The Canadian Press and Its Role in Providing National and Local News Content

The Canadian Press (CP) plays a crucial role in providing both national and local news content by serving as an independent, bilingual national news agency with more than 180 journalists across the country. It produces real-time multimedia content—including text, audio, video, images, and interactive graphics—that is distributed to newspapers, radio, television, websites, and other media outlets. CP acts as a content wholesaler, supplying trusted, unbiased news that helps media organizations cover core national stories while allowing them to focus on local angles and exclusive reporting.

CP operates as a cooperative owned by member newspapers, enabling the sharing and distribution of news stories across regions. This system allows local newspapers to access coverage from other parts of the country without maintaining costly bureaus themselves. CP also employs its own journalists in major centres to cover important stories, often producing reports that are clearer and more accurate than those of individual newspapers.

By providing a centralized news service, CP supports the local news ecosystem by ensuring consistent, timely, and impartial coverage that complements local reporting. This is especially valuable for smaller markets and during breaking news events or when local newsrooms have limited staff. CP’s extensive content output—approximately 350,000 articles, 230,000 images and graphics, and 110,000 video and audio clips annually—helps keep audiences informed across multiple platforms.