Project PhDcast

Sometimes your research is just too timely.

After reading Lewis Tennant’s article on “Podcasting and ethics: Independent podcast production in New Zealand” (Convergence, 29:4 2023) just a few days ago, I started to dig around into Canadian Broadcast Standards code of ethics. Tennant’s research points to a number of gaps in the research around podcast production and ethics. In addition to calling for further research on these topics, he found that participants in his research saw value in a voluntary code of practice for podcast producers who are not governed through other journalistic standards.

So imagine my interest when a colleague sent me this link from the CBC last night: “CRTC registration for podcasts and streaming companies draws criticism” (CBC, Oct. 2, 2023).

Currently, the new registration regulation applies only to “online streaming and podcasting services operating in Canada with $10 million or more in annual revenue in this country.” But there are a lot of questions, concerns, and confusion over what this means for podcasting in Canada.

I have A LOT of questions at this point, as both a podcaster and a podcast researcher. My initial reaction is to question if independent Canadian creators are going to be caught in the crossfire. When the Canadian government took on social media giants Meta and Google in the Online News Act (Bill C-11) in the summer of 2023, the companies retaliated by blocking Canadian news from their platforms. Canadian podcasters rely on Apple, Google, and Spotify to distribute their work nationally and internationally.

I’m going to be asking questions and digging around to better understand what’s happening. I’ll be sharing my thoughts here and in Project PhDcast as they develop.