Democracy of, in and through communication: struggles around public service in Canada in the first half of the twentieth century

Abstract

Purpose In reviewing the application of public service principles in the press, telecommunication and radio historically, the paper aims to identify struggles to develop alternatives that address limitations in state and commercially provided public services across a wide range of communication and cultural practices. Design/methodology/approach Taking a political economy of communication approach, a different view of public service is adopted as one that understands service as facilitating the making of communication and culture. The paper uses published and archival sources to identify such examples in Canadian history. Findings The paper suggests that the concept of public service has been restricted to thinking in a sender‐receiver model based on consumption and applied accordingly to different media which has limited potentials for democratic communication. Originality/value The paper provides a historical and reflexive view on public service in Canada across media and suggests that public service principles need to be grounded in democracy of, in and through communication as a potential guide to current policy decision‐making.

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