With only one more sleep to go, Media Democracy Day will be taking place Saturday at the VPL! It promises to be an inspirational experience featuring visionaries and experts from a wide range of media spaces, who will lead conversations on how media is being shaped and how we, as a community, can be a part of the change.
If you haven’t already made up your mind to attend, we’ve put together six reasons you don’t want to miss out on this year’s event.
Media Fair – Our fair features over 25 local and global organizations working in alternative media. This is a fantastic time for you to speak with representatives to learn more about their missions and projects, as well as how you can get involved.
Exploreindependent media and politics – One of our panels this year focuses specifically on the role of independent investigative journalism and critical political analysis in informing the public and empowering marginalized voices.
Learn about online privacy issues in Canada – Are we being spied on? This hot topic will be addressed by a panel of policy experts who will discuss the technical, legal, and political challenges involved.
Jesse Brown – Renowned journalist Jesse Brown, from Canadaland, will kick-off Media Democracy Day. His independent podcast is acclaimed for breaking critical media stories without censorship.
Get a MDD perspective on #Elxn42 – Hear from individuals and groups who were active in the campaign as they detail their unique experiences and thoughts on citizen engagement.
Meet Others – MDD is about building community, and this inclusive event is a great opportunity to meet individuals from all walks of life who are united by a passion for media reform.
We hope to see you all tomorrow! Find our full program at 2015.mediademocracydays.ca
-Courtney from Media Democracy Days
Election Hangover: Some Sober Second Thoughts from MDD
October 20th 2015 - Posted by Sydney Ball
The reveal has been made, and we’ve got plenty of questions to ask atMDD 2015
After more than 1/5th of a year of commenting on the federal election campaign, Andrew Coyne seemed almost gleeful rattling off statistics showing how Atlantic voters had decimated the Conservative popular vote relative to the 1993 election.
That was the year that the Tories were reduced to only two seats nationwide. It was also the year that the Tories raised the ire of Canadians by attacking Jean Chretien’s facial paralysis caused by Bell’s palsy. This marked the first time that an attack ad played a central role in a major Canadian election, telegraphed the future of Canadian politics and set the foundation for the future Conservative Party of Canada. The Liberals won a landslide victory that year, and tonight, 22 years later, the polls hadn’t even closed in BC when the CBC called this election for Trudeau’s “new” Liberal party. The parallels to 1993 are striking.
Coyne, a libertarian/conservative-leaning pundit, resigned his job as comments editor this weekend after the National Post rejected his personal column endorsing a candidate not favoured by the paper’s corporate ownership and editorial board. As every major Postmedia paper in the country slammed the Liberals and NDP in bolded letters highlighted by “Elections Canada yellow,” Coyne tweeted: “the Conservatives don’t deserve to be elected and the Liberals don’t deserve a majority.” He voted NDP and slammed every party (almost) equally.
For what it’s worth, the Canadian electorate seems to have disagreed with both Coyne and Postmedia, giving the Liberals a tremendous majority and leaving the Conservatives with strong but decidedly second-place official opposition status. Stephen Harper professed having “no regrets whatsoever” and accepted his renewed role as Member of Parliament, but indicated his resignation as party leader in a note issued to media [It’s a little ironic that the Globe and Mail’s much ridiculed endorsement for a Conservative party without Stephen Harper now seems almost prophetic]. Third place, Tom Mulcair, conceded his position with a too-generous humility that stood in contrast to the combative tone he carried throughout the latter half of the campaign, while Green Party leader Elizabeth May accepted her lone seat with optimism for the future along with a frustrated acknowledgement of the role that strategic voting played in her party’s weak performance.
Canada’s new Prime minister-elect, Justin Trudeau, accepted the Liberal win radiating charisma and positivity. Despite the Conservative claim that he was “just-not ready,” and the NDP claim that this was the “same old Liberal party,” the Canadian electorate opted to give Trudeau the chance to prove otherwise.
The longest Canadian election in living history has officially concluded.#elxn42promised real change you can believe in, and it delivered change with a heavy hand. On November 7thMedia Democracy Dayswill be hosting independent media makers and progressive opinion leaders, such asJesse Brown of CANADALAND, Leena Minifie of The Indigenous Reporting Fund and Ricochet,andJamie BiggarofLeadNow.The people have spoken and Stephen Harper is removed from the PMO but when the dust settles on #elxn42, where do we go from here?
-Matthew on behalf of Media Democracy Days
Stay tuned to our social media for more updates on MDD 2015 and find our program at2015.mediademocracydays.ca
Program Announced for MDD 2015
September 30th 2015 - Posted by Sydney Ball
Join Us On Nov 7th for MDD 2015
We’re over a month and a half into this election, with three weeks left to go. And if you are feeling a little fatigued over the media coverage, the party fights, the talking points, we can’t blame you.
In contrast to the way elections are usually covered, in MDD 2015 we want to celebrate the dedication and work of those in alternative media, in art, in issue based organizations, and in the non-for profit sector, who are working to engage Canadians and really make their mark on public opinion at the polls. There’s the overwhelming sense that this is an election to change Canada. The stakes are high, and the decision of who takes the federal office will truly impact lives across our nation.
