New Mitacs Accelerate funding to study media coverage of policing in Canada

New funds awarded through the Mitacs Accelerate program will support work being supervised by Linda Duxbury, Chancellor’s Professor of Management, on the representations of police in mainstream and social media.

Given that the portrayal of police programs and activities shapes public perception of policing (Cross & Fine), this research will focus on how mainstream and social media have framed their representations of high-profile topics involving police services and the public in Canada. The project’s first study will explore representations of Canadian School Resource Officer (SRO) programs, and the partner organization will identify additional areas of interest as this initial study draws to a close. Research questions will aim to clarify the tone of media reporting, its sources of bias (if any), and the similarities and differences between mainstream and social media coverage.