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Politics

    • Academics grappling with effects of online misinformation on people's behaviour

    Lawyers enter the hearing room as the Public Inquiry into Foreign Election Interference resumes in Ottawa, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) Lawyers enter the hearing room as the Public Inquiry into Foreign Election Interference resumes in Ottawa, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
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    An academic who studies the flow of information in an era of mistruths and polarized views says it is very difficult to gauge the effect of media content on people's behaviour.

    Taylor Owen, an associate professor at McGill University, told a public inquiry into foreign interference today that behaviour is not determined by any one specific piece of content.

    Rather, he said, it is influenced by the sum total of a person's experiences, beliefs, values, politics and overall media consumption. 

    Owen is co-principal investigator of the Media Ecosystem Observatory, a collaboration between McGill and the University of Toronto, which combines large-scale online data analysis with survey research.

    The federal inquiry's latest public hearings are focusing on the ability of agencies to detect, deter and counter foreign meddling.

    The hearings are examining the practices of various institutions and the experiences of diaspora communities.

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2024

    IN DEPTH

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    Canada

    • A man who "systematically isolated, manipulated, deceived, abused, and exploited" an elderly North Vancouver woman has lost his ownership stake in her home.

    • Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he wants to build a tunnel under Highway 401 that would stretch from Brampton to Scarborough.

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    Health

    • A team at the University of Waterloo are developing a process to 3D-print bones, which could dramatically improve the quality of life for cancer and trauma patients.

    Sci-Tech

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    Entertainment

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    Lifestyle

    Sports

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    Autos

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    Local Spotlight

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    • Police have arrested one suspect and are looking for two others in connection with a rash of thefts in which thieves gained access to moving tractor trailers and stole more than $2.2 million in merchandise while the vehicles were stopped at red lights.

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    • NHL star forward Claude Giroux had his car stolen in Ottawa on Tuesday evening, his wife says.

    • The Ottawa Police Service is investigating reports of gunfire in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday evening.

    • The City of Ottawa has found more than $564,000 in back taxes are no longer able to be recovered and staff are recommending councillors approve writing it off.

    • The opposition tried unsuccessfully on Wednesday to find out more about the state of public funds invested in Northvolt.

    • The Bloc Québécois is giving the Liberal government a deadline of Oct. 29 to pass two pieces of legislation related to old-age security and supply management.

    • The Legault government is defending its $6.5 million subsidy to the Presidents Cup, a prestigious golf tournament. On Wednesday morning, the three opposition parties joined together in criticizing the subsidy, pointing to the record $11 billion deficit and the crying needs in several public sectors.

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    N.L.

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