Left-Wing Media Is Expanding Its Reach in Canada
To amplify their impact, two Canadian left-wing publications, Passage and the Maple, have recently merged. We spoke with Alex Cosh, news editor of the Maple, about the merger, their mission, and the state of both mainstream and left-wing media.
In Canada, left-wing publications Passage and the Maple have merged to increase their reach. (Roberto Machado Noa / LightRocket via Getty Images)
Independent left-wing media in Canada is having a moment. Recently, two left-wing publications — Passage and the Maple — merged to increase their reach. Meanwhile, outlets like the Breach, Ricochet, and Canadian Dimension continue to challenge the prevailing media consensus in a country where the media landscape is dominated by a handful of concentrated outlets. Jacobin recently spoke to the Maple’s news editor Alex Cosh about the Maple, the merger, and the state of Canada’s mainstream and left media.
David Moscrop
Independent, left-wing publications are refreshingly explicit about their objectives. Unlike many mainstream outlets that often pretend not to have a mission, left-leaning publications openly acknowledge and pursue their goals. So, what’s the mission at the Maple?
Alex Cosh
I would say the mission at the Maple is intricately bound up with how we are funded and how we obtain income to do the work that we do. We are a 100 percent reader-funded publication. Now, that sounds like a buzz phrase. And a lot of publications have a large chunk of their funding that comes from readers. But I think we’re among the only ones where it’s 100 percent — every dollar we make is from subscriber fees and from individual donations from our readers.
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