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THE STATE OF OUR TORONTO.

EVERY FEW YEARS, CANADIANS VOTE FOR EITHER A BRAND-NEW SLATE OF LOCAL, PROVINCIAL, OR FEDERAL PUBLIC OFFICE CANDIDATES OR TO RETURN SOME OF THE PREVIOUS ONES BACK TO OFFICE. WHEN I'VE ASKED VOTERS WHETHER THEY HAD HEARD ABOUT ONE OF THE SO-CALLED "FRINGE" CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR OFFICE DURING THOSE ELECTIONS, THE ANSWER IS USUALLY "NO. I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THAT PERSON. WERE THEY RUNNING FOR OFFICE?"


--Taking Care Of Your Concerns About The Lack Of Coverage By The Press

Torontonians are fortunate.

Every single candidate who steps forward for elected office in every election has something different and interesting to offer.

Perhaps a Toronto civic election race should come down to who has the most or best to offer Torontonians.

That would not be an easy decision to make. It requires becoming informed about the candidates, and that means research.

Most people don’t have the time or resources to do the research themselves. They depend upon the mass media to keep them informed as to what the candidates stand for and how each of them would be suited –or not—to become a candidate of choice.

The reason you may not have heard much about some of the candidates is that media businesses such as newspapers and broadcast stations choose to not cover those candidates. It’s a financial decision based in the sale-ability of news coverage. Not interesting? Won’t sell? Don’t cover it.

Most people are unaware that the election process is flawed because they think they are choosing the candidates they are voting for. But the truth is that if you are an ordinary voter, you have no freedom of choice, and elections are rigged. Moreover, the rigging of elections is completely legal!

IS THIS TRUE? IF IT IS, THEN HOW DOES THE MEDIA RIG ELECTIONS, AND WHY?

AS AN ELECTOR, YOU GET ALL YOUR INFORMATION ABOUT THE CANDIDATES THROUGH THE MEDIA BECAUSE YOU DO NOT HAVE THE TIME OR INCLINATION TO RESEARCH THE MERITS OFF ALL THE CANDIDATES FOR YOURSELF. THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY, AND SOME OF THEM ARE LESS INTERESTING THAN OTHERS. THE MEDIA MAKES IT EASY FOR YOU TO READ, LISTEN, OR WATCH THE "TOP" CANDIDATES, WHILE NOT WASTING YOUR TIME CHECKING OUT THOSE YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD ARE "FRINGE" CANDIDATES.

BUT DO YOU KNOW WHO DECIDES WHICH CANDIDATES ARE TO BE FEATURED, AND WHICH ARE RELEGATED TO THE FRINGES OF THE ELECTION, AND WHY?

ALTHOUGH THERE ARE MANY CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR OFFICE IN ANY ELECTION, THE PUBLIC REALLY GETS TO KNOW ABOUT SOME OF THEM, AND IS KEPT IGNORANT OF THE REST BECAUSE MEDIA EDITORIAL STAFF BEHIND CLOSED DOORS HOLD MEETINGS TO MAKE DELIBERATE CHOICES ABOUT WHICH ONES TO FEATURE AND WHICH ONES THEY WILL IGNORE. THIS IS DONE FOR EVERY TYPE OF ELECTION FOR PUBLIC OFFICE.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/why-the-TV-consortium-excluded-Elizabeth-May/article1966583/

https://www.google.com/search?q=FIVE+CANDIDATES+DEBATE+TORONTO&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

DO THEY DO THIS IN YOUR BEST INTERESTS? NOT AT ALL!

THESE CHOICES ARE MADE ON THE BASIS OF WHICH ONES THEY HAVE DECIDED TO SUPPORT BECAUSE OF THEIR OWNERS' POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY, OR WHICH THEY DECIDE WILL HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF WINNING, AND/OR WHICH ONES, IF FEATURED, WILL BRING MORE READERS TO THE NEWSPAPERS, LISTENERS TO THE RADIO STATIONS, AND WATCHERS TO THE TV SET, AND WHICH CANDIDATES ARE RUNNING THE MOST EXPENSIVE ELECTIONS.

