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The ongoing overdose and drug toxicity crisis in North America has contributed momentum to the emergence of safer supply prescribing and programs in Canada as a means of providing an alternative to the highly volatile unregulated drug supply. The implementation and scale-up of safer supply have been met with a vocal reaction on the part of news media commentators, conservative politicians, recovery industry representatives, and some prominent addiction medicine physicians. This reaction has largely converged around several narratives, based on unsubstantiated claims and anecdotal evidence, alleging that safer supply programs are generating a "new opioid epidemic", reflecting an emerging alignment among key institutional and political actors. Employing situational analysis method, and drawing on the policy studies and social science scholarship on moral panics, this essay examines news media coverage from January to July 2023, bringing this into dialogue with other existing empirical sources on safer supply (e.g. Coroner's reports, program evaluations, debates among experts in medical journals). We employ eight previously established criteria delineating moral panics to critically appraise public dialogue regarding safer supply, diverted medication, and claims of increased youth initiation to drug use and youth overdose. In detailing the emergence of a moral panic regarding safer supply, we trace historic continuities with earlier drug scares in Canadian history mobilized as tools of racialized poverty governance, as well as previous backlashes towards healthcare interventions for people who use drugs (PWUD). The essay assesses the claims of moral entrepreneurs against the current landscape of opioid use, diversion, and overdose among youth, notes the key role played by medical expertise in this and previous moral panics, and identifies what the convergence of these narratives materialize for PWUD and healthcare access, as well as the broader policy responses such narratives activate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is a neurosurgical intervention to reduce spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. Parents researching SDR for their child may be influenced by framing of SDR in news media articles they read. This study examined framing of SDR in English‐language news media. Methods: Content analysis of English‐language news media articles including the search term 'rhizotomy' in the Factiva database published July 2015 to July 2018 in online or print form in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, United States of America and the United Kingdom. Results: One hundred and eighty‐six articles were identified describing 91 different children (45 male), almost all with cerebral palsy, median age 4 years old. One hundred and twenty‐six articles were written prior to surgery; in many articles, SDR surgery involved travel overseas and/or fundraising. SDR was described universally in positive terms with little discussion of risks. Content of articles variably included the specialized nature of SDR, parental frustration with their local health system and their hope for positive outcomes. There was geographical variation in both numbers of articles and content. Conclusions: SDR is a common focus in cerebral palsy news media articles in some countries. Framing in these articles supports SDR as a beneficial and specialized procedure and may lead families to believe they need to work outside their local health systems. As news media are likely an important influence on families' attitudes to SDR, clinicians should be aware of this influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCRMD) designation remains widely misunderstood by the public. Such misunderstandings may also be reflected in the media. As such, the aim of this study is to conduct a preliminary examination of the tone and content of recent Canadian newspaper articles where NCRMD is a major theme, comparing these to generic articles about mental illness.Methods: Articles about mental illness were gathered from major Canadian newspapers. These were then divided into two categories: 1) articles where NCRMD was a major theme and 2) articles where NCRMD was not a major theme. Articles were then coded for the presence or absence of 1) a negative tone, 2) stigmatising tone/content, 3) recovery/rehabilitation as a theme, and 4) shortage of resources/poor quality of care as a theme.Results: The retrieval strategy resulted in 940 articles. Fourteen percent ( n = 131) of all articles had NCRMD as a major theme. In comparison to generic articles about mental illness, articles with NCRMD as a major theme were significantly more likely to have a negative tone ( P < 0.001) and stigmatising tone/content ( P < 0.001) and significantly less likely to have recovery/rehabilitation ( P < 0.001) or shortage of resources/poor quality of care as a theme ( P < 0.001).Conclusions: Articles with NCRMD as a theme were overwhelmingly negative and almost never focused on recovery or rehabilitation, in stark comparison to generic articles about mental illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most recent migration of Roma from Central-Eastern Europe to Canada started in the 1990s. Several thousand people from former socialist countries, including Hungarian Roma, moved overseas. There were many reasons but for Roma, the motivations not only included a drastic loss of employment, but re-emerging systemic and increasingly violent racism. This article focuses on the discursive framing of these motivations and the reaction within both Hungarian and Canadian newspapers from 1999 to 2013. In the article we show how the press engaged in framing and counter-framing the policies and politics of the host country through their coverage of “the Hungarian Roma” issue. Specifically, we focus on the differing and shifting spheres of consensus and the changing political/policy contexts by conducting an in-depth comparison of the changing media frames in Hungarian and Canadian newspaper coverage. We show how the “Hungarian Roma issue” becomes an example and reflection of the changing political culture. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: Mindset is a short recently-published booklet funded by the Mental Health Commission of Canada outlining evidence-based guidelines and best practices for journalists writing about mental health and suicide. Our study aimed to assess fidelity to Mindset recommendations in Canadian newspaper reports of a recent celebrity suicide. A secondary aim is to identify common themes discussed in these newspaper articles.Methods: Articles about Robin Williams' suicide from major Canadian newspapers were gathered and coded for presence or absence of each of the 14 recommendations in the "Covering Suicide" section of Mindset. A threshold of 80% was set to test for high fidelity to the guidelines. A qualitative content analysis of the articles was also undertaken to discern common themes and social issues discussed in the articles.Results: Fifty-five per cent of articles surpassed the 80% threshold for high fidelity, while 85% applied at least 70% of the recommendations. The recommendation most commonly overlooked was "Do tell others considering suicide how they can get help," which was absent in 73% of articles. The most common themes discussed were those of addictions and stigma.Conclusions: The news articles generally follow the evidence-based guidelines regarding the reporting of suicide set out in Mindset. This is a welcome development. Future research should continue to examine reporting of suicide to assess for further improvements, while also examining the wider impact of Mindset on the reporting of mental illness per se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

