PO Podcast 91 – Media coverage and the campaign online

On Monday night, people across Canada tuned in to the first federal debate hosted by the new Leaders’ Debates Commission. If you were looking for measured discussions of policy alternatives, you were out of luck. Instead, viewers got a taste of the parties’ brand management, followed by the usual media narratives: who’s up in the polls, who scored a hit on whom, who “won.” While the messaging may be familiar, there’s no doubt the media landscape itself has changed. Parties and voters are turning more and more to social media. Individuals now have a forum to actively engage with what they’re reading and to hear directly from experts or MPs. But they can also be subject to mis- and disinformation in ways we’re still trying to account for. Today on the podcast, we’re sharing the conversation from the second event in Policy Options’ election 2019 breakfast series, in which Shree Paradkar, Taylor Owen, Paul Adams and moderator Jennifer Ditchburn discuss media coverage and the campaign online. This event series is held in partnership with the Max Bell School of Public Policy, sponsored by the CBC, and broadcast by CPAC. Download for free. New episodes every second Wednesday. Tweet your questions and comments to @IRPP or @jbugiel.