Wonks and War Rooms

Hosted by Elizabeth Dubois

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Nov 2024

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About the show

Where political communication theory meets on the ground strategy. Host, Professor Elizabeth Dubois, picks a political communication theory, explains it to a practitioner, and then they have a chat about whether or not it makes sense at all out in the world of politics and communications. She chats with political staffers, journalists, comms experts, lobbyists, activists and other political actors. Elizabeth quizzes them on pol comm theory and they tell her how ridiculous (or super helpful) that theory actually is.

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November 27, 2024Episode 640 min

Season 7 Episode 6 - Canadian Election Laws with Mike Pal

In this episode, Elizabeth talks to Mike Pal, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, about election laws in Canada. Elizabeth and Mike discuss the laws and institutions that govern elections in Canada, including the Canada Elections Act and Elections Canada. They discuss threats to election integrity and security posed by new technologies in an age of democratic decline. Elizabeth and Mike also delve into the threat of foreign interference, voter privacy in big data elections, and a changing media environment prone to misinformation and disinformation. They close out by talking about artificial intelligence (AI), specifically its potential to transform our electoral landscape and how we should best prepare to ensure our laws and institutions continue to bolster public trust in our democracy. Additional ResourcesThroughout the episode, Mike and Elizabeth reference the Canada Elections Act to understand part of Canada’s legal regime around election integrity and security.Mike cites the American Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000) case as an example of the importance of election laws as a way for citizens to exercise their political rights. Elizabeth discusses the need to begin mapping out the role of technology in election security laws in Canada, including potential threats to elections and how election laws might then be updated or changed. For more information, consult: Election Integrity and Security.To listen to our episode on Foreign Interference at the Nomination Level, consult: Season 7 Episode 4 - Foreign Interference at the Nomination Level with Conner Coles.Mike mentions how there are privacy rules of various kinds, but political parties federally are an exception, to learn more consult: Guidance for federal political parties on protecting personal information.To listen to episodes from our season on political influencers, consult: Season 6 of the Wonks and War Rooms podcast. Elizabeth and Mike also reference the Elections Modernization Act to understand the importance of updating laws to protect election integrity and security. Mike mentions the ‘Big Lie”; the idea of claiming without justification or without evidence that the electoral system is rigged on one side or the other. ContributorsHost: Elizabeth DuboisResearch Lead: Michelle RodriguesTranscript: Michelle Rodrigues Audio Editing: Ayman NaciriTranslation: Els Thant & Helena LegaultPublishing and Promotion: Helena Legault & Michelle Bartleman Producer: Michelle Hennessey Check out www.polcommtech.ca for annotated transcripts of this episode in English and French.

November 13, 2024Episode 532 min

Newsletters in a High-Choice Media Environment with Nick Taylor-Vaisey

In this episode, Elizabeth talks to Nick Taylor-Vaisey, a journalist for Politico who works on the Ottawa Playbook, a free daily morning newsletter decoding Canadian politics. Nick and Elizabeth discuss the role of newsletters in curating information in a high-choice media environment and the way journalism has adapted to becoming digital. They discuss newsletters as a form of political information sharing and how this type of media can facilitate a direct relationship between author and reader. Elizabeth and Nick close out the show by chatting about the different reasons that individuals might subscribe to a political newsletter, the role of news aggregators in curating information, and what it's like to work in the Ottawa “fishbowl”.Additional Resources:To learn more about the high-choice media environment, check out Wonks and War Rooms’ first episode: The High-Choice Media Environment with Jane Lytvynenko.Nick mentions how newsletters are an old medium that are being updated to stay fresh and trendy. For some background on the history of the newsletter, consult The Newsletter Boom, 300 Years before Substack.Nick provides examples of how the unmediated and relational nature of newsletters allows him to cultivate a direct relationship with his subscribers. For an academic perspective on this, consult: Email Newsletters and the Changing Journalist-Audience Relationship. Elizabeth and Nick talk about how audiences are increasingly seeking out journalists’ opinions on the news. For an example of this, consult The Rise of the Talking Journalist: Human Voice, Engagement, and Trust in Live Journalism Performance.Elizabeth and Nick discuss the parasocial relationship between the author and reader, for more details on parasocial relationships, check out the Wonks and War Rooms episode on Parasocial Relationships with T.X. WatsonElizabeth also mentions the blurring of the boundaries between political journalist and political pundit or social media influencer or columnist or opinion writer. For more information about the difference between journalism and punditry, consult the article: Are pundits journalists?ContributorsHost: Elizabeth DuboisResearch Lead: Mykenzie BarreraTranscript: Michelle Rodrigues Audio Editing: Ayman NaciriTranslation: Els Thant & Helena LegaultPublishing and Promotion: Helena Legault Producer: Michelle Hennessey Check out www.polcommtech.ca for annotated transcripts of this episode in English and French.

