Has Canada's press has to a large extent accepted a neo-liberal agenda in its economic reportage, as evidenced by its overwhelming focus on government debt and on 'right wing' solutions to dealing with it?
This study examined prescriptions for dealing with the national debt and deficit by right and left wing 'think tanks' and government agencies, as represented in the Globe and Mail. Consistent with our #5 and #6 under-reported stories for 1995, this study begins with the premise that economic coverage has overwhelmingly focused on government debt, to the virtual exclusion of other potential economic problems and issues facing Canada. The solution most often proposed and debated in the media is cutbacks to social spending. The working hypothesis explored is that the print media publish the various right wing perspectives on the debt and deficit more often than those of the left.
A two-part method was employed for this research. First, a three-month content analysis of the Globe and Mail was undertaken, prior to the release of the 1995 federal budget (1 December 1994 to 28 February 1995 inclusive). A keyword search of the InfoGlobe CD-ROM database was made, using the search terms 'debt' and 'deficit' as they pertained to the federal government. News items were coded according to several categories, including: length of story, location of story (page #), type of news item (news, column, editorial, letter to editor, feature story), source(s), general toneš of article (positive, neutral, critical), and the prescription specified. The second method was a qualitative analysis of all news items using the studyšs analytical benchmarks. These were the right and left wing's general prescriptions for dealing with federal government debt.
The content analysis yielded a total of 53 news items. Of these 53 items, 25 were published on 28 February, 1995, the day after the release of the federal budget; 6 were published the day of the budget release.
Right wing perspectives
There were three major prescriptions for dealing with Canada's debt and deficit isolated for the right wing perspective. Spending cuts to social programs was mentioned in 74% of the 53 total news items. In this category, four subcategories were identified to which cuts were prescribed in these 39 news items: cuts to unemployment insurance 19%, to CPP 23%, to provincial transfer payments 53%, and finally cuts to a collection of 'other measures' (including daycare, the Stabilization Fund and foreign aid), 9%. The second major prescription was downsizing government through layoffs and amalgamations, mentioned in 57% of the items. Finally, the prescription of privatization was mentioned in 25% of the items.
Left wing perspectives
The prescription calling for an increase in government spending was mentioned in 15% of the 53 total news items. The second prescription - decreasing tax exemptions for business - was divided into two categories: (i) the federal government should reduce subsidies to corporations was mentioned in 26% of the news items; (ii) the call to increase corporate income tax was mentioned in 8% of the news items. The third major prescription is the lowering of interest rates and was mentioned in 6% of the total news items.
Length of news item
Of the sample of 53 news items, 45% were coded 'long', 34% 'medium', and 21% 'short'. When measured by perspective mentioned in each news item, the break down is as follows. Long: left wing prescriptions were mentioned 15 times; right wing prescriptions 63 times. Medium: left wing prescriptions mentioned 12 times; right wing prescriptions 29 times. Short: left wing prescriptions mentioned 2 times; right wing prescriptions 13 times.
Conclusions
The print news media do indeed publish the various right wing perspectives on the debt and deficit more often than those of the left - right wing prescriptions for dealing with the federal debt and deficit received the most coverage in the Globe and Mail during the period of study. Besides this, the right wing perspective received more coverage, and is covered in greater depth (longer items) than the left wing perspective (a higher percentage of which is covered in medium length news items).
Researcher: Jacqueline Mosdell