That’s why we are excited to announce this year’s program, which will take place after the election. Media Democracy Day 2015, held on November 7th at the downtown branch of the Vancouver Public Library, will seek to answer questions about how the government of Canada was chosen, what part media played in the political decision making of Canadians, what narratives were made of Election 42, and what alternative media’s plans are to keep public engagement high no matter which party is elected.
Our day will begin with a Keynote Address from Jesse Brown of Canadaland, brought to you by the Spry Lecture at Simon Fraser University and MDD. Jesse is a renowned journalist, and Canadaland features investigative journalism, in-depth interviews, and a perspective on Canadian media that doesn’t shy away from hard questions.
Following Jesse, we will host a series of panels, including:
Stop Spying on Us, featuring Steve Anderson from OpenMedia, Micheal Vonn from the BCCLA, and Andrew Clement from the University of Toronto where he coordinates the Information Policy Research Program, who will address the technical, legal, and political challenges Canadians face in working to protect and defend their privacy online
Beyond Fear & Great Hair: Shaping debate in #elxn42, featuring Donald Gutstein, author of Harperism; Jamie Biggar from Leadnow; Anastasia Gaisenok from Check Your Head and Up For Debate; and Tara Mahoney from Gen Why Media and Creative Publics, who will reflect on their strategies for engaging the public in Canadian electoral politics.
Changing the Channel: News, Independent Media and Campaign 2015, featuring Leena Minifie from Ricochet the Indigenous Reporting Fund, Michael Stewart from Rabble.ca, and Jim Mainguy from Redeye on Vancouver Co-op Radio to discuss the role of investigative journalism and critical political analysis in informing citizens, empowering marginalized voices, and exploring the relationship between politics and the public good.
Stay tuned to our social media channels throughout the next month for full program details, interviews with our guest speakers and more.
The end is in sight for Election 42, and we hope to see you all on November 7, when we will examine the role of alternative media and public debate in fostering a vital media democracy movement.
Correction: In our newsletter, we misprinted Donald Gutstein’s book title as “Harperland” instead of “Harperism.”
Weekly Round Up – September 13-18, 2015
September 18th 2015 - Posted by Sydney Ball
The weekly roundup offers a convenient summary of this week’s happenings in Media Democracy news. You may also keep up to date every day by following our Twitter account @MediaDemocDay and our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MDDVancouver
Thumbnail images do not belong to MDD. Images link to their source.
The Leap Manifesto isn’t radical. It’s a way out of Canada’s head-in-the-sand politics
The groundbreaking Leap Manifesto was published this week, and calls for ecological and economic responsibility in Canada beyond what our political party system is offering. Martin Lukacs, one of the drafters of the Manifesto along with Naomi Klein, writes this piece for The Guardian and dismisses criticisms from mainstream press about the Manifesto calling for some sort of leftie-induced apocalypse. The Leap Manifesto is essential because many world leaders still don’t have a grasp on the neo-liberal-induced climate apocalypse headed our way.
Fact check: Stephen Harper tests voters’ credulity in Globe economy debate
Same as writer Nora Loreto, I found it hard to separate clear policy information from the rehearsed talking points, as well as all the fighting during last night’s debate. Here’s the reading on the candidates’ debate answers from Rabble.ca‘s handy Truthiness Meter.
Niqab ruling to be appealed to Supreme Court, Tories say
The Harper government continues pushing its platform for “old-stock” Canadians. Here’s the latest from the CBC on the government’s fight for a niqab ban at citizenship ceremonies.
Conservatives made deal to quiet dissent on C-51, gun group says
The president of the National Firearms Association (NFA) takes to twitter after the Harper Government fails to live up to their backroom deal. It’s a good reminder that we can’t reply on the government for transparency during legislative decision making, but we can hope that information makes its way into our media regardless. Article from Maclean’s.
Four Reasons to Stop Sharing Nationwide Election Polls
A lot of the news media during #elxn42 reports on national polls. This is a great article from Heather Libby and The Tyee that outlines why you should pay no mind to the numbers. For polls on key swing ridings, check out Leadnow’s Vote Together campaign.
It’s Happening – MDD 2015!
September 09th 2015 - Posted by Sydney Ball
Save the Date for MDD 2015 on November 7th
Apologies for the extended silence, rest assured The Media Democracy Project is alive and well. And it seems the world hasn’t stopped turning without us! As you hopefully know, we are in the middle of an election, and many of the issues that we’ve centred past MDD events around are coming to the forefront. It’s never been more important than now to question how the media is helping to shape Canadians’ political decision making.
With this in mind, we are anxious and excited to focus our main event this year around the forthcoming election. There will be a one day program at the Vancouver Public Library on Saturday November 7th. With added hindsight, MDD will set out to discuss how the 2015 Federal Election’s narrative will have taken shape, and how to continue as engaged citizens regardless of what government is formed in Ottawa. Keep your eyes peeled for more information, our 2015 program will come soon enough. Read more
