Political standoff in Ottawa presents opportunity for journalism online
The political standoff in Ottawa created an unprecedented
opportunity for journalism online. The volume of commentary demonstrates how this publishing format can engage
audiences in a way that is not only good for journalism, but good for democracy.
By
Robert Washburn
The political standoff in Ottawa has created an unprecedented opportunity for journalism online. The amount of commentary produced by these
events demonstrates how this publishing format can engage audiences in a way that is not only good for journalism, but good for
democracy.
An unscientific survey of mainstream Canadian media websites showed thousands of people adding their comments to the bottom of
stories related to the events, starting with the fiscal statement on Nov. 27. One story about the press conference the
three party leaders held to sign the coalition agreement on Dec. 1 is a great example. As of 8:30 p.m., only a few hours after stories were posted, The
Globe and Mail had 1,222 comments on that story alone. Global TV National News set up a forum dedicated to the topic with 49 posts by this time. CBC.ca had an amazing 3,316 comments on this same story, while The Toronto Star had 59 pages of comments. The National Post had 21 comments and CTV.ca cut off its comments because there were so many.
For tech-utopians, people who believe the Internet is a panacea for
journalism, this is heaven. There is no way any newspaper or broadcaster could ever deal with this many letters to the editor or phone calls to a
station. It’s also hard to imagine this scale of letter writing in the past. Technology facilitated an exchange of opinions, comments and
questions. In one case, someone even wrote a poem.
This is a clear example of the rich and diverse kind of discourse that can take
place within this new medium. CBC National News went a step further when it announced its plans to air a special program on Dec. 2 to answer viewers’ questions about what is happening in Ottawa and the ramifications for the rest of the country. Canadians are asked to email questions (by
text or video) via the CBC website
But a question arises: What is the next step? Opinions are a very important part of democratic debate. The
news media have a long tradition of acting as a vessel for these kinds of exchanges. But, like so many aspects of civic life, there is a
lot of talk, but no action. In sifting through the comments, there is a strong sense that people feel disenfranchised. Politicians are labelled as children for their behaviour. One person asked why citizens even bother voting anymore. Another asked what an average Canadian can do to affect
this “ridiculous grab for power”.
If journalism is going to truly capitalize on the extraordinary tool offered by practicing
journalism online, it cannot be satisfied with merely allowing people to vent. There must be a sense of empowerment at the end of it all. Journalism does its
greatest work when it causes change. This is exemplified when an investigative piece forces new legislation or an injustice is
stopped. This is the time when opinions about journalism rise in the eyes of the public, the industry gains audiences trust and secures its credibility. Somehow
journalism must find ways to move beyond the role of giving every Canadian a soapbox. This must be the next debate for
the future of journalism on the Internet.
One of the best examples of empowerment took place during the recent federal election this
fall. Anna Maria Tremonti, host of CBC radio’s The Current, was unable to get Prime Minister Stephen Harper to appear on her show. She played
a compilation of questions for Harper submitted by leaders of community organizations and listeners. No doubt, Tremonti could ask those same
questions and add a lot more of her own. But, by giving the audience the opportunity to express its concerns directly and participate
intimately in the journalistic process, she empowered her listeners, giving them a sense of ownership and the ability to act.
The Globe provides another example. It set up a space on its website to allow the audience to give advice to newly elected Prime Minister Stephen
Harper. While Harper was not obligated to act on any of these ideas, it gave audiences a greater sense of involvement — beyond ranting or offering opinions.
It is particularly vital during the current upheaval to facilitate this kind of exchange.
What can news
organizations do on their websites to give Canadians an opportunity to affect what is going on in Ottawa?
[node:ad]
December 3, 2008
What an outpour from
What an outpour from Canadians indeed! After only 8 minutes after being published, a related article from the Star had over 350 comments!
I believe readers who leave comments want something more than just a comment. As a news reader myself, I’ve always wanted my comments or questions posed to the character(s) in question.
Tremonti is on the right path, by submitting listeners e-mailed questions to Harper. This is similar to the nationally-televised leaders’ debates which took place during the last federal election.
However, I feel no matter what questions are asked, politicians stick to the talking points they were planning to raise anyway. As someone who has an ill family member, I was keenly interested when a Quebecois mother asked the leaders what they would do to help her find a family physician for her young daughter. Finally! Someone who asked the exact same question I have! Let’s hear it!
Unfortunately, most party leaders gave answers not even remotely close to the actual question. They blamed previous governments, spoke about the ideals of health-care, or totally ignored the question completely and talked about something different.
I find in interviews such as these, the interviewer does a poor job of keeping politicians to the point. For this reason, I abstain from comment boards on news sites, with the mentality of “nothing’s going to happen anyway”…
News organizations should do a more thorough job of keeping politicians open to his or her constituents. Lets not just hear from party leaders, but let’s start a conversation with our own local MPs about what’s happening in Ottawa.
Why can’t we have some open, town-hall meetings to discuss our local economies? With Magna closing two local plants, what does my MP Lois Brown plan to do? Anything? Is she planning on bringing our communities concerns to Ottawa? I have no idea where she is or what she’s even doing on the Hill.
Let’s use the popularity of these comment boards to begin some real work. Let’s not just bring the odd question to politicians during a 10-minute interview. Let’s really connect the community to those who represent us at the top and begin to work on our problems.
December 3, 2008
The use of audience comments
The use of audience comments was highlighted Tuesday night on the CBC National News when news anchor Peter Mansbridge hosted a special section answering questions about the political situation in Ottawa gleaned from its website.
It was the kind of interaction advocated in the previous post. The actual posted questions were displayed for the television audience with real names and places. Mansbridge said these were representative of major themes within all the other comments.
There are other examples within the mainstream media where everyday citizens are being given a voice. The Toronto Star posted a video streeter with some excellent, articulate comments from people.
This is all well and good. But, it does not address the central point, which is how these voices affect the actions of the politicians. It is assumed someone in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s staff is watching all this or reading all the comments. Still, there is no guarantee. Is this enough? Or should news organizations being doing more?
What if there were email links from the news websites directly to the party leader’s office in Ottawa so people could read the story and then send their reactions straight to Harper, Dion, Layton and Duceppe?
December 4, 2008
Watching the press conference
Watching the press conference held by Prime Minister Stephen Harper following his meeting with the Governor-General, he was very clear in saying he listened to Canadians voice “their opinions, their comments, their concerns”.
Conservative MP John Baird, Minister of Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities, bragged on CBC that his party was going over the head of the G-G and parliament and directly to the people.
Naturally, this could be viewed as just rhetoric. Yet, Reformers tout a populist approach.
Here is a great opportunity for news websites. By going through the various comments on stories related to the political crisis, what exactly did audiences say. Part of our mandate is providing audiences and those in power with an idea of public opinion. Did the Internet provide a better opportunity for us to do this?