Fragmentation and democracy
Pollster Nik Nanos offered some of his views about our new media environment and the risks it poses for Canadian society and its democracy at an event in Ottawa. The Toronto Star’s Susan Delacourt blogged about them.
Thu, October 7 2010 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page, Minutiae » Comments Off
Trust = confirmation bias
Read this U.S. Gallup poll to see what I mean. Here’s the slide that caught my eye: For background, read my Aug. 27 post: A house united in ignorance cannot stand. A October 2004 survey by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) on the separate realities of Bush and Kerry supporters is a must-read. Bush supporters [...]
Wed, September 29 2010 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page, Media, politics » Comments Off
When the spin machine gets amusing
The Globe and Mail’s Jeffrey Simpson on the Conservative government’s spin to sell Canadians on the need for $16-billion worth of stealth fighter jets.
Tue, September 28 2010 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page, Media » Comments Off
Why social media sucks as a political change tool
The New Yorker’s Malcom Gladwell wonders how people managed to fight for change in the U.S. civil rights era when they didn’t even have email, let alone Facebook groups. These few grafs are the meat of his article, headlined “Small change:”
Mon, September 27 2010 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page, Media » Comments Off
A house united in ignorance cannot stand
The NYT’s Timothy Egan on the wilful ignorance (if that’s the right term for it) of far-right Americans and the media that abets them.
Fri, August 27 2010 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page, Media » 1 Comment
It’s just nasty, right-wing showbiz, folks
Globe and Mail television critic John Doyle holds forth on the SunTV gambit.
Tue, June 22 2010 » Main Page, Media » Comments Off
The 10th anniversary of globeandmail.com
Globeandmail.com marked its 10th anniversary on June 19, the first Canadian newspaper website to offer a dedicated team delivering breaking news online. My arrival came about on July 24, 2000. My job title was senior web producer for globeandmail.com (not as grand as it sounds; there was another senior producer and a chief producer). Here’s [...]
Mon, June 21 2010 » Main Page, Media » Comments Off
J-prof doesn’t think a Fox News North will thrive here
Christopher Dornan of the Carleton University School of Journalism doesn’t think the Fox News version of “fair and balanced” vitriol and mean-spiritedness will play in Canada. So the question becomes, what does Quebecor see as the persona for this proposed new TV channel?
Mon, June 14 2010 » Main Page, Media » Comments Off
Scolding the PMO over spin control
The Toronto Star weighed in with an editorial about the federal Conservative government’s obsession with micro-managing government communications.
Sun, June 13 2010 » Main Page, Media » Comments Off
Former top Harper aide now a Quebecor Hill journo
This is mildly mind-boggling. It does suggest the question of whether Quebecor Media Inc. (QMI) wants to become Fox News North as the Toronto Star suggests.