Independent journalism is growing, offering a new model for writers—but not without risk
A longtime music journalist, Michael Barclay began writing on Substack during what he calls a “mid-career crisis.” After working for Exclaim!, Maclean’s, CBC, and other outlets, he launched That Night in Toronto, a newsletter focused on music and culture.
“I’ve made a living out of writing about music for 30 years,” he says. “Even 10 years ago, people felt there’s a huge crisis because legacy media was failing. Now there’s several different options.”
Over 450 Canadian news outlets have shut down since 2008 as the industry experiences waves of layoffs. In 2023 alone, Bell Media cut 1,300 jobs while Postmedia continued its employment dismissals. According to a 2025 Analysis Group report, advertising revenue has plummeted by nearly 50 percent from approximately $6.9 billion in 2004 to $3.8 billion in 2022.
Matt Elliott, a freelance journalist, has worked in both independent and legacy journalism for years. He writes a city hall column for the Toronto Star while running his Substack, City Hall Watcher, a newsletter that breaks down municipal politics.
Elliott turned to the platform in search of a stable way to write about what he enjoys while earning extra income. He says traditional news outlets have been inconsistent: his freelance work for CBC, for example, was great—but never secure. In terms of threats to traditional media, “I don’t think Substack or similar platforms would be very high on the list,” he says. “I think it’s more of an opportunity for people who are already facing these threats.”
The Search for Stability
Dougald Lamont, a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, now writes about political economy on Substack, says he struggled to find a home for his work. “The writing I do tends to be either too journalistic for academics or too academic for journalists,” he says. “There’s no place for it.” On Substack, he found an audience that values depth over clickbait.
Paul Wells, a veteran political journalist, shared an exclusive Canadaland podcast episode on his Substack where he said his career in established outlets “ended badly.” He doesn’t sugarcoat the industry’s environment: “I do mentor younger journalists, and every time I get approached, the first thing I do is a gut check. Do I want to encourage 20-year-olds to start being journalists? Leave. That’s my advice. Run.”
Risks and Realities
These journalists shared a pressing issue: the potential for misinformation. Elliott points to paywalls as part of the challenge, noting that while they help support quality reporting, they also lead many people to turn to potentially unreliable sources. “It’s good from a business perspective, but what does that leave?” he says. “A lot of people who aren’t paying for news are probably getting it from people that may not be so trustworthy.”
As Barclay mentions, the burden of credibility also extends to the reader. “The only downside I can think of is audience discernment,” he says. “I read this thing on Substack—well, is it true? There’s no guarantee of that. You can print anything.”
Elliot compares the media to Canada’s telecom giants. Few companies dominate the industry, limiting diversity and accessibility. “The fact that you can name all of the media companies in this country is not a good thing,” he says. “I would love to see more exist and have some success. Then, when one company experiences financial issues, it’s less of a seismic shock wave to the entire industry.” He believes self-publishing is a viable model if readers are willing to pay for it.
Yet, making a living on Substack is not easy. While some, like Wells and Elliott, have built a sustainable model, only a fraction of readers pay for news. “The percentage is not close to a strong plurality of the population,” Elliott says.
Some journalists keep one foot in newsrooms and the other in independent ventures. Others go all in, hoping their niche audience will keep them afloat. Many leave the field entirely, not because of a lack of skill, but because writing can’t sustain them. Canadian media is being rewritten in real time. Whether that story ends in reinvention or ruin isn’t up to journalists alone—it’s up to all of us as readers.
