Canadian polarized, but social media use likely not the culprit: study
September 12, 2019 | Social media might not be to blame for Canadians鈥� ideological polarization, a new report on digital democracy in Canada finds. 鈥淎 lot of people don鈥檛 use social media very actively,鈥� said Eric Merkley, a researcher on the project. 鈥淧eople on Twitter are not representative of the broader population.鈥�
Fake news preys on emotions, expert warns
August 10, 2019| Beware of things you see online that make you emotional, one media expert warns ahead of the fall election.聽 Taylor Owen, professor at 平特五不中 and the co-creator of the Digital Democracy Project, says fake news often preys on feelings like anger and fear.
Listen to the Interview
Canadians' media-consumption habits lead to misinformation, study finds
August 7, 2019聽| Canadians aren鈥檛 as divided into partisan echo chambers as social media would suggest, but a heavy news diet doesn't guarantee you'll be informed, a new study has found.
Read the Article
The government just made its toxic media bailout plan even worse
May 24, 2019 | The news release put聽by Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez begins well: "The Government of Canada understands that for a democracy to function properly, it needs to have solid, independent news media."
If only he had stopped there. But instead, the release goes on for another 700聽words to outline a plan whose principal effect will be to undermine the independence of the news media.
The Hill Times features Digital Democracy Project
August 29, 2019 | The latest data from the Digital Democracy Project suggests that while 17 per cent of respondents indicated the environment was a top election issue, on par with health care, and second to the economy at 20 per cent, support for reducing emissions through a carbon price is soft, even among left-leaning voters.聽
New podcast launches to cover the impact of technology on our democracy during the 2019 Canadian federal election
Attention Control with Kevin Newman podcast released its first episodes this week,聽exploring digital media鈥檚 impact on the 2019 federal election.
Digital Ecosystem Research Challenge Winners Announced
The Digital Ecosystem Research Challenge has awarded 18 Research Awards ranging from $3,000 to $75,000 to research teams from Canada and abroad. The Digital Ecosystem Research Challenge is a collaborative effort between Dr. Taylor Owen, Associate Professor in the Max Bell School of Public Policy, 平特五不中 and Dr. Elizabeth Dubois, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication and a Centre for Law, Technology and Society Faculty Member at the University of Ottawa.聽
Andrew Potter joins 平特五不中鈥檚 Max Bell School of Public Policy
August 14, 2019 | The Max Bell School of Public Policy is thrilled to announce that Andrew Potter has joined the School to support its teaching, outreach, research, and policy engagement activities.
Canada鈥檚 wisest policy: stealing policies from other countries | The Globe and Mail
August 12, 2019 | In this piece, Christopher Ragan, Director of the Max Bell School of Public Policy, argues that economists know the more we lean on carbon pricing, the better off our economy will be. He draws on the experience of Sweden's carbon tax and the U.S efforts to reduce acid rain by taxing sulfur-dioxide producing plants.
Canadians' media-consumption habits lead to misinformation | National Observer
August 7, 2019 | A report published by the Digital Democracy Project suggests that overall misinformation levels in Canada are low. However, certain trends in media consumption put news consumers and voters more at risk to be misinformed about key political issues.
People with strong partisan views get more facts wrong on a current events test: survey | Global News
August 8, 2019 | A survey launched by the Digital Democracy Project聽found that most Canadians across the political spectrum got a common set of facts from an array of mainstream media outlets. The report also highlighted voters' tendencies to select and consume news from sources聽that support their political beliefs, generating so-called echo chambers.
Canadians who hold strong links to political parties more likely to be misinformed about politics | The Star
August 8, 2019 | The聽Digital Democracy Project, an initiative of聽Max Bell School of Public Policy in collaboration with the Public Policy Forum, analyzes the increasing amounts of disinformation and hate in the digital public sphere. A new study shows the links between political affiliation and misinformation.
News that's safe to use: Researchers aim to track information during campaign | CBC News
August 8, 2019 | In an age where information is increasingly scrutinized yet more easily diffusable than ever, Canadians might be more misinformed than disinformed. New findings from the Digital Democracy Project聽show聽how information ricochets around the Canadian political landscape.
Climate change puts health at risk and economists have the right prescription | The Conversation
June 24, 2019 | Climate change affects many aspects of people's lives. As it is a common source of worry to doctors and economists alike, the proposed solutions to聽climate change are numerous.聽Chris Ragan, director of the Max Bell School of Public Policy and聽Courtney Howard, clinical associate professor at the Cumming School of Medicine (University of Calgary) argue that carbon pricing is the right solution.
Digital Ecosystem Research Challenge Launched ahead of 2019 Election
Dr. Taylor Owen, holder of the Beaverbrook聽Chair in Ethics, Media and Communications received, with Dr. Elizabeth Dubois (University of Ottawa), a Canada History Fund聽grant to run the聽Digital Ecosystem Research Challenge. They have launched a聽call for proposals for projects examining the uses and impacts of digital media in the 2019 Canadian Federal Election.聽
