Date of Award

2009

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Communication and Culture

First Advisor

Abby Goodrum

Abstract

While the mainstream new media can be said to play a variety of roles, what is certain is its potential to inform public opinion and our understanding of the world we live in, both on a national and global scale. One of the ways this is accomplished is through the use of authority; the active decision by media outlets to invoke the trust we have in certain voices while reflecting and shaping our notions of the roles of others. When given the choice between experts, political leaders, victims, etc., all genders and cultural backgrounds, whose voices are heard in mainstream media, and as a result, whose influence is reflected in the public's understanding of the world; an understanding so crucial to a functioning democracy? Filing in the gaps in this under researched area, this thesis explores the issue of how authority plays out in the Canadian national context.


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