What’s Happened To The Ottawa Citizen’s Voice?

The Citizen editorial department is an important voice in Ottawa. It’s a shame it is falling apart.

I speak with some experience on the department having been on the editorial board for seven years. During that period I was part of a vibrant group of journalists that shaped Citizen public policy positions, wrote editorials and a weekly column. I lived the editorial department. It was a fascinating time and a wonderful way to spend my last time at the Citizen.

This position is based not on conjecture but on facts from the issue of Sept. 22.

It’s latest opinion video is from two years ago with a panel discussing the municipal election.

• The “Up Next” videos feature Ottawa paying its respects on the death of Queen Elizabeth II;
• Three videos featuring “Today in History” from July 10 to 12.
• An opinion piece supporting strong voter turnout in the federal election from March 28.
• An editorial from Feb. 27 on MPPs salaries.
• An editorial praising Brian Mulroney from March 1, 2024.
• An editorial from Feb. 27, 2024 on urban tent cities.
• An editorial from July 28, 2023 on MP representation.
• “Today’s Letters” feature a group from Sept. 12.

Those example are just from the front page. We didn’t go farther than that. The point is made.

If the front page of The Bulldog looked like that, even with our meagre resources, I would be ashamed. An important part of city public policy, the Citizen editorial and op-ed pages, have gone to rot. There was a time when policy-makers ran to the Citizen each morning to discover the paper’s position. It’s impossible to imagine that still happens.

We know why this situation exists.

Newspaper and online advertising has been gutted. There are so many places where one can advertise that the value of newspaper, online and broadcasting ads have plummeted. Part of the problem is so many more websites appearing daily and many of those powered by AI chat boxes. In other words, kilometres of writing generated by a few words in a chat box.

Here’s an example. I asked ChatGPT for 200 words supporting speed cameras in Ottawa:

Speed cameras are one of the most effective tools Ottawa can use to make its streets safer. Critics often frame them as a “cash grab,” but the real goal is saving lives — and the evidence is clear. Speed is a leading factor in serious collisions. The faster a vehicle travels, the less time a driver has to react and the more devastating the impact. Speed cameras work 24/7, don’t get distracted, and treat every driver equally.

Ottawa has already seen results where cameras are installed: speeds drop, collisions decline, and communities become safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and children walking to school. Unlike police stops, cameras remove the potential for bias, ensuring enforcement is fair and consistent. The fines they generate can be reinvested into road safety measures, making them a self-funding solution to a persistent problem.

Drivers always have a choice — obey the posted limit and you’ll never pay a cent. If you are caught, it’s not because of a “trap” but because you were endangering others. Ottawa should expand its use of speed cameras citywide, protecting residents and encouraging safer, calmer streets for everyone.

There are a couple of fact problems that can be cleared up quickly in the AI offering but that’s how many websites get content today. It took less than a minute. But the sheer volume of content generated by AI on pages carrying advertising is devastating media revenue. Witness the closing of a local radio station and layoffs at private TV networks. Managers do that out of dire necessity, certainly not out of joy. The last outlet standing will be the publicly funded CBC. Thus the CBC is critically important.

At The Bulldog we consider AI-generated content as unethical. Numerous websites simply don’t care about that. They are AI all the way.

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Why Local News Is Shunned By Journalists

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When your agent stopped freelancing for the Citizen in retirement 14 years ago, one of the senior editors wished me the best of luck and “We look forward to the competition.” I scoffed at the idea. The Bulldog competing with the Citizen. An interesting concept but outlandish to be sure.

Recently one of our contributors to The Bulldog was told by a Citizen senior editor that the newspaper considered The Bulldog as its major competition. I found that opinion a bit outlandish.

However, looking at the Citizen opinion section, it’s looking as though that editor has it right.

The Citizen editorial page is a history lesson rather than an important voice in Ottawa public policy.

Ken Gray

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