Gilles Duception

Newspapers are notorious for their ability to tell stories in ways that either emphasize, or ignore certain elements.

While Gilles Duceppe's recent resignation for candidacy with the PQ party may not have been the most thought out political maneuver, newspapers like the National Post have slanted the story to make it seem much more catastrophic and negative than it really was.

The first thing that they attack is Duceppe’s devotion to his party. They do so by making it seem as though Duceppe cares more about his image than his party.

“Mr. Duceppe, who had been seen as the sovereignty movement's most effective spokesman, was considering a job that, by separatist logic, ends with the leader becoming head of an independent Quebec state. And his main concern was looking cowardly if he opted out.”

The next thing they do is tell us how to think about Mr. Duceppe by informing us that he has “succeeded in making himself look not only frightened but foolish.”

They quote all of the politicians who criticized Duceppe, and note that everyone reacted by laughing at Duceppe.

And finally, they take a quote out of context. Duceppe said to Bloc when he returned that "Yolande said, ‘Go talk to your caucus. You will feel better,' " and the post reframes that to mean that Duceppe requires ‘the steadying influence of his wife’ to get anything done.

By taking comments out of context, and using negative language to discuss this situation, the post has managed to exaggerate the negativity of it in ways that only skilled communicators can do. If we want to be able to develop untainted views on issues we must be aware of this power and cautious of its effects on us.