Canadian Digital Media Research Network Unveils First Canadian Information Ecosystem Report
June 11th, 2024
One year after its launch, the Canadian Digital Media Research Network (CDMRN) shared the first edition of the Canadian Information Ecosystem Situation Report. These monthly technical briefs will provide quantitative insights into the state of the information ecosystem, particularly as it relates to politics, media, and democracy in Canada. The reports evaluate the ecosystem by analyzing vulnerabilities such as distrust in institutions, polarization, toxicity, and inequality; threats like foreign influence and misinformation; and how and where Canadians engage with news and politics. They also highlight the stories and topics, both true or false, that shaped the information ecosystem in the previous month.
Key findings of the inaugural report:
Ecosystem influence is highly concentrated in a small number of voices
Canadians have low trust in information providers
Misinformation-producing websites receive significant attention
Conservative voices strongly dominate the online Canadian conversation
In the short term, these reports are meant to enhance our collective understanding of the dynamics within the Canadian information ecosystem.
About the Canadian Digital Media Research Network: The CDMRN is a pioneering initiative led by the Media Ecosystem Observatory, an interdisciplinary collaboration between McGill University and the University of Toronto PEARL that studies information ecosystem health.
