Style over Substance: Newspaper Coverage of Early Election Campaigns in Canada, 1820-1841

Abstract

Election coverage today is criticized for its obsession with individual candidates, appearances, and images, a focus on style over substance. During elections, there seems to be little space or air time in the mass media for substantive deliberation of campaign issues. However, this kind of election coverage is not new, despite implications that the age of television brought it about. The first competitive media environment in Canada (1820-1841), which this article documents, saw elections covered in a similar way. More importantly, this article argues that “style over substance” coverage served an important purpose in educating citizens about candidates and encouraging voting in a burgeoning partisan democratic system when the public sphere was still in its infancy.

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