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Corrigan: 1, provincial government: 0

March 25th, 2009 · 14 Comments

The mayor of Burnaby was in fine punching form yesterday after the provincial government backed down on its plans for a remand centre at a site near Canada Way and Willingdon. The story in the Globe today, by Justine Hunter and me, captures some of his trademark style.

This decision also goes into my file of interesting examples of the way that public uproar and media coverage can actually have an impact on political decisions.

Speaking of which, I have to give a talk next week about the power the media exerts in influencing political decisions. I’m looking for examples of where a strong story or media campaign appear to have influenced public policy or pushed politicians into changing their minds about decisions — perhaps for the good, but perhaps also for the bad. I can think of some examples, but what are some that spring to mind for you?

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