November 6, 2024Episode 431 min

Foreign Interference at the Nomination Level with Conner Coles

In this episode, Elizabeth is joined by Conner Coles, a former lobbyist with experience working in and around politics, including during the political party candidate nomination process. Conner walks us through the issue of foreign interference in nomination races , how a lack of federal oversight in these contests exacerbates the problem, and the impact this can have on our democratic systems. Conner and Elizabeth dive into examples of foreign interference through news and government reports and discuss the implications of candidates being responsible for carrying the burden of foreign interference unknowingly. This episode closes with some of Conner’s recommendations for countering foreign interference e at the nomination level.Additional Resources:Conner mentions Michael Chong, A Conservative MP who was targeted by Beijing told a federal inquiry that Canada has become "a playground" for foreign interference. Conner also mentions Micheal Chong’s testimony before the Foreign Interference Commission where Chong emphasized the need for more transparency.Conner and Elizabeth also discuss the 2019 case concerning former MPP Han Dong who won the Don Valley North riding despite misleading newsletters targeting Chinese-speaking residents.Elizabeth mentions recent reports on foreign interference in Canadian elections, including: The NSICOP Special Report on Foreign Interference in Canada’s Democratic Processes and InstitutionsThe Initial Report of the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, andThe First Report of the Independent Special Rapporteur on Foreign Interference.Elizabeth and Conner also mention how foreign interference Is targeting diaspora Communities in Canada, including by threatening their families back home, particularly in countries like China, India, and Iran.As an example of one tool to improve Canada’s ability to counter foreign influence, Conner notes Bill C-377 (44-1), which, if passed, would formalize the process for parliamentarians to request a security clearance from the Government of Canada. Check out www.polcommtech.ca for annotated transcripts of this episode in English and French.

October 30, 2024Episode 329 min

Astroturfing with Patrícia Campos Mello

In this episode, Elizabeth interviews Brazilian journalist and columnist Patrícia Campos Mello, who first exposed the illegal use of WhatsApp mass messaging in Brazil's 2018 presidential elections. Together, they examine how politically motivated groups orchestrate fake grassroots movements—known as astroturfing—to manipulate public opinion and influence media coverage. Patrícia shares Brazilian examples to highlight the evolution of these tactics, from mass messaging operations to highly coordinated content promotion strategies. They also delve into the ethical and regulatory challenges that astroturfing presents for democracy. Additional resources: Elizabeth defines astroturfing based on Digital astroturfing in politics: Definition, typology, and countermeasures by Kovic et al. (2023) and Online astroturfing: A problem beyond disinformation by Chan (2024).For additional context on the 2018 Brazilian Presidential Elections, consult: Vox's explainer on Brazil's 2018 Presidential Elections Patrícia discusses the tools and strategies used for mass messaging campaigns. For a more detailed explanation, consult: How WhatsApp is being abused in Brazil's elections Patricia's original report exposing the illegal use of WhatsApp mass messaging practices is available in Portuguese with an English summary.Follow Patrícia on Instagram @patacamposmello and X @camposmello. Check out www.polcommtech.ca for annotated transcripts of this episode in English and French.

