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The Reflection of Canadian Values in Mainstream Newspapers

Overview

Mass media has always been a form of communication and information for large groups of people. Mainstream newspapers in Canada are a part of this group, providing citizens with news articles that can be seen as a reflection of society. The newspapers’ spheres of consensus, legitimate controversy, and deviance all reflect, in different ways, Canadian society and social values. Newspapers and their content are no longer confined to the structure of ink and paper. They have connected to society though internet websites, blogging, and Twitter. Mainstream newspapers have become immersed in different mass media. This growing web of connection is echoed in what articles and opinions are shared within spheres of consensus, controversy, and deviance. These spheres grow and shift to accurately reflect Canadian values.

Hallin's Three Spheres

The Sphere of Consensus

The sphere of consensus in mainstream newspapers is composed of ideas and beliefs that a large majority of people agree upon. These views are ones that journalists do not desire to debate or propose counter-arguments against, as Daniel Hallin stated in his book The Uncensored War. In Canada, the sphere of consensus would include values such as freedom, equality, and respect of multiculturalism. These are principles that are seen as important and valued within Canadian society and articles from mainstream newspapers have merged into a consensus on these topics. Unlike some European papers, in London and Rome for example, Canadian mainstream newspapers do not run stories about Canada being “swamped with unwanted migrants” or the criminal tendencies of particular ethnic groups. The respect Canadian newspapers have for multiculturalism is one shared by the majority of the population. This view of multiculturalism as one of a beneficial nature is placed in the sphere of consensus. Newspapers are better at affirming a society’s established beliefs than changing them. People who hold minority views that are outside the sphere of consensus are not likely to express them. If a person’s viewpoint is contrary to the consensus ideal, they are likely to see a newspaper as extremely biased.

Newspapers share society’s public perceptions. People share concerns over better transportation, education, public justice, and these things are reflected in the sphere of consensus. These interests matter to Canadians, and are reflected by the mainstream newspapers when covering these topics. As stated in The Function of Newspapers in Society: A Global Perspective, “The [news] content will reflect audience interests more than has been true in the past, when newspaper editors’ judgments were more readily accepted by the audience.” The consensus sphere is based on ideas that a majority of people believe to be important. National themes, like equality and multiculturalism, will be published in mainstream newspapers as aiding and promoting civil memories – as an indication of Canadian morals and values.

The Sphere of Legitimate Controversy

Most journalists believe their work falls into the sphere of legitimate controversy. It is where newspaper reporters must remain neutral and offer both sides of a story. News articles are meant to be transmitting devices, whereby reporters filter information to the public. There are also opinion articles and editorials in any mainstream newspaper. These public editorials act in the sphere of legitimate controversy as representatives of a broad variety of Canadian values. In the event of Occupy Toronto, the Star ran editorials and columns that illuminated the reasons for the occupation. One editorial stated, “As the Star has argued before, the Occupy movement’s radical experiment in grassroots protest must now adapt, or fade away… it could profit from more coordinated action with progressive political parties, trade unions, church groups and other agents of positive change.” Editorials work to establish a public discourse and broaden the democracy of newspapers. As Don Sellar, editor of In Our Opinion, wrote, “the best editorials are weapons that advance debate, lead a community, illuminate dark corners or inspire lofty thoughts… Society only benefits from the cross-ventilation of ideas.” Editorials are included in the sphere of controversy because they provide a large base of public opinion, which aid newspapers in accurately reflecting social values.

Legitimate controversy can be seen in most mainstream newspaper articles. Journalists will cover controversial subjects that people have different or opposing opinions about. Newspapers are bias in certain topics, like political affiliations, and people must maintain a skeptical eye to the media. It often depends on the editor-in-chief in how much freedom journalists are given in presenting a diverse view. The purpose of articles such as editorials are believed to be “to hold powerful institutions and elected leaders accountable, demand open court proceedings, fight obsessive secrecy, and unlock file cabinets and computer data bases in the public interest.” This viewpoint is in agreement with the idea that newspapers have a responsibility to deliver information to the public and to reinforce the ideas of its community. The sphere of controversy covers debates from the price of university tuition to arguments over the passing of certain bills in government. What newspapers include in their articles often depends on their target audience. More and more, newspapers are trying to reach out and engage their audiences, and broaden their readership. The Globe and Mail has worked to connect with more female readers by including more lifestyle and family articles in the paper. Controversy in news stories must work to both reinforce their permanent audience and attract new readers. Newspaper articles will work to try to reflect the values of their readership. In his book, Canadian Newspapers: The Inside Story, Walter Stewart explained how newspapers seek to correctly mirror their audience’s values in a comparison between the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star. “…the Globe aims itself at a particular and restricted market… more interested in politics, economics and world news than average. The Star wants to hug every reader in Toronto to its broad bosom. It does this by providing coverage for almost every conceivable interest group, from gardeners to Zen Buddhists…” The difficulty in accurately portraying Canadian values can lead to mainstream newspapers reaching out to a very broad audience, which can isolate some of its members.

