Canada stays civil amidst the polarization of American media
Globe and Mail
CNN has a new commercial that features a picture of an apple. “Some people might try to tell you it’s a banana,” says the narrator. They might even scream that it’s a banana. “They might put BANANA in all caps. … But it’s not. This is an apple.”
The ad was, of course, immediately attacked by right-wing columnists. “Trump Derangement Syndrome has struck CNN and is taking a terrible toll,” wrote Thomas Lifson at American Thinker.
The American media have become so deeply polarized that each side has now lost any ability to listen to the other. Each accuses the other of committing fake news – stories based on false facts that are intended to deceive. But the deeper problem resides in columns and editorials and blogs and tweets that take implacable stands, distorting facts and belittling opponents, ignoring or disrespecting other points of view.
Census 2016: More than half of Torontonians identify as visible minorities
CBC
The majority of people living in Toronto identify themselves as visible minorities, newly-released data from Canada’s 2016 census shows.
More than half of respondents — 51.5 per cent — said they belong to a visible minority. That is up from 47 per cent back in 2011.
In Canada, visible minority groups represent 22.3 per cent of the population.
Canada’s changing population: 2016 census shows more immigrants, visible minorities
The latest data set from the 2016 census focuses on the population related to immigration, ethnocultural diversity, housing and Indigenous people. It found 21.9 per cent of Canadians are immigrants, the highest share in 85 years.
‘One of our greatest challenges in the digital era’: Worrying about democracy means thinking about Facebook
CBC
Less than a year ago, the future of Canadian democracy seemed to hang on the question of electoral reform.
In October 2017, the new concern might be Facebook.
“It has never been easier to get engaged than it is today. Digital technologies empower us by offering us multiple ways to connect,” observed Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould at a recent event in Ottawa.
“However, as we all know, the same digital technologies can be used toward some not-so-good ends, such as the spread of misinformation online, injected into the public discussion by those who masquerade as legitimate media sources or individuals.”
Facebook to use Canada as testing ground for new ad transparency features
CBC
Facebook will use Canada as a testing ground as it rolls out new ad transparency features and increases scrutiny of political advertising.
The social media giant said that starting next month Canadian users will be able click “View Ads” on a Facebook page to view what ads it is running on the main platform, as well as Messenger and Instagram.
Facebook also said in its blog post Friday that all ads will be required to be associated with a page, which are often used by companies or groups.
It will start testing these features in Canada and roll it out by next summer to other countries including the U.S., ahead of the midterm elections in November.
The Switch is powering Nintendo toward a $1 billion profit
CNN
Things haven’t been this good at Nintendo for a long time.
The Japanese video game maker ramped up its sales and profit forecasts on Monday as consumers race to buy its latest console, the Switch.
Nintendo (NTDOF) said it now expects operating profit for the current financial year of 120 billion yen ($1.06 billion), nearly double the 65 billion yen ($572 million) it predicted three months ago. That would be its best performance since 2010 when smash hit devices like the Wii and DS were still selling well.
When the Switch went on sale in March, the company said it couldn’t ship enough devices to meet the huge demand. Those problems seem to be easing: Nintendo now expects to sell 14 million of the consoles for the year ending March 2018, up from its previous forecast of 10 million.
