CBC And APTN enter into new partnership

Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News

APTN and the CBC have entered into an agreement to enhance their sharing of content, the two broadcasters have announced. 

“We are delighted to begin this new collaborative partnership with CBC/Radio-Canada, which will help further the voices of Indigenous Peoples through authentic news coverage and unique Indigenous-produced content,” said APTN CEO Monika Ille. 

The two networks will work together in the creation and promotion of Indigenous content. 

A joint news release from the two broadcasters notes that “to be considered an Indigenous production, the production company and copyright should be majority-owned by Indigenous persons, and should include Indigenous persons in key creative positions sufficient to ensure that the production reflects Indigenous perspectives.”

The agreement includes “a commitment to recruiting, retaining and advancing Indigenous employees as well as supporting Indigenous producers.” 

CBC/Radio-Canada CEO Catherine Tait acknowledged Canada’s public broadcaster “has an important role to play in reconciliation.” 

“We are proud to partner with APTN to deepen our commitment to First Nations, Inuit and Métis journalists and creators,” she said. 

The collaboration will apply to both networks’ news divisions, but they will each maintain editorial independence. 

​​“With everything that’s been happening recently in Canada, with the recovery of the unmarked graves, of the children, people are more…sensitized, more aware of what’s going on,” said Ille. “They want to know the real stories and the real stories of Indigenous people are told by Indigenous peoples.”