Federal research finds Canadians suspect CBC of political ‘angle or agenda’

Canadians are increasingly skeptical of traditional news outlets, with federal focus group research finding participants suspect CBC and other mainstream media of reporting with an “angle or agenda.”

The findings come from 14 focus groups commissioned by the Department of Immigration at a cost of $119,802, according to Blacklock’s Reporter, which first reported the research.

“Participants across all groups demonstrated significant skepticism toward individual sources of news and current affairs,” said the 2026 IRCC Annual Tracking Focus Groups Final Report.

While some participants valued the professional standards and fact-checking of CBC, CTV and major newspapers, researchers found even those respondents believed they needed to be “wary of who it’s coming from and what is the kind of angle or agenda.”

Social media played a significant role in how participants obtained news. Reddit, YouTube channels and podcasts were cited as alternatives, particularly among people distrustful of government and established media.

“Honestly, most of the time I will go to Reddit to see what people are saying,” one participant told researchers.

The federal government itself did not fare much better. Researchers said participants generally did not spontaneously identify the Government of Canada as a source for discovering news, although Statistics Canada was viewed by many as authoritative.

The findings follow 2024 CRTC research showing similarly weak confidence in Canadian media.

That study found just 36 percent of Canadians agreed they trusted information provided by Canadian news media, while 36 percent believed news programming offered a variety of perspectives. Only 37 percent were satisfied with the quality of information and ***ysis offered by Canadian news outlets.