October 23, 2024Episode 233 min

Theory of Planned Behaviour with Melanie Paradis

In this episode, Elizabeth Dubois chats with Melanie Paradis, President of Texture Communications, to dissect the theory of planned behaviour and its application in political communication. With Melanie’s extensive background in political strategy and public relations, and her roles on high-profile political campaigns, this discussion explores how psychological principles underpin effective political messaging and voter engagement strategies.Additional Resources: Elizabeth relies on The Theory of Planned Behaviour: Reactions and Reflections and Knowledge and the Prediction of Behavior: The Role of Information Accuracy in the Theory of Planned Behavior to explain the theory. Melanie underlines the role of third-party advertising as it relates to elections and advocacy in Canada. You can learn more about this through an article published by Policy Options titled Third parties strive to become a driving force in elections. Melanie describes the Conservative Party of British Columbia’s "I’m trying something new" advertisement, released in October 2024, as an example of an advertisement targeting swing voters.Throughout the episode, both Elizabeth and Melanie refer to foreign interference and how misinformation and disinformation are impacting the Canadian political communications environment. Similar themes were discussed in the Wonks and War Rooms episode Propaganda, Government Comms, and Disinformation with Shuvaloy Majumdar. Melanie makes several references to the 2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership race, where Andrew Scheer beat 13 other candidates by a narrow margin. You can learn more about this leadership race, and the lessons learned from it, in Eric Grenier’s analysis titled What the 2017 Conservative leadership race told us about what it takes to win. Check out www.polcommtech.ca for annotated transcripts of this episode in English and French.

October 17, 2024Episode 15 min

Elections and Our Digital Media Ecosystem

Wonks and War Rooms is kicking off season 7 with all things elections! With 73 elections worldwide, 2024 is being called a “global elections supercycle”. Elizabeth introduces the headlining topics listeners can get excited to learn about this season, including the theory of planned behaviour, astroturfing, foreign interference at the nomination level, and election laws. Elizabeth also talks about the land acknowledgement you hear at the end of each WWR episode, she explains how Wonks and War Rooms is working towards reconciliation through research, guests and other initiatives and contextualizes this effort within the University of Ottawa’s broader Indigenous Affirmation Additional Resources:Check out the 2024 Global elections Supercycle tracker for more information on worldwide elections in 2024.Elizabeth notes the next Canadian election is currently scheduled for October 2025.Elizabeth mentions the Truth and Reconciliation calls to action and the role of land acknowledgements [for more information, visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation run by the University of Manitoba]Elizabeth references the University of Ottawa’s Indigenous Resources, including the Indigenous Affairs office, the Indigenous Education Council and the University of Ottawa’s Indigenous Affirmation [see also: University of Ottawa’s Indigenous Resource Centre] Check out www.polcommtech.ca for annotated transcripts of this episode in English and French.

April 10, 2024Episode 1033 min

Season 6 Episode 10: AI and Democracy with Seher Shafiq

This week Elizabeth talks with Seher Shafiq, a program manager at the Mozilla Foundation and expert in civic engagement, particularly in the context of elections and engaging marginalized people in the vote. They discuss how AI is impacting Canadian elections, civic engagement, and democracy. They look at helpful and not so helpful uses of AI tools in elections and chat about ways these tools could be used to increase voter engagement. Seher concludes the episode with suggestions for how we can deal with the lack of trust in AI, including an emphasis on digital literacy. Side note: We are collecting examples of impacts of the podcast and we’d love to hear from you. Could you take two minutes to fill out this short questionnaire for feedback on the podcast.Additional Resources:Elizabeth mentions the report she wrote with Pol Comm Tech Lab member and PhD student Michelle Bartleman, The Political Uses of AI in Canada, which touches on a lot of the topics discussed in this episode. Check out this article, The impact of generative AI in a global election year, by Valerie Wirtschafter for examples of AI robocalls/media impersonating candidates, as mentioned by Seher.For more information on the threat that deepfakes pose for Canadian elections, consult The Evolution of Disinformation: A Deepfake Future, a report published by CSIS. For an overview of digital literacy theories, listen to our final episode from Season 3 of the podcast: Mapping theories for media and digital literacy. Elizabeth also mentions two past episodes on personal influence: The Two-Step Flow and Opinion Leaders with Nick Switalski and Personal Influence in Politics.Seher mentions the recent report, Training Data for the Price of a Sandwich, written by Stefan Baack of the Mozilla Foundation in collaboration with the Mozilla Insights team. It explores Common Crawl’s “influence as a backbone for Large Language Models: its shortcomings, benefits, and implications for trustworthy AI.” Find more from Seher on her website, X, and LinkedIn. Check out www.polcommtech.ca for annotated transcripts of this episode in English and French.

