A federal program that funds hundreds of local journalists and underserved regions across the country is set to expire at the end of March, and the independent newsrooms that rely on it have no news about whether it will be renewed.
The uncertainty comes amid mass layoffs in and uncertainty in some of Canada’s biggest newsrooms, and at a time when politicians such as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau express anger at their leaders.
The Local Journalism Initiative (LJI), created by the Canadian Heritage ministry in 2019, doled out $50 million over five years. News organizations could apply and receive money to hire journalists or pay freelance
