What are you looking for? How the media provides citizens opportunities to communicate their needs and concerns about political issues.

How do the media connect Canadians to their government?

Media includes: Newspapers, magazines, film, radio, television, internet, books, billboards, social media (Twitter, FaceBook, Instagram, etc.) Deliver information and messages very quickly to large audiences. Don’t just report the news… They influence our personal understanding of the world and how it works.

Journalists make decisions about what news stories to cover and whose perspectives to include. If you only watch Canadian TV stations, or 1 Canadian TV station, how might that shape your worldview?

All media messages… Are created by people who interpret the facts and make choices about how to tell the story. List some factors which might affect how stories are told.

When a story is repeated It begins to affect what happens next.

The Media… Doesn’t just report the news; they influence our personal understanding of the world and how it works.

Politicians Develop key messages for the media, to control how the media present them, and to communicate what they want Canadians to know. Usually these are memorable quotes or phrases, almost like slogans.

Slogans… Are phrases repeatedly used by politicians or marketers to present an idea.

Slogans… Are phrases repeatedly used by politicians or marketers to present an idea. “Equal, Elected, Effective”; “Triple E Senate” The West wants in!”

How do reporters see their role?

What’s the Parliamentary Press Gallery? An association of reporters who cover the decisions and actions of Canada’s government. The press gallery includes about 350 reporters from media outlets across Canada.

The Press Gallery Includes: Aboriginal Peoples Television Network Association De La Presse Francophone CBC/Radio-Canada Le Devior- French paper, Montreal Ming Pao News- Chinese-language newspaper, based in Hong Kong, has Canadian editions Van/TO OMNI Television- South Asian, Italian, Chinese, Portuguese, and Caribbean

How to DETECT BIAS Bias: a type of thinking rooted in a person’s point of view. Sometimes a bias toward one subject or another creates unbalanced information in the news.

Your Team?

Danait?

Bias: An opinion based on unchallenged assumptions (beliefs) The key is to be open minded when presenting and analyzing the issues.

What do lobbyists do? A lobbyist is someone hired by a group to influence MPs and government officials.

Lobbyists: Must register with a Commissioner of Lobbyists, so everyone in Canada can know who they are and who they represent.

Lobbyists: Voice the views of groups on issues that affect their members, products, or services.

The Federal Accountability Act: Introduced rules that require lobbyists to document which MPs and government officials they meet with.

How do Lobbyists see their role? Lobbyists represent views and perspectives of different groups on issues that affect Canadians. For example, lobbyists are part of the debate about the development of the oils sands in Alberta.

Homework: Page 49, Detecting Bias Read the article on Page 49, Law to Fix Elections Dates. Answer the 7 bullet points above the article.