The Sphere of Deviance

The sphere of deviance in Canadian newspapers is a reflection of what journalists deem as deviant or unacceptable in society. Daniel Hallin writes that a newspaper “marks out and defends the limits of acceptable political conduct…” This sphere reflects Canadian values by portraying what society finds too radical or unviable. Ideas such as overthrowing the government or debating women’s right to vote are placed in this sphere. An example of this was the controversial topic of police brutality during the G20 in Toronto. Most coverage of the G20 circled around security measurements, vandalism during the protest, and the court case of those who were arrested. The Globe and Maclean’s, as national politically-centred newspapers, emphasized the need for peace and order during the protests. The Toronto Star as a more city-centred and liberal paper covered some cases of police brutality, but it was not as strong a feature in other mainstream papers. Newspapers maintain order by keeping deviant views out of the press or expressing them in a way that defines them as inexcusable or unrealistic. Many Canadians took to social media like Twitter and Facebook to give an accurate picture of events. The absence of articles involving police brutality, in events such as the G20 and Occupy Toronto, places the subject in the sphere of deviance. It is an indication of what newspaper audiences see as too extreme or unpopular a viewpoint. This sphere is growing smaller with the aid of the internet, where Canadians can express more radical views through uncensored social media. Sites like Twitter and Facebook aid in developing a better picture of Canadian values.

Criticism

However, there is criticism to how accurately newspapers represent Canadian values. A big disadvantage is that small, independent papers are being monopolized by mainstream newspapers. As Walter Stewart wrote, “[the chains] represent fewer and fewer voices making louder and louder noises. I have this recurring nightmare in which Canada only has one newspaper, owned by Kenneth Thomson, and filled entirely with Hollywood gossip and columns by Charles Lynch.” The newspaper industry is a business and the more the press is monopolized, the more news content becomes homogenized. The portrayal of Canadian values is diminished when newspapers offer less diverse news articles. As businesses, newspapers must offer a service to their customers, but increasingly newspapers are producing content that attracts advertising companies and shareholders. The values of Canadian society is belittled in mainstream newspapers by “sensationalism, repetition or ‘over-coverage’…” The value of sensationalism and shocking readers is replacing an article’s purpose of providing understanding of an event and reflecting the ideals of Canadian society. John Miller, in his book Yesterday’s News, outlined the type of relationship a newspaper should have with its audience. “…a more transparent affirmation of the role of newspapers in society. The public needs to know why journalists do what they do. [Freedom of the press] should represent a constantly reinforced contract between journalist and reader, in which each of the parties gives up something in order to gain something greater.” The spheres of consensus, legitimate controversy, and deviance within mainstream newspapers have become more standardized from paper to paper. This is due to the increasing hegemony of media companies. The hegemonic process forms large conglomerations that own different mainstream newspapers under the same company. This weakens the diversity found within articles of different papers.

Freedom of the press has changed with the spread of the internet. Online networks have created a larger public dialogue and less personal privacy. Information and news stories are available instantly, with the potential of going viral on the internet. Topics that are too extreme or too radical to be published in ink and paper are conveyed through blogging and online forums. Evidence of police brutality during the G20 and Occupy movements was made clearer on social networking sites. Reporters in the field and bystanders in the area used Twitter to share what they were seeing with others. These tweets, and the different angle taken by the Star newspaper, led to a more knowledgeable comprehension about what happened during the G20. This influenced public opinion about the event and made many citizens more wary about the police force. A reason for the difference in content between print and social media could be caused by the age gap in newspaper readership. A survey by Intel Corporation in the 1990s found that nearly 60 percent of people born after 1971 stated that they were more likely to obtain their news from the internet. Older newspaper readers must be replaced with younger ones, which is proving to be difficult to achieve. There is no clear sense of communal values in the younger generation. As mainstream papers reflect more conservative Canadian values, it is harder to reach out to an audience who doesn’t share the same view. With the strong presence of younger people on networking sites, more liberal viewpoints are expressed. Tools such as the ability to remain anonymous and to publish something at the click of a button aid in undermining the pressure of the sphere of deviance. News also becomes much more personal when paired with social media. In the past, mainstream newspapers had a more impersonal tone and it was challenging for writers to connect with their readers. Today, journalists on Twitter share professional as well as personal information, which forms an emotional connection with readers. The gathering and reporting of news is becoming much more transparent and instantaneous. This changes how people relate to news articles and what ideas newspapers choose to reflect. Newspapers are in the process of reinventing themselves to attract younger generations of readers. The variety of Canadian values and their significance can be seen through this evolution. Mainstream newspapers have used social media to their advantage, forming a clearer picture of values that Canadians believe to be important. Expanding news platforms through social networks has created a better reflection of Canadian morals and values.