The former publisher of the Calgary Herald wrestles with the consequences of escalating diversity and the diminishing influence of mainstream mediaA couple of years ago, the diversity committee at my newspaper assigned itself the task of determining just how many "ethnic" and "niche" publications were operating within our market.The exact count has escaped my files and my memory, but I recall being surprised at the size of the final total. More than a dozen—close to and maybe more than 15 is my best guess—reasonably healthy looking "ethnic" and "niche" papers were on the go. And these were actually publications, not "new media" websites. Some papers, such as Sing Tao, were corporate dailies and while most were weeklies it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the depth of the challenge for Canada's "mainstream" media.The mirror that once reflected Canada's image back at its citizens has fragmented into hundreds of pieces. And those pieces vary from the demographic to the psychographic; from publications such as ChristianWeek and the Jewish Free Press that specialize in a readership with a faith foundation, to those catering to new Canadians from India, Vietnam, Britain—you name it.   Fractured common groundMost Canadians celebrate Canada's diversity, but it is clear that most of its mainstream media—once a powerful and influential force—is groaning under the pressure of an increasingly fractured common marketplace.The diversification of Canada's population has combined with the reduced costs of technological advancement to spawn an exciting new era for "independents" in both traditional and new media formats.These forces have in turn exposed the lack of innovation that is the soft underbelly of many mainstream media struggling to display the necessary core skill—adaptation—that will save them from the fate of the dinosaurs, history's lumbering poster boys of evolutionary rigidity.The situation for most major print properties (there are enlightened exceptions, but that is a discussion for another day) is unlikely to improve. Free dailies such as Metro and 24 Hours have grown their readership among commuter populations in cities such as Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver despite being filled with assembly line editorial content primarily notable for its cost efficiency.It remains an open question whether these publications are actually "attractive" to readers or whether they are simply a convenient way to pass the time of day (sort of like an airline movie) when there is nothing else to do on commuter bus or train. There is no question, however, that these products are attractive to advertisers. Their agents look for ways to buy their way around traditional media that are clearly not drawing the audiences of which they were once capable.The financial marketplace will eventually determine the economic fates of these various players—particularly in the broadcast world where the proliferation and fragmentation of media is most obvious to the average consumer.   Retreat into silosWhat remains equally unknown and even less frequently discussed, however, is the impact of this social fragmentation on our community at large. Let me explain. Thirty or so years ago, major local papers were read on a daily basis by close to three quarters of the citizens in their communities. Their pages were the common ground where almost all citizens—Jews, Muslims and Christians, Protestants and Catholics, English and French, Ukrainian, Italian and Chinese—crossed paths on a daily basis. It was where they encountered each other's opinions and perspectives. Today, those same major local papers are typically read on a daily basis by about one-third of their citizens. And the number is dropping almost every year—a phenomena that has many in the industry either frozen like deer in the headlights of a Peterbilt or further homogenizing the homogenous content that lost readers in the first place.Nevertheless, the common philosophical ground that mainstream media once represented in our society is now about half the size—and shrinking—that it was a generation or two ago. And without a common ground, we are increasingly left only with the ethnic, religious and psychological silos to which we typically retreat and find comfort.Christians, in other words, are going to get more and more of their information from specifically Christian sources, whether in print or online. Ditto for Muslims (the Muslim Free Press was launched in 2006), Jews, Sikhs, Hindus and others. As each of these societal segments retreats onto its own holy ground, the common ground provided by mainstream media where societies exchange and debate ideas will continue to shrink.Christians will live within the walls of Christendom and their debates—although most assuredly vigorous—will be internal to the Christian community. There will be less and less ground upon which Christians can debate large issues of community with fellow Sikh and Muslim citizens and vice versa.This, despite the proliferation of media sources, threatens to increase levels of civic ignorance and misunderstanding due to the lack of exposure to different views and perspectives. Indeed, the retreat of faith communities into silos leaves the common ground defenseless against the forces of secular fundamentalism.And the greater the dominance of secular fundamentalism on the common ground, the more likely it is that faith communities will continue to retreat within the walls of their own psychological fortresses. An endlessly reinforcing cycle that encourages further fragmentation in our society is on the rise.   Challenges the Great CommissionHerein lies the challenge for Christians who, after all, are instructed to carry Christ's message to the far corners of the world. How can this Great Commission possibly remain a goal—indeed, a duty—when in our own comfortable North American lives we huddle inside the warm confines of psychologically comfortable company and retreat from the challenges of secular fundamentalism?It seems absurd that Christians across Canada are proudly supporting missions and the spreading of The Word in Uganda and Nicaragua while simultaneously withdrawing their voice from, for instance, the public school system and civic political debates.I am sympathetic to the fear of stepping into the rhetorical crosshairs of secular fundamentalists. The appalling attacks on Darrell Reid when he was appointed chief of staff in the federal Ministry of the Environment did, after all, expose the anti—Christian bigotry that has become so fashionable in 21st Century Canada. And, according to University of Lethbridge sociologist Reginald Bibby and his recent book, The Boomer Factor: What Canada's most Famous Generation is Leaving Behind, it gets worse.One of Bibby's more recent studies found 31 per cent of respondents saying they felt uneasy just being around a born—again Christian, compared to 18 per cent in the case of a Muslim and five per cent in the case of a Jew.In other words, Christians—at least those of the born again persuasion—are not really welcome in today's public square. And to be fair, it's equally appalling that one in five Canadians feels uncomfortable in the presence of a Muslim and one in 20 doesn't like hanging around Jews. There is undoubtedly some cross over in the numbers, but if these intolerance ratings are used in straight combination, they show that 54 per cent of Canadians prefer not to share the public square with a Christian, Muslim or Jew.This sort of prejudgment—aka prejudice—is the product of ignorance. Ignorance occurs when people don't get to know each other and can therefore more easily fall prey to the falsehoods that create the fear that fuels bigotry.As our mainstream—or shared—media continues to decline under the domination of secular fundamentalism, Christians and citizens of all faiths need not to retreat into silos but to sally forth with courage. They and their media will need to find new ways for holy ground to become common ground where they can present, challenge and defend ideas.The alternative is a social incoherence incapable of serving of any of the nation's secular or faith communities.   Peter Menzies is past publisher of the Calgary Herald and a Senior Fellow at the Work Research Foundation (www.wrf.ca).