The Apocalyptic Future of Journalism

News publications got beaten down in 2023. 

Postmedia laid off 650 journalists. Global News laid off hundreds in its second major “restructuring” since 2020.  Bell cut over 1,300 jobs, many of them being CTV journalists. Even digital publications once thought of as the “future of journalism,” like Vice News and Buzzfeed, endured similar bloodlettings.

The orange smoky skies we had in the summer (due to wildfires) only add to the feeling of apocalyptic dread. Like the world of Mad Max, the news industry has become a fury road with no clear way forward. It’s just burnt carcasses that serve as examples of what not to do.

“Like the world of Mad Max, the news industry has become a fury road with no clear way forward.”

All the while, there are plagues of misinformation from the likes of Fox News and Rebel Media, and sci-fi AI robots threaten journalistic integrity. Even our dystopian tech overlords, Meta and Google, have blocked Canadians’ access to their own news in a hostile response to Bill C-18. 

It’s a media apocalypse —and as The Walking Dead’s Rick Grimes says, “There are no rules anymore, man, we’re lost.” 

But somehow in these dark days, the Griff is able to have a larger team than many well-established magazines. We’ve also been given more editorial and creative freedom than any other publication could probably afford right now. Like Furiosa, we’ve just been handed the keys to our own War Rig. In what sometimes feels like the end times, the Griff’s unique position is allowing us to ride boldly down the fury road.

Designed by Shelby Mandin