The election campaign reached a perhaps crucial turning point on Thursday with the first televised clash between the leaders of the main contending parties.
The event Face to face is organized and relayed by the TVA network. Another probably significant exchange, The leaders’ debate, will follow on September 22, on Radio-Canada. A first series of solo interviews (Five leaders, one electionwithout exchanges between the leaders) took place at the very beginning of the campaign on state television.
Is the traditional small screen still and always the medium par excellence for electoral campaigns? Does political communication, despite growing competition from new media and new digital platforms, therefore remain essentially telecentric?
Yes, but with huge nuances, answer the experts consulted.
“Television retains a more important place here compared to what we see in the United States or the rest of Canada,” observes Emmanuel Choquette, professor at the School of Applied Politics at the University of Sherbrooke. There is a great loyalty here to the small screen, which still plays a very important role in election campaigns. »
A Léger poll conducted from September 6 to 12 revealed Thursday morning that 34% of Quebec voters say they can still change their minds with the leaders’ debate. In addition, support for the Coalition avenir Québec has dropped by four points since the start of the campaign two weeks ago, continuing a downward trend since the beginning of August. François Legault still seems on his way to a strong majority government, but now with 38% of support.
“For many voters, the debate becomes an essential landmark,” says Professor Catherine Côté, also a professor at the School of Applied Politics. They know that they will be able to get a certain idea of the personality, the charisma of the candidates and, above all, to receive elements of the various programs, which the vast majority of people will not consult otherwise. So it’s very important. We haven’t always had televised debates, but now it has become essential. »
The first Quebec debate took place in 1962 between Jean Lesage (Liberal Party of Quebec) and Daniel Johnson (National Union), two years after the pioneering model opposing the candidates for the presidency of the United States Kennedy and Nixon, in 1960. It It then took until August 1994 for another televised summit clash in Quebec, this time between Jacques Parizeau and Daniel Johnson Jr.
Everyone talks about it
The media world has since been revolutionized by the great digital shift. National and international surveys all confirm that the consumption of information now takes place as much, if not more, on new platforms and mini-screens (telephone, tablet) than on TV.
Professor Côté refines the interpretation of the results. She notes that good old-fashioned television, with its bulletins and 24-hour news channels, remains the main source of information for a large proportion of the population.
“The TV doesn’t fall off,” she said. She is always there. This is explained by a generational reality. For 18-34 year olds, the format, the box we are looking at, no longer exists, but its content can still be consulted on the Internet. This generation does not watch live TV, but image relay remains fundamental. »
Professor Frédérick Bastien, from Laval University, a specialist in political communication, also supports this observation: TV content is available on other platforms. “A prime audience receives content on TV,” he says. A secondary audience receives it on a website, on Facebook and elsewhere. It’s normal. TV stations are better at producing TV content than radio stations or newspapers. »
TV actually serves parties and candidates in many ways. A media critic pointed out in The sun that Jack Layton had launched the orange wave in 2011 with his performance at the leaders’ debate and a remarkable appearance on the show Everybody talks about it.
Professor Bastien adds that television remains all the more central in political communication since there are no other forums where the main leaders meet to debate. “These debates are quite unique because of the rarity of the opportunity for the leaders to meet with each other. There will only be two debates in this campaign. »
The usually fierce preparation of the leaders provides further evidence of the importance of televised debates. Partisan teams have a habit of rehearsing their candidate with fake opponents and providing them with rehashed answers, including shocking little phrases that make perfect snippets for summaries broadcast on TV news and other platforms. The debaters also learn to interrupt the excerpts placed by their opponents to make them unusable for the media.