Synopses & Reviews
Substantial changes have occurred in the nature of political
discourse over the past thirty years. Once, traditional media dominated
the political landscape, but in recent years Facebook, Twitter, blogs
and Blackberrys have emerged as important tools and platforms for
political campaigns. While the Canadian party system has proved
surprisingly resilient, the rhythms of political life are now very
different. A never-ending 24-hour news cycle has resulted in a
never-ending political campaign. The implications of this new political
style and its impact on political discourse are issues vigorously
debated in this new volume of How Canadians Communicate, as is
the question on every politician's mind: How can we draw a
generation of digital natives into the current political dialogue?
With contributions from such diverse figures as Elly Alboim, Richard
Davis, Tom Flanagan, David Marshall, and Roger Epp, How CanadiansCommunicate IV
is the most comprehensive review of political
communication in Canada in over three decades - one that poses
questions fundamental to the quality of public life.
David Taras holds the Ralph Klein Chair in media
studies at Mount Royal University. He served as an expert advisor to
the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage and
co-edited the first two volumes in the How Canadians Communicate
series. He is the co-author of The Last Word: Media Coverage of theSupreme Court of Canada
. Christopher Waddell is
director of the School of Journalism and Communication at Carleton
University and holds the Carty Chair in business and financial
journalism. He was formerly national editor for The Globe andMail
and Parliamentary bureau chief for CBC television news.
Review
Journalism has fallen on hard time and journalists have neither the incentive nor the resources to maintain the standard of informed independence that once characterized their profession.
How Canadians Communicate IV carefully dissects the multiple causes of this condition and redefines the concept of political communication in Canada.
- David Smith, University of Saskatchewan
Synopsis
Over the past thirty years, the fundamental character of political discourse has been transformed. As the influence of on-the-spot TV coverage and opinion programs grew, print media--newspapers especially--began to lose their dominant position in the political landscape. More recently, Facebook, Twitter, blogs and BlackBerrys have emerged as important tools for political reporting and analysis and as platforms for the conduct of political campaigns. While the Canadian party system has proved surprisingly resilient, the rhythms of political life are now very different. A relentless, 24-hour news cycle has resulted in the "permanent" campaign. The implications of this new political style and its impact on political discourse are issues vigorously debated in this new volume of How Canadians Communicate, as is the question on every politician's mind: How can we draw a generation of digital natives into the current political dialogue?