THE IDEA IS TO ATTRACT MORE USERS TO THEIR NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES, RADIO STATIONS, OR TELEVISION STATIONS. WHEN MORE USERS ARE ATTRACTED TO ANY OF THESE MEDIA, IT'S VERY GOOD FOR THEIR ADVERTISING SALES, BECAUSE THEIR SALES FORCE CAN SHOW POTENTIAL ADVERTISING PURCHASERS A LARGE READERSHIP, LISTENER-SHIP, OR VIEWERSHIP. ADVERTISERS WANT TO REACH THE MOST PEOPLE FOR THEIR ADVERTISING DOLLAR, AND WILL CAREFULLY CHOOSE WHICH MEDIA THEY WANT TO ADVERTISE IN BASED UPON NUMBERS OF USERS.

UNFORTUNATELY FOR YOU, THIS MEANS YOU WON'T GET TO KNOW ABOUT ALL THE CANDIDATES, JUST A FEW WHO HAVE BEEN CHOSEN FOR YOU BY AN EDITORIAL STAFF WHO ARE ONLY LOOKING OUT FOR THEIR MEDIA OUTLET'S BOTTOM LINE. AS THE ELECTION DRAWS NEARER, VARIOUS MEDIA WILL ACTUALLY CHOOSE A SINGLE CANDIDATE AND FEATURE HIM/HER MUCH MORE THAN THE OTHERS. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE CONTENT OF THOSE FEATURE ARTICLES IS NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE (SO LONG AS THERE'S NO CRIMINAL ACTIVITY FOUND SURROUNDING THE FEATURED CANDIDATE), REPEATING AND FEATURING THE CANDIDATE'S NAME ENSURES THAT THE VOTING PUBLIC WILL VOTE FOR HIM/HER , BECAUSE WHEN THEY GET TO THE POLLS THE NAME OF THAT CANDIDATE IS UPPERMOST IN THEIR MINDS, AND THEY KNOW A LITTLE ABOUT THAT CANDIDATE'S PLATFORMS, BUT NOTHING AT ALL ABOUT THE PLATFORMS OF THE LESSER OR NON-FEATURED CANDIDATES UNLESS THEY ARE ACTUAL BACKERS OF SOME PARTICULAR NON-FEATURED CANDIDATE THEMSELVES.

HOWEVER, MOST PEOPLE DO NOT GET INVOLVED IN BACKING A PARTICULAR CANDIDATE THROUGH PARTICIPATING IN A CANDIDATE'S CAMPAIGN. MOST PEOPLE INSTEAD LISTEN TO THE MEDIA AND VOTE AS THE MEDIA SHOWS A PREFERENCE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. EVEN THOUGH YOU THINK YOU ARE VOTING FOR A CANDIDATE YOU HAVE PERSONALLY CHOSEN, YOU HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN INFLUENCED INTO CHOOSING THAT CANDIDATE IN A WAY THAT IS BEYOND YOUR CONTROL. YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD HOW TO VOTE.

THE MEDIA CONSIDER THIS TO BE SOUND BUSINESS PRACTICE, AND IT IS.

THE RIVALRY FOR ALL MEDIA TO ATTRACT YOUR ATTENTION IS DRIVEN BY DESPERATION. BECAUSE OF THE NUMBERS AND VARIETIES OF MEDIA OUTLETS, RIVALRY FOR YOUR READERSHIP, LISTENER SHIP, AND VIEWERSHIP IS INTENSE. MEDIA KEEP TRACK OF A STATISTIC CALLED "DEMOGRAPHICS", WHICH TELLS THEM WHO ARE THEIR FANS, INCLUDING AGE, SEX, INCOME LEVEL, PROGRAMS, ARTICLES, AND ACTUAL NUMBERS OF READERS, LISTENERS, AND VIEWERS AT ANY TIME OF DAY ALL YEAR LONG. THEY WATCH THIS PUBLISHED INFORMATION LIKE HAWKS AND DELIBERATELY PLAN THEIR PUBLICATION TO ENRICH THEIR DEMOGRAPHICS IF POSSIBLE. BUT THERE ARE JUST SO MANY READERS, LISTENERS, AND VIEWERS TO GO AROUND. THUS, AN INCREASE FOR ONE MEDIA OUTLET MIGHT WELL MEAN A DECREASE FOR ANOTHER. THIS IS WHY THEIR CORPORATE LEADERSHIP (EDITORIAL STAFF, STATION MANAGERS, OWNERS, ETC.) CHOOSES WHICH STORIES TO FEATURE AND WHICH ONES TO IGNORE. IT'S REALLY ALL ABOUT EARNING YOUR DOLLARS, AND COMPETITION IS FIERCE.

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