Lost in translation? : coverage of the federal election campaign in selected ethnic press in the greater Toronto area

Abstract

This paper seeks to determine what ethnic press reveals about immigrant political behaviour and/or participation during the federal election campaign, and if any linkages between ethnic press and immigrant political behaviour can be established. The federal election campaign between November 2005 and January 2006 presents a cross sectional panel of time during which a content analysis of three papers targeting the Italian, Portuguese and Jewish communities will be analyzed. The research also applies theories of media effects and influence and Media of Diaspora framework in an attempt to assess the coverage of the federal election campaign in the ethnic press selected for this study. The research suggests that ethnic press will continue to play an important role and may be an essential tool to motivate or promote immigrant and ethnic political participation.