Government
Types of government
autocracy
monarchy
Oilgarchy
Theocracy
Democracy
Civics actors
Civic actors are people who work to make a difference in their communities' quality of life
Motives for content
● To sell
● To influence
● To inform
● To entertain
● To mislead/confuse (disinformation)
Role of the media in a democratic society
• A free, objective, skilled media is an essential component of any democratic society.
• It provides information which the public requires to make responsible, informed decisions.
• It performs a “checking function” ensuring that elected officials uphold their duties and carry out the wishes of the electorate
Levels of government
Federal
Provincial
Municipal
Domain of civic actors
Working as an individual • Working as a group
• Building public support • Formal Politics
The political spectrum and media bias
• The Political Spectrum is used to describe generalities in people’s political ideologies and worldview and where they stand on economic and social issues
• Its origins lay in the French Revolution
• Left Wing generally refers to liberalism
• Right Wing generally refers to conservativism
• Media Outlets often lean either slightly or extremely to the right or left; sometimes in their coverage of news, regularly in analysis and always in editorials.
• The Political Spectrum is used to describe generalities in people’s political ideologies and worldview and where they stand on economic and social issues
• Its origins lay in the French Revolution
• Left Wing generally refers to liberalism
• Right Wing generally refers to conservativism
• Media Outlets often lean either slightly or extremely to the right or left; sometimes in their coverage of news, regularly in analysis and always in editorials.
Canadian charter of rights and freedoms
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• A bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada
• Any law in Canada must align with the principles laid out in the Charter, otherwise it may be deemed unconstitutional
Roles and responsibilities
Municipal transit library water
Provinal school education license
Federal money banking military
Civil society organization
• Collectives of individuals pooling resources and using a base of support to further particular social causes.
• Civil society organizations operate within communities in a way that is different from both government and business.
• Civil society organizations are often privately funded, may receive gov’t support.
Privilege and discrimination
• Prejudice – widely held negative attitudes toward a group and its individual members
• Racism – extreme prejudice that assumes superiority of one group over the other
• Discrimination – treating people differently based on ethnicity, race, religion, culture, nationality, gender, sexual orientation
Information pollution and related concepts
• Many kinds of low-quality, false and misleading information circulate online
• Thisiscalled‘information pollution’
• We need to figure out where information is coming from and whether it is real or truthful
Provincial human rights legislation
• NB Human Rights Commission
• Responsible for the administration for the NB Human Rights Acts
• The Human Rights Act is a provincial law that prohibits discrimination and harassment in:
• Employment
• Housing
• Public services for example schools, stores, motels, hospitals, police and most government services
• Any individual can file a complaint with the Human Rights Commission if they believe they are being harassed or discriminated against
Election
• Elections in Canada usually occur every 4 years
• They take place separately on the Federal, Provincial and Municipal
levels
• Any Canadian citizen who is at least 18 years of age may vote
• Elections in Canada usually occur every 4 years
• They take place separately on the Federal, Provincial and Municipal
levels
• Any Canadian citizen who is at least 18 years of age may vote
Types of citizenship
• Personal Responsibility • Participatory
• Justice Oriented
• What activities might be associated with each of these?
Types of media sources
● News organizations
● Reference sources
● Government
● Academic/Research institutions ● Private groups and individuals
House of commands
338 Members of Parliament
• 5 Different political parties currently hold seats
• Liberal government (minority)
• Conservative opposition
Vertical and lateral reading strategies
Vertical reading: “staying on the page,” examining the content closely to determine if you think it’s reliable.
Lateral reading: “leaving the page,” examining other sources and analyzing what others have to say.