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 The Political Influence of Newspapers in Canada 

About

Political bias has been a component of mass media since it's inception, but has changed dramatically with the introduction of new media forms and an increase in the number of outlets available to consumers. The availability of an array of news publications to Canadian audiences allows for a variety of political views to be represented. While it may be argued that public opinion is formed as a result of politically biased reporting, a 2008 study by the Canadian Media Research Consortium entitled, The Credibility Gap: Canadians and their news media, found that a majority of Canadians surveyed agree that political bias exists in the reporting of news. This admission however, does not interfere with the respondents' trust of news reporters who include political bias in their reporting. This observation made by the CMRC is an indication that Canadians acknowledge and accept the existence of political biases in traditional media forms such as newspapers. Because these biases are identified by the consumers of these media products, it is to be understood that readers select their publications based on the relationship between their own political beliefs and the biases, however subtle, presented in the publications to which they subscribe.

Newspapers and Readerships

This distinction is important in the understanding of the newspaper's role in Canadian politics; while it is clear that entirely 'objective reporting' is not the norm, overt bias is still unacceptable to media consumers. According to the CMRC study, 24% of surveyed Canadians stopped using a specific news source because of lost trust. The fact that trust plays such a large role in a consumer's inclination to read or disregard the offerings of a particular news outlet indicates that readers select publications based on their own individually pre-determined political values. Therefore, when a given publication no longer represents the reader in the way they imagine themselves, trust is lost and the publication loses a reader. That reader will then turn to another form of media that they feel will more accurately represent their beliefs. This being the case, it is difficult to determine exactly how much influence Canadian newspapers have on the political decisions and leanings of their readers, since it would appear that readerships are based on beliefs that already exist within a reader.

James W. Carey and the Ritual Model of Communication

James W. Carey, the communications theorist and media critic argues in his ritual model of communication that rather than presenting new information to readers, newspapers simply reflect and test existing myths. That is, news publications present the public’s preexisting ideas about current events and do not provide new thoughts and opinions, but simply mirror the existing ones back at the public. This model works in the context of many North American newspapers, some of which have been in print since the early 1900s, and whose readerships have remained similar over the years. Using a Canadian example, the Toronto Star is a publication which came into its own under Joseph Atkinson, whose strong social conscience and the ‘Atkinson Principles’ have carried on throughout the paper’s history. Its centre-left to liberal political alignment is supported by its readership. Readers of the Toronto Star do not read it to be convinced of it’s political leanings, but to read stories which reflect their existing beliefs.

Herman and Chomskey: Manufacturing Consent Edward S. Herman’s and Noam Chomskey’s book, Manufacturing Consent outlines the authors’ propaganda model which asserts that the news media sympathizes with the government and its policies, resulting in the marginalization of dissenters. This model has lost some favor to other other models since its original publication. It contains five ‘news filters’ which they argue are deployed by the mass media in reporting: Ownership, Funding, Sourcing, Flak and Anti-communist ideals.

Other Theories of Newsmaking

The Mirror Model The mirror model argues that news reporting is event-centered and portrays events accurately and that news is driven by occurrences which lie outside the control of owners or journalists.

The Distorted Mirror Model World events are portrayed by journalists in a way that fits a journalistic agenda or standard, while still reporting events factually.

The Ownership Model The political and business interests of owners are the main priority in reporting.

The Audience Model As purported by media theorist Neil Postman, consumers influence news based on what is entertaining to them.

The Organizational Model The socialization of the newsroom is influenced by the news organization, which results in reporting within organizational constraints.

The Political Model Journalists and power holders shape public opinion through critical reporting.

The Cultural Model Canadian Policymakers and Government Regulators attempt to shape the Canadian identity (myths) through Canadian content and the enhancement of Canadian perspectives.

Public Opinion, Agenda Setting and Framing

An important distinction to be made when discussing public opinion and agenda setting in Canada is the role newspapers play versus how readers think about issues. As written by Paul Nesbitt-Larking, "People's menu of issues for political discussion was to be found in the selections made by the media; that the press determine what people think and talk about". While it is true that newspapers decide what audiences read and therefore think about, newspapers in the Canadian context do not play the role of telling readers what and how to think about the issues presented. This, in conjunction with James W. Carey’s ideas about the Ritual Model of Communication provide a clearer idea of the political role Canadian newspapers play in shaping the opinions of their readers.

Habermas: Media and the Public Sphere Today

German sociologist Jürgen Habermas’ ideas about the transformation the public sphere and the disappearance of the bourgeois public sphere that he contends existed in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The idea that the elite can no longer monopolize and dictate public opinion is another component of the Carey and Nesbitt-Larking view of the current relationship between the media, more specifically, Canadian Newspapers and the Canadian public. While it may not have always been the case, the transformation of newspaper reporting since its inception has changed to work within the context of what readers care about and what they believe. As it relates to politics and Canadian newspapers, one subscribes to the outlet which best reflects that individual’s beliefs. Newspapers do not move to convince a reader of an idea, political or otherwise, but rather affirms an individual's existing beliefs. While political bias is and always has been present in journalism, the act of selecting a particular publication is in itself an act of acknowledging the subscription to a political outlook.

Interactions between Journalists and Members of Parliament in Canada

A study by the Canadian Media Research Consortium entitled Fairness in the Media surveyed Canadian Journalists and Canadian Members of Parliament regarding fairness in the reporting of politics. Of the participating journalists, 9% worked for the Globe & Mail while the remainder worked for 34 different Canadian news outlets, the majority being newspaper journalists. Most respondents agreed on the elements of fair journalism. When asked about the importance of avoiding obvious partisanship or bias in reporting, 78% of Journalists and 84% of MPs responded with “very important”. These findings provide further insight into the relationship between politics and journalism and more specifically, Politicians and Journalists. It is evident within this research that while it is present, political bias is not overt in reporting and does not have the ability to ‘convert’ readers from one political leaning to another.