AI systems use Canadian journalism but don’t attribute sources: report
By Canadian Press on March 16, 2026.
OTTAWA — A new report says AI systems depend on Canadian journalism for knowledge but don’t offer compensation or proper attribution in return.
The study, which was conducted by McGill University’s Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy, involved researchers testing 2,267 Canadian news stories on four major AI models.
They found that when ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Grok were asked about Canadian news events from their training data, they did not provide source attribution about 82 per cent of the time.
They said that when the AI platforms were asked about specific articles with web access enabled, in most cases they provided enough of the original reporting in their responses to make it unnecessary for the user to visit the original news source.
The report says the system “accelerates the economic decline of the journalism it relies on.”
The report was released during a national summit the federal government is holding in Banff to look at issues around AI and culture.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2026.
Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press
11-10
If AI is depending on Canadian media for knowledge, than we all are going to be misinformed.
Many of the media in Canada use the Associated Press for news, even the Canadian Press when it comes to reporting on the Middle East. The Associated Press (AP) had Hamas members embedded in their reporters . . .often Hamas leadership reporting . . . and Hamas censored much of the reports and in cases reported propaganda, not news. There was no code of ethics!
The CBC has consistently reported what the AP reported, as fact . . . again no code of ethics! Global also has failed to verify reports and reported similar news, but it also was Hamas/Hezbollah generated and often focused on the readers to gain support for their terrorist activities and falsely accuse Israel . . . constantly . . . the most notable began at the beginning of the Gaza war where media reported around the world that Israel bombed a hospital, killed 500 people taking refuge or seeking medical help around the hospital . . . even the UN condemned Israel . . . but it was later found there was not 500 people killed but only a few and it was a Hamas rocket fired in a cemetery near the hospital that failed, crashing down outside the hospital . . . later the UN didn’t apologize when realizing the truth . . . and later, it was found that the hospital had a major Hamas facilty below it, with connecting tunnels and was supplying that structure with electricity, all while denying any terrorists were operating near or in the hospital! Most media would not admit their mistake or acknowledge they failed to follow the code of ethics in Journalism . . . and that was the beginning of media constantly reporting propaganda for Hamas . . . instead of the facts, the truth, an actual ethical, unbiased news they are supposed to report!
I could state enough instances of disinformation being spewed by our Canadian media to write a book in the last 2 years! So much: CBC, BBC, Al Jazerra, and Global have been removed from my TV guide listings . . . I refuse to listen to their unprofessional reports. Like many parts of society, ethical behaviour has disappeared.
Sadly, most of the people believe it! So . . . if AI is using our media for knowledge . . . media as we once knew it is doomed!