In order to better inform young Canadians and foster media literacy, CBC is offering two new digital-first news platforms for kids and young adults, including CBC Kids News, a new site launching today, and CBC News Snapchat Discover, which began rolling out on September 5.
“With CBC Kids News, we are deepening our commitment to serve Canadian kids with engaging, informative and trustworthy content,” said Sally Catto, general manager, programming, CBC. “Congratulations to Marie McCann and the entire CBC Kids team on the launch of this platform that will strengthen media literacy and empower kids to find the positive in daily news.”
“Canadians are served with more information from more sources than ever before in today’s digital landscape, and we continue to look for new ways to share our trusted news with younger audiences,” said Jennifer McGuire, general manager and editor in chief, CBC News. “Reflecting our commitment to media literacy education, these initiatives offer an opportunity to adapt our news storytelling to inform kids and young adults on new platforms and help them think more critically about the news they are consuming.”
Launching today and targeted to kids aged 9 – 13, CBC Kids News covers local, national and international stories that are relevant to Canadian kids in a safe and age-appropriate manner with a focus on media literacy. Managed by a seasoned team of journalists who will consult with an editorial board of young Canadians from across the country, the platform will include stories from Canadian contributors aged 9-16, including 14-year-old Toronto-based actor and gender equality and girls education advocate Saara Chaudry (The Breadwinner; Les Misérables). She was one of more than 700 young Canadians who applied and was chosen based on her interest in world issues. Chaudry’s application focused on how half of Malawian children drop out of school before grade 4.
With content pillars including news, sports, pop culture, science, technology, animals and the environment, CBC Kids News will publish approximately 20 stories per week in the initial launch version of the service, with a goal to increase content over time. Stories will include a mix of formats including text and image pieces, video, photo galleries, audience submissions, quizzes and polls. The editorial team will consult with a range of experts, educators and researchers to offer additional resources and information, and ensure that all content is relevant, accurate, reliable and age-appropriate. The website is an extension of CBC’s trusted news brand under the framework of the public broadcaster’s Journalistic Standards and Practices.
Additionally, CBC News has launched on the Snapchat Discover platform, making CBC the first daily news Canadian publisher featured on the app. Targeted to teen and millennial Canadians aged 13 and older, to date more than 70 percent of the CBC News audience on Snapchat is aged 24 or younger. Five times per week, Snapchat users can access CBC News editions created exclusively for the social platform, with each edition containing two to three different segments. Each edition of CBC News on Discover is highly visual, with motion graphics and video. Editions aim to present original and constructive journalism and fresh angles on daily news, including a focus on media literacy. Unlike most personal Snapchat posts, CBC News content doesn’t expire after 24 hours. Previously aired editions are always available using Snapchat’s Search feature. Snapchat reaches over 10 million users in Canada.
Later this fall, CBC will also launch culture and entertainment editions once per week on the Snapchat Discover platform, spanning topics including pop culture, lifestyle, health and more.
