TORONTO – The Canadian government should hold social media companies responsible for what they publish, just as traditional media are, according to a new Nanos Research survey.
The poll, commissioned by watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting (FCB), found that more than four in five respondents say they agree (63%) or somewhat agree (21%) that the government should hold online social media platforms like Facebook responsible when they publish inaccurate, misleading, or illegal content in the same way that traditional news media are held responsible by the government. Over one in ten disagree (seven per cent) or somewhat disagree (six per cent), and two per cent are unsure. (Click here for the release and the link to the full report.)
In addition, more than three in four Canadians agree (52%, down from 64% in 2015) or somewhat agree (25%, up from 15% in 2015) that foreign companies that broadcast TV programming into Canada over the internet should be subject to the same rules as Canadian companies that broadcast TV programs by cable, satellite, or over the air.
The majority of the respondents also voiced their support for CBC, with four in five saying that they agree or somewhat agree that the public broadcaster plays an important role in strengthening Canadian culture and identity, and over half agreeing that increasing funding for the CBC would strengthen Canadian democracy. CBC/Radio Canada was also ranked tops for the job that it currently does in protecting Canadian culture and identity on television, ranking above the CRTC, the Feds, and private broadcasters.
The survey also found that more than seven in ten Canadians agree (54%, down from 74% in 2017) or somewhat agree (29%, up from 15% in 2017) that local TV news is valuable to them, while eight per cent disagree and seven per cent somewhat disagree. Two per cent are unsure.
Nanos conducted the hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,000 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between April 16 and 21. The margin of error for a random survey of 1,000 Canadians is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
