Martin no longer the Darling of the Media

[Canuck E Stan]

An easier ride for Stephen Harper

Ordinarily, Soroka said he'd expect coverage of all the leaders to be "mildly negative," given that editorials and columns during a campaign generally amount to critiques of policies, strategy or character. He said it's striking that Harper has cumulatively scored a neutral net tone of zero, as has Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe. The New Democratic Party's Jack Layton is not far behind, with a net tone of -1 per cent. For Martin, once the darling of the mainstream press, the honeymoon is definitely over. He has scored a cumulative net tone of -12 per cent. Similarly, the Conservative party and NDP have each scored a net tone of zero, while the Bloc has done only moderately worse with a net tone of -3 per cent. The Liberals, like their leader, have fared the worst, with a net tone of -14 per cent.

On the issues, too, the news is grim for Martin. As the parties entered the crucial final stretch, Soroka said he's struck that "the three most salient issues. . .are the issues that the Liberals are getting killed on." In the first week of the new year, the OMPP found that corruption or government accountability and ethics soared to the top of the list of issues covered, driven by the recently launched criminal investigation into possible insider trading involving Finance Minister Ralph Goodale. On corruption/ethics in general, the Liberals scored a net tone of -25 per cent, compared with -1.4 per cent for the Conservatives, -1.3 per cent for the NDP and 2.4 per cent for the Bloc. On coverage of the income trust and sponsorship scandals specifically, the Liberals scored a net tone of -15 per cent, with the Conservatives trailing at -4.6 per cent.

Crime was the second most frequently covered issue, fuelled by the fatal Boxing Day shooting of a teenager in downtown Toronto. On this, the Liberals earned a net tone of -25.3 per cent, the Conservatives 1.8 per cent and the NDP zero. And on social programs, the Liberals rated a net tone of -17.4 per cent, the Conservatives five per cent and the NDP 1.4 per cent. The Bloc was not mentioned in enough articles on either crime or social programs on which to base a net tone.

The Conservatives also enjoyed significantly more positive coverage on the economy, health care, national unity and taxes. Only on same-sex marriage did the Liberals (-7.9 per cent) do better than the Tories (-12 per cent).

What a little will do.

[Shakeyhands]

but what happened to your liberal media conspiracy?

[Spike22]

Darling of ther media? To quote Groucho Marx " I never forget a face however in your case I'll make an exception". Yuk the doctor slapped his parents when he was born. He was so ugly no girls would take him out - not even the tide...

[shoop]

There is still the CBC to contend with shakey. Besides, that is an American term. Come on get with the program, oh that's right you will be getting with the Employment Insurance Programme once the Liberals get turfed out. Only people on Liberal payrolls are still supporting them at this point.

but what happened to your liberal media conspiracy?

[Canuck E Stan]

but what happened to your liberal media conspiracy?

Pick one:

Seeing Paul Martin for what he really is.

Marketing is better than the Liberals.

A better brainwashing technique.

Receiving Better booze on the campaign trail.

Talking to Harper.

Evolution.

Realisation that they were wrong about Harper.

[Riverwind]

There is still the CBC to contend with shakey.

Come on shoop, you admitted you don't listen to the CBC so you don't know what is going on now. I just heard two hosts on the CBC radio afternoon show ridicule the Liberals and say that they find the Liberal attempts to demonize Harper to be pretty absurd.

[uOttawaMan]

I watched the press conference today following the Liberal platform announcement, and boy oh boy! The media is going after Paul Martin almost as strongly as the opposition parties!

[Montgomery Burns]

Good topic. I noticed this too. It seemed at the beginning of the campaign that it was going to be the same crap again by the liberal MSM....but Martin's ludicrous "the US should have a global conscience" crack seemed to embarrass even the liberal MSM--when it turned out that our greenhouse gas emissions had risen nearly twice that of the US.

I sensed that was the turning point in the MSM's coverage.

And there was the "beer and popcorn" insult....

Kandahar's vicious slurs on his blog....even comparing the wife of a national leader to a dog...

Income trust investigation...(even Peter Mansbridge went after Goodale hard regarding the tradition of stepping aside while an investigation was being conducted).

The 1995 referendum scandal....

Liberals being involved in the Oil for Food scandal...

John Duffy trying to intimidate the media into not talking about the loathsome ad suggesting our troops are a bunch of communist thugs....

It seems it all added up and even the liberal MSM was holding their nose to avoid the stench....and wondering, "maybe a CPC victory (especially if it was a minority) wouldn't be so bad."

[Shakeyhands]

There is still the CBC to contend with shakey. Besides, that is an American term. Come on get with the program, oh that's right you will be getting with the Employment Insurance Programme once the Liberals get turfed out. Only people on Liberal payrolls are still supporting them at this point.

QUOTE(Shakeyhands @ Jan 11 2006, 02:54 PM)

but what happened to your liberal media conspiracy?

Yeah I know... spare a dime?

[shoop]

Dude, in that same *admission* I said I watch the National half the time and go to the CBC Web site a couple times a day.

Don't ever recall that leading to *not knowing what is going on now*.

Man your distortion of the facts is as sad as the Liberals.

Good for those hosts you listened to though.

There is still the CBC to contend with shakey.

Come on shoop, you admitted you don't listen to the CBC so you don't know what is going on now. I just heard two hosts on the CBC radio afternoon show ridicule the Liberals and say that they find the Liberal attempts to demonize Harper to be pretty absurd.