this article examines how leading European newspapers reported on oil-sands production in Canada between 2008 and 2013. Based on content and critical discourse analysis of news reports published in major daily newspapers in the United Kingdom, germany, and France, it compares the interpretative frames and dominant storylines. the data analysis suggests that overall, European coverage adopted a critical perspective based on the environmental impacts of oil-sands development, with very particular differences in environmental frame building among the national media analyzed. the British coverage focused mainly on narratives based on a combination of factors such as cultural ties between the two countries and social and cultural practices of reporting on annual shareholders' meetings. in contrast, the later german and French environmental frame building was embedded mostly in the European debate over the Fuel Quality directive or in discussions of the Keystone Xl pipeline project. this article aims to provide a broader picture of how a prominent Canadian public policy issue is reflected in Europe and to contribute to the assessment of Stephen Harper's goal of fostering the international image of Canada as an energy superpower. the results of the empirical analysis suggest that Canada's position in the oil market did not allow it to actively lead the international energy discourse and instead fractured its ability to efficiently influence this aspect of its international image. as a result, oil-sands production had important destabilizing effects on Canada's international image in European media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we explore the role of the Canadian media during the 2008 parliamentary crisis. While the crisis was resolved when the Governor General granted a request for prorogation that allowed the Prime Minister to avoid a vote of no-confidence, debate persists about the wisdom of such action. We argue this event represents an important case study in understanding how the Canadian media communicates essential principles of parliamentary democracy. Five years later, and based on recent research, we compare survey results on the 2008 prorogation between 10 leading Canadian journalists and commentators, and 30 constitutional scholars and former advisers to the Crown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of recreational cannabis by adults was legalized in Canada in 2018 (The Cannabis Act, 17 October 2018). This change in drug policy indirectly opened the doors to broader uses, including those for health-related conditions. As a first step towards understanding ethical, legal, and social shifts on this landscape, we examined messaging surrounding medical cannabis and health in Canadian news media before and after legalization.Methods: We retrieved news articles about medical cannabis and health from Canadian sources (2010-2020). Deductive and inductive content analytic approaches were applied to code eligible articles for both a priori ethical, legal, social, and issues, and emergent themes. Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney U tests were used to test for thematic changes pre- and post-legalization.Results: Two hundred and sixteen (216) articles met inclusion criteria. Analysis yielded three themes and eight subthemes, comprising 4931 coded references. The a priori theme of Ethical, Legal and Social Issues (access, benefits/risks of medical cannabis, public engagement, and conflicts of interest) dominated news media coverage across the decade (coded in 99% of articles). The emergent theme of Medical Applications (therapeutic use of cannabis, consumption considerations, comparisons to other drug and treatment options) was coded in 86% of articles; Resource Issues (research and education) in 50%. We found little discourse on ethics issues specific to exceptional populations. Coverage on aspects of access declined significantly post-legalization.Conclusion: Capturing the push of Canadian news coverage of medical cannabis is a powerful means of understanding how public opinions on the subject are shaped and then, by extension, inform public policy for well-being and healthcare. Continued examination of these issues, public consultation, engagement with diverse populations such as people with disabilities and neurologic and mental health conditions, and integration of diverse cultural views into the policy discourse are critical steps for future research and action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role of Winnipeg, Manitoba in the history of media. It comments on several Winnipeg newspaper including the "Manitoba Free Press," "The Winnipeg Tribune," and the "Winnipeg Telegram." The author examines the production of Canada's first motion picture film and explores topics including the formation of the press association the Canadian Press, women's suffrage, and radio broadcasting. Journalists and columnists including John Wesley Dafoe and Ruth Jacobs Cohen Collie, known by the pen name Wilhelmina Stitch, are also considered.

