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ISBN: 9781773635064

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Spin Doctors

How Media and Politicians Misdiagnosed the Covid-19 Pandemic

As Canada was in the grips of the worst pandemic in a century, Canadian media struggled to tell the story. Newsrooms, already run on threadbare budgets, struggled to make broader connections that could allow their audience to better understand what was really happening, and why. Politicians and public health officials were mostly given the benefit of the doubt that what they said was true and that they acted in good faith.

This book documents each month of the first year of the pandemic and examines the issues that emerged, from racialized workers to residential care to policing. It demonstrates how politicians and uncritical media shaped the popular understanding of these issues and helped to justify the maintenance of a status quo that created the worst ravages of the crisis. Spin Doctors argues alternative ways in which Canadians should understand the big themes of the crisis and create the necessary knowledge to demand large-scale change.

Contributors

Nora Loreto

Nora Loreto is a writer and activist from Quebec City. She is the author of Take Back the Fight: Organizing Feminism in the Digital Age (Fernwood 2020) and From Demonized to Organized: Building the New Union Movement (CCPA 2013). Nora is the editor of the Canadian Association of Labour Media and is an opinion columnist whose writing appears regularly in many publications. She co-hosts the popular podcast Sandy and Nora Talk Politics with Sandy Hudson.

Chapter Title Contents Contributors Pages Year Price

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In the introduction to her book, Loreto describes where she was when the Covid-19 pandemic had hit Canada. Loreto briefly describes roles journalists and politicians played in feeding a specific … 14 $1.40

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In this chapter, Loreto discusses the first Covid-19 cases in Canada and examines the way Covid-19 was portrayed by politicians and the media during this time. 21 $2.10

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This chapter examines how Covid-19 impacted aged care facilities and residential homes. Loreto explores how politicians contributed to the rising death tolls of Canada’s elderly population, … 27 $2.70

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This chapter covers how Covid-19 impacted food processing industries. Loreto examines how the workers in grocery stores, factories, and plants were "hailed as frontline heroes and treated as … 21 $2.10

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This chapter explores Covid-19 during June 2020 as well as the Black Lives Matter movement. The response of Canadian politicians and journalists is examined. Loreto discusses how Covid-19 … 26 $2.60

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In this chapter, Loreto examines the neoliberal politics employed by politicians and the media to encourage a sense of individual responsibility to prevent further spread of the virus. Loreto … 22 $2.20

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This chapter discuss Covid-19 during August 2020. Loreto examines the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (cerb); discussing who was eligible and when, how it impacted Canadians, and what the … 22 $2.20

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This chapter examines Covid-19 in relation to schools. Loreto discusses how the transitions from in person and online classes impacted Covid outbreaks, as well as how public policy and the media … 22 $2.20

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This chapter focuses on how Covid-19 impacted migrant workers in Canada. Loreto discuss the work and living conditions of various farms in Canada during Covid-19, as well as how the government … 23 $2.30

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This chapter discusses the Covid-19 vaccine. Loreto examines how the vaccine was introduced by the government and framed in the media, as well as the response of Canadians to the announcement of … 24 $2.40

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In this chapter, Loreto explores the gendered-impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Childcare, gendered violence, economic recession, and government failures are discussed. 24 $2.40

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This chapter explores the impacts of Covid-19 on Canadians with disabilities. Loreto discusses the lack of Government aid for people with disabilities during this time. 26 $2.60

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This chapter explores the second wave of the pandemic in the winter of 2021, and the role that workplaces played in the spread of the virus. 26 $2.60

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In this chapter, Loreto examine why the Canadian media had frequently reported on Covid-19 using the narrative being peddled by the government, without providing any investigative alternatives. … 30 $3.00

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The conclusion of this book examines life after the pandemic, up until October 2021. 7 $0.70