Thread by @Garossino

If you think our news reporting covered the key themes of this election well, name one shadow cabinet critic in Canada’s third party, & an issue of concern they’re advocating.

#cdnpoli
#elxn44

How many hours of coverage did the PPC get, just by throwing tantrums at PMJT’s appearances?

Relative to that third party you know nothing about, which won more seats than Jagmeet Singh…

#cdnpoli #elxn44

The point is that the press—the only industry/profession specifically named & protected in our constitution—has a role to play in elections, to inform the public about matters of national importance.

The rise & enduring strength of the Bloc means that

a) minority govts will be the rule, not exception

b) they are numerous & important enough to be players

c) they are inherently newsworthy

I’m no exception.

Living on the West Coast, I know almost zip about the Bloc.

But watching the absurdly outsized coverage of the PPC got me thinking a lot more about how we’re doing this.

Because the PPC strategy effectively was to produce political porn.

Knowing that if you put on a shocking show for the news cameras, the media will do your advertising for free.

Because Trudeau is despised by a significant population, & in particular by the CPC base,

..the PPC plan was simply to show up wherever he went & live out their dreams by screaming or throwing things at him on camera.

Or threaten him on social media.

If your message is hate, there’s always a market, and any news coverage will add to your ranks.

Need publicity? Go where the cameras are & put on a show.

Btw, Trudeau may have been caught by surprise by this technique early on, but there surely came a point where all this noise served his interests too.

These are just ramblings, but by now we have to know the distorting power of imagery over information.

News journalism has an obligation to be judicious in the use of cameras when they are being exploited by dangerous forces.

And it would behoove all of us to start learning about the Bloc.