The aim of this study is to contribute to a better understanding about how discourse fragmentation is affecting the way doctors perceive the patient's role and expectations that are being redefined under the influence of media and other information sources. The diabetes case provides the empirical evidence to support the fragmentation thesis. This condition offers a unique mix of complexity, scope, and controversy to understand the dialectics of discourse fragmentation. Through a combined analysis of media discourse and experts' discourse (researchers and clinicians), this article describes the connections between the macro (the realm of the public sphere) and the micro (the localized medical practice) in the context of health care delivery. The study concludes that a fragmented media discourse tends at the same time to nourish the public perception about the “diabetes complexities” (a multifaceted and growing epidemic), and to normalize some emerging concepts such as “prediabetes” and metabolic syndrome. This fragmentation seems to have a double-edged sword effect on doctor–patient relationships; in some occasions the atomized discourse about diabetes has a clear disruptive impact on their medical practice, adding an “extra burden” to the disease management, while in other opportunities it has a more convergent effect facilitating the dialogue and the interaction between the actors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In Canada newspapers remain a significant source of information available to the public. However, little research has been done on Canadian news media representations of homelessness and their reflection of or influence on social norms and values. In this paper the authors review the literature exploring news media depictions of homelessness from the perspectives of news framing, media influence on social norms and values, and the construction of news. Examples from Canadian newspapers are provided to demonstrate the media's framing and portrayal of people who are homeless or their issues and circumstances. In relation to the framing of the homeless and their situations, the authors describe four primary factors that influence the media in their selection of frames. The paper concludes with targeted analysis about the importance of understanding how and why the media frame their stories about the homeless as they do, and what further research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the structure and development of the law of defamation in Canada. Any published statement that can damage the reputation of a person or organization is considered to be defamatory. The Canadian news media has long complained of libel chill and argued that the country's defamation laws make it too easy for plaintiffs to win damages, and very difficult for defendants to fight back. The Supreme Court of Canada established a new defamation defense in December 2009 that would lead to responsible communication on matters of public interest. The defense makes it possible to defeat a libel claim even if the proven facts are not perfect, if it was in the public interest to publish the information.

The article presents a comment to the article on racism in the Canadian media by Minelle Mahtani. It argues that Mahtani's ideas on racism misrepresent and distort the arguments concerning racialized media representation in particular and racism in Canadian society in general. It also contends that such essentialization represents broader patterns in the literature on racism, culture, and media representation.

On Tuesday, April 5, 1994, in downtown Toronto, a 23-year-old woman named Georgina Leimonis was shot and killed in a café known as "Just Desserts." The fear surrounding the incident was bound up from the beginning with concerns about a peculiar category of person-the "Jamaican criminal"--because the suspect sought by police in connection with the killing, and later convicted and imprisoned for it, had immigrated to Canada from Jamaica during his early childhood. This article discusses the construction of the Jamaican criminal in the English language press through the lens of Michael Foucault's concept of critical ontology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the use of the Canadian media by McGill University professor R. B. Y. Scott to spread word of the Dead Sea Scrolls and generate funds for the purchase of Cave 4 material. Elements that have shaped the media's knowledge of the scrolls; Contributions of Scott to the media several years following the discovery of the Scrolls; Ways in which Scott used the local press to secure funding.

This paper reports exploratory data from a broader study that examines media representations of the voluntary sector in Canada. It specifically identifies the resources and organizational attributes of Canadian voluntary groups that appear to be important for receiving mainstream news coverage. The data identifies four sets of characteristics of more than 500 voluntary organizations: demographic variables, association type, noneconomic resources, and economic expenditures. These characteristics are examined in terms of their relationship to news coverage. The data suggest that area of activity is significantly related to the amount of media attention that organizations receive. However, the amount of media attention that an organization receives is most strongly influenced by its yearly budget. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to both current debates about advocacy in the voluntary sector and important contextual developments that are transforming the communication environment in which charities and nonprofit organizations in Canada operate. We also draw comparisons to news coverage of the voluntary sector in other liberal democratic countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the results of a content analysis of election-related headlines in Canada's two English-language national newspapers, The Globe and Mail and The National Post, over the course of the 36-day 2000 federal election campaign. The authors find that the two national newspapers' headlines revealed differences in issue emphasis, leader portrayals and party assessment. Yet both newspapers embraced a "game frame" for election coverage—by focusing on the horse-race, leader personalities and campaign strategies—to the neglect of campaign issues and ideological distinctions between parties. These findings suggest that media game framing can result in troublesome consequences for constructive citizen engagement in election activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing from Shoemaker and Reese's hierarchical model of influences on media content, this paper summarizes content analyses by NewsWatch Canada on different dimensions of potential corporate influence on Canadian newspaper content: (1) the offsetting tendencies of content rationalization and duplication in chain papers; (2) newspaper coverage of their own parent companies, and of the media industry; (3) the influence of newspaper editorial positions on news coverage; (4) some potential impacts of advertising; (5) potential double standards related to politics and social class. While the research is exploratory, there is evidence of systemic corporate influence, particularly on the second, third and fifth dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following paper examines Canadian newspaper coverage of the Olympic Games boycotts of 1976, 1980. and 1984. It contrasts the coverage of a corporate owned, business dominated paper (The Globe and Mail), with an independently owned and directed paper (The Kingston Whig-Standani) The findings reveal that the independently owned paper was consistently more objective in contrast with the corporate dominated paper which consistently sought to adhere to the interests of the Canadian corporate elite. This study reveals the value of the independent paper in assessing the national and international news when that paper's interests are more local in nature. Other studies may find independents that are even more one-sided than the Globe but in this case study the ad- vantages of the independent become readily apparent. These findings lead to the question of how much corporate domination has damaged the Canadian news media? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]