harassed online or in person. This study highlights who is getting harassed, often targeting women, workers of colour, Indigenous workers, 2SLGBTQIA+ workers, and those from other equity-deserving groups. We publish and compare our members’ experiences to other studies, finding similar trends worldwide. We discuss why this harassment occurs and propose solutions.

Much of our work involves another policy paper titled “Organizing Freelancer Members.” We have a freelance union called the Canadian Freelancer Union, which freelancers can join for a nominal annual fee. This union offers several advantages and services, including press passes. Freelancers can obtain both Canadian and international press passes through the union. However, building power among freelancers is challenging due to their transient nature. This paper guides the legal avenues for organizing different types of members and freelancers in Canada. While there are legislative challenges, we document these to inform people about the legal landscape. Nonetheless, organizing into a union requires building power within the group and fostering a sense of community.

Building the union is a core part of our job as a national representative. This includes organizing, promoting the value of union membership, bargaining collective agreements, and representing the union at events like this one at the CAJ. We aim to demonstrate that while we do specific work for union members, our efforts benefit Canadians and media workers. My advocacy work at the CRTC is crucial, such as advocating for a new fund to include digital streaming services like Netflix, Apple, and Amazon in the Canadian media landscape. These services should contribute to supporting news in Canada. We have been advocating for this since 2009, and it is vital for all media workers and Canadians, not just our members.

Jacobsen: What do you see as the most pressing issues for journalists now? Is it harassment or some other issue?

Kitt: The most pressing issue for journalists is survival. Our employers need a viable business model, so we strongly advocate to the government and the CRTC for bills like C-18. This bill forces Facebook and Google to pay for the news they use. Unfortunately, Facebook has chosen to withdraw, but Google has remained, and the government has negotiated a deal to provide news publishers with $100 million annually, indexed to inflation. While this is not a complete solution, it is a piece of the puzzle. Various supports are needed to ensure our employers can survive, ensuring journalism’s existence. Journalists also need to earn a living wage. We have heard about AI this week, but one journalist remarked that such discussions are moot if she cannot afford to live in a city. This underscores the importance of collective bargaining for improved working conditions and wages.

The job is inherently difficult, and the harassment journalists face is a significant challenge. We are supporting those journalists and ensuring that employers do their part to protect them from internal and external threats. Additionally, the trauma journalists experience while covering difficult stories and the resulting moral injury can lead to PTSD. This is not limited to war zone reporting but also includes domestic stories. The industry has traditionally emphasized toughness, discouraging the discussion of these issues. Now, we are starting to talk about them, and journalists must understand that seeking help and counselling is a sign of strength, not weakness.