Elections underscore the public service mission of journalism
Lawn signs are going up, political leaders are making promises and local candidates are knocking on your door — Canada’s 44th general election is truly underway.
I think elections at all levels are important. They are a time for candidates and parties to detail their vision. It’s a chance for voters to hold politicians accountable — and perhaps send them packing, if they judge the incumbents lacking.
Elections determine the direction of our communities. They shape the policies that will be enacted and the personalities who represent us. And the campaigns themselves do influence how people cast their ballot.
The media are an important part of the democratic process now underway that will culminate on election day on Sept. 20. News organizations like the Toronto Star have a duty to inform voters, to challenge politicians on their promises, to fact-check their claims, and in the case of those seeking re-election, to hold them accountable for their time in office.
It’s a big undertaking. While the parliamentary bureau in Ottawa will lead the day-to-day coverage, writing on this election will involve most corners of the newsroom as Star journalists provide a variety of perspectives on the issues at play.
In a note to readers, Star editor Anne Marie Owens wrote that it is critical that leaders have a real debate on the issues — “and that voters make a considered decision.”
In addition to the daily news stories, Owens highlighted other elements of the Star’s election coverage that include regular fact-checking of leader statements, riding profiles and an online feature that will aggregate poll results.
Polls can offer a tantalizing snapshot of voters’ opinions. But care must be taken. They must be reported responsibly with due consideration for sample sizes and margins of error.
It can feel like there are parallel elections underway. At one level, the leaders’ tours barnstorm across the country making policy announcements in communities big and small. Accompanying a leader offers opportunities — often tightly controlled, mind you — to press the politicians on their track record and campaign promises. But these tours can become a bubble, parachuting into locales with little time for journalists to truly take in the local mood or issues.
Then there are the campaigns unfolding in each of the country’s 338 ridings where candidates are vying for votes.
The stories from the leaders’ buses tell us what these politicians are saying to the country. The stories from the ridings tell us what Canadians are saying to the politicians. What are your concerns? What are your priorities?
In covering six federal elections, l came to appreciate the vastness of this country and the distinctions that make each region unique. There were differences, sometimes stark, between the concerns heard in the Prairies versus those voiced in the Maritimes, or between urban and rural voters — even between the ridings found along Highway 401.
Often the most insightful days covering a campaign were the ones spent with a candidate knocking on doors in a riding. Hearing firsthand from voters often provided a reality check on the political rhetoric.
Stories that give voice to voters provide a valuable window into their thinking that will ultimately determine the outcome of the election.
I think it’s important too that the Star’s coverage embrace the diversity of viewpoints on offer in this election, and not just those of the front-runners. But that does not mean equal time to all candidates or parties.
Jordan Himelfarb, the Star’s politics editor, notes that more than 20 political parties are running candidates. “We, as with any newspaper, have the resources to cover only a fraction of those. So, to provide richer, more informative coverage, we focus on the parties most likely to win seats and shape the outcome: Liberals, Conservatives, New Democrats, Greens and Bloc Québécois,” he explained.
As for the People’s Party of Canada, Himelfarb said there will be some coverage given the prominence of leader Maxime Bernier and the cultural significance, in this moment, of his relatively new party. But Bernier’s party won’t get the same attention as one of the major parties, he said.
I know that won’t please some readers. But I think that’s the right call.
What would you like to see in the Star’s election coverage? Drop me a note at publiced@thestar.ca and I’ll make sure your suggestions get passed along.
Elections underscore the public service mission of journalism, to inform citizens about the issues and choices before them. It’s a mission the Star has always taken to heart. Bruce Campion-Smith is the Star’s public editor and based in