April 3, 2024Episode 934 min

Counter-speech as Content Moderation with Kesa White

In this episode Elizabeth discusses the idea of counter-speech as content moderation with far right extremist researcher, Kesa White. Kesa describes her work on “dog-whistling,” talks about how counter speech can be helpful but doesn’t solve the problem of hate speech online, and explains some of the challenges tech companies face with content moderation. Drawing on her own experience with hate-speech she emphasizes how important it is for us to keep being “in the know” about social media and what is being said.We are doing a call-out for people who have had some kind of impact or have been helped by this podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Here is a google form to fill out to help us track the impact of our podcast!Additional ResourcesElizabeth mentions our past content moderation episode of the podcast with guest Andrew Strait. Elizabeth also references some categories of hate speech (Consult: Thou Shalt Not Hate: Countering Online Hate Speech) Kesa mentions her project with the RSM fellowship, her piece is titled “Not All Superheros Wear Capes: Identity Triggers the Trolls”For more context on the concept of counter-speech and extremism, here is an article by the Dangerous Speech Project based on a Counter-speech field study on Twitter. Check out www.polcommtech.ca for annotated transcripts of this episode in English and French.

March 27, 2024Episode 839 min

Collective vs Connective Action with Michael Redhead Champagne

This week Elizabeth talks with Michael Redhead Champagne, a community organizer in Winnipeg working to dismantle harmful systems and build better ones through Indigenous practices and knowledge. They discuss collective and connective action logics, and the importance of creating networks of people to promote and sustain change. Michael talks about building a spider web or network to help advance change, highlighting how essential fostering social connections is for pushing for political change. Elizabeth also asks Michael about the ways he uses social media to get information out and get people in. Side note: We are collecting examples of impacts of the podcast and we’d love to hear from you. Could you take two minutes to fill out this short questionnaire for feedback on the podcast.Additional Resources:For a quick explanation on the logic of collective action and the tragedy of the commons, check the video Collective Action 101: What Are Large-Scale Collective Action Problems?For a more in-depth explanation of collective action, connective action and the comparison between the two, you can read the article that first discussed connective action by Bennett and Segerberg The logic of connective action: Digital media and the personalization of contentious politics Michael talks about some amazing projects he has worked on such as Our Care, the review of Manitoba's Child Welfare Legislation, and Meet me at the Bell Tower You can also read Michael's Health Services Should Care for us Auntie-Style [2MB] reportElizabeth and Michael talk about the social movements Black Lives Matter, Idle no More, Women's Memorial MarchYou can learn more about our guest, read his blog, sign up for his newsletter, and buy his children's book We Need Everyone on his website Michael Redhead Champagne Check out www.polcommtech.ca for annotated transcripts of this episode in English and French.

March 20, 2024Episode 734 min

Parasocial Relationships with T.X. Watson

In this episode Elizabeth chats with TikTok creator and researcher T.X. Watson about parasocial relationships and how this term created in the 1950s applies, or not, to digital content creators. T.X. talks about relationships between influencers and their followers and how both research and popular culture still don't have words to properly describe this new form of connection. They discuss important topics that show up throughout this season of Wonks and War Rooms, such as authenticity, ethics, co-creation and measuring influence.Side note: We are collecting examples of impacts of the podcast and we’d love to hear from you. Could you take two minutes to fill out this short questionnaire for feedback on the podcast.Additional Resources:Elizabeth and T.X. mention the 1950s research by Horton and Wohl that defined the concept of parasocial relationships. They explain the term in their article Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction: Observations on Intimacy at a Distance Elizabeth talks about how some researchers are discussing the use of the term parasocial relationships to talk about influencers and proposing alternatives. One alternative is given by Lou in the article Social Media Influencers and Followers: Theorization of a Trans-Parasocial Relation and Explication of Its Implications for Influencer Advertising T.X. mentions Nancy Baym's book "Playing to the Crowd", but you can also check her out in conversation with Daniel Cavicchi and Norma Coates in this chapter on Music fandom in the digital ageT.X. mentions the Vlogbrothers John and Hank Green that have been making social media content since 2006Find T.X. Watson on TikTokCheck out past episodes mentioned in this one: News Influencers with Rachel Gilmore, Political Influencers with Nate Lubin, and Technological Affordances with Rachel Aiello Check out www.polcommtech.ca for annotated transcripts of this episode in English and French.