Media Response Team

What we once called new media is no longer new. As many, if not more, readers get their news and commentary from online publications as from traditional print media. Web 2.0 is a reality. Interactive media is ubiquitous and public opinion is being shaped by comments to mainstream news sites, blogs, Twitter posts, Facebook groups, etc.

Along with all this, there is a concerted effort by partisans and by governments to manipulate public opinion or at least to react and respond online when it poses an advantage. Earlier this year, the Canadian government confirmed (as first reported by Camille Labchuk in her blog) that taxpayer dollars are being spent in an effort to “correct misconceptions” concerning Harper government policy. Case in point: a $75,000 GoC contract awarded to the Social Media Group to monitor online chatter about the seal hunt. Presumably, the contractor is being paid to offer online rebuttals to anti-seal hunt postings.

A few days ago, I read an article that suggests about half of US Republican-friendly bloggers are actually being paid by the party to post favourable articles. Can anyone doubt that the CPC is following the lead of its mentors in the US Republican Party?

Thanks to our BGM and some leadership issues, the party recently received more than the usual amount of coverage by the mainstream media. Articles appeared online in the Toronto Sun, Globe and Mail, CBC, National Post, Maclean’s and on several prominent and not-so-prominent Canadian blogs. Twitter posts tagged #gpc increased in frequency. The comment threads which accompanied these articles were laced with vitriolic anti-GPC, anti-Elizabeth May messages. (Example, Example, Example, Example, Example)

These online publications allow anonymous and semi-anonymous reader comments. Although these comment threads can sometimes be fairly accurately described as a cesspool of opinion, I feel it is important that we recognize the influence they can have – particularly when extremely negative and erroneous comments are posted concerning our party and/or our leader.

To that end, I am encouraging members and GPC supporters to dive into the cesspool and counter these ignorant and often downright offensive comments. I’m not suggesting anybody get paid for doing so. I brought up the issue of paid commentary to show that this is what we are up against.

I’ve entitled this post “Media Response Team” but at this point, I don’t think there needs to be a formal team established; no cheerleader uniforms. If you see a negative or erroneous comment posted on a mainstream news site, blog or Twitter and you counter it with a thoughtful, polite response, then you’re part of the Media Response Team.

I keep tabs on online media via a Google News Alert that informs me of online mentions of the party and our leader. From time to time when I see that some quality input from informed, articulate GPC supporters would be appropriate, I may post a blog here at greenparty.ca advising that we could use some balanced responses in the comments section at the Globe and Mail, Maclean’s, CBC or elsewhere.

Jim Elve
The opinions expressed here are purely my own and do not represent official Green Party of Canada policy or positions.