Category / Read / Politics

Elections produce a lot of numbers. A guide to some of the online resources available to help you get on top of the numbers game.

How prepared are journalists to analyze and report on economic issues?

Canwest News Service reporter Archie McLean looked for coverage of our federal election in the foreign press and didn’t find much. News media that have reported or commented on the Canadian campaign include The Guardian (columnist despises the Harper government), The Wall St. Journal (editorial writer loves the Harper government) and The New York Times…

Back in 2005, researchers at the universities of  British Columbia and Saskatchewan found that the press was sloppy in its poll reporting during the ’04 federal campaign. The study concluded with a “hope” that future poll reporting would be more compliant with the Elections Act. Now, a group of Laurier University researchers, critiquing the Globe…

As Canadian news organizations bid to outdo each other in displaying Web 2.0 savvy in their online election coverage, a U.S. study of young voters suggests they should beware of going overboard. Younger voters, it reports, may actually be turned off.

The leaders of the NDP and Conservatives have backed down on their opposition to Elizabeth May being included in the leader’s debate. Was it common sense and an example of character? Was it mere petty politics, a response to a public outcry that May was excluded? Whatever — it’s about time. Meanwhile, former CBC News…

Carleton University’s School of Journalism has launched a new blog, called Campaign Perspectives 2008, about the federal election. Carleton’s faculty includes many of Canada’s senior political reporters, who have covered previous campaigns for news organizations such as CBC Television and The Globe and Mail, including Chris Waddell, Jeff Sallot, Paul Adams and Susan Harada. Waddell,…

The consortium of  broadcast networks that organize the debates among political leader announced they will  exclude Green party Leader Elizabeth May. The group said in a news release that other other party leaders would refuse to participate in the debates on Oct. 1 and Oct. 2 if May took part.The Canadian Press story is here.…

The new Globe and Mail politics portal that was launched in advance of the election announcement is an incredible effort and represents some major resources. However, it fails on several levels. First, it does not fully utilize the interactive features available. It is heavily moderated (which is understandable), but the subject matter seems regulated to…

While it is said all politics is local, a quick survey of community newspapers sites in British Columbia, the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Ontario and the Atlantic region found an overwhelming majority did not have any breaking news regarding the election call Sunday. About 10 per cent of the more than 200 newspapers reviewed had some…