Content Analysis of Media Coverage of Internet Content Issues Related to Children and Families in Canada, 1999
Section III
3.1 The Topics in the Articles
It is important to situate the scope of this content analysis within the overall social and political environment of 1999. There were two key events in the U.S. and Canada that framed Canadian news coverage of the Internet as it related to children and families. The first was the rise of "digital capitalism," initially an American phenomenon. Scores of stories were lavished on dot.com ventures, e-commerce inroads and huge media mergers. The second, which precipitated a wave of newspaper articles and commentary was the Columbine incident. Two male high school students went on a killing rampage through their school, an act that many felt was strongly influenced by an increasingly violent media culture. Reports that the two young perpetrators had posted a hate Web site targeting some of their classmates, and had found information about explosives online, released a significant debate about the Internet and inappropriate content. Canada was certainly not removed from these discussions, as ample newspaper coverage surrounding the event attests.
In May 1999, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) released its report on the regulation of new media. The media paid little attention to the CRTC's decision not to regulate the Internet, although it may have influenced some Internet industry coverage. Concerns about open access to the Internet in public libraries, particularly in Toronto and Calgary, generated more coverage than the CRTC decision. In both Toronto and Calgary, public library officials and the community debated whether or not libraries should install filtering software on Internet-accessible computers. Major controversy surrounded the conflict between issues of Internet censorship and preventing children from being exposed to inappropriate content while on the Web.
3.2 Comparative Results
Table 2
Were benefits or problems discussed in the articles?
| Slant | Number | Per Cent |
| Benefits only | 133 | approx. 40% |
| Problems only | 199 | approx. 60% |
Note: Thirteen articles mentioned both benefits and problems. These are counted in both sections.
Table 3
Benefits mentioned in the articles
| Benefit | Number | Per Cent |
| Education | 57 | 43% |
| Social | 38 | 29% |
| E-commerce | 23 | 17% |
| Recreation/Entertainment | 11 | 8% |
| Electronic democracy | 4 | 3% |
Table 4
Problems mentioned in the articles
| Problem | Number | Per Cent |
| Child pornography | 64 | 31% |
| Other crimes* | 27 | 13% |
| Pornography | 25 | 13% |
| Privacy | 22 | 11% |
| Invasive marketing practices | 18 | 9% |
| Health issues | 17 | 9% |
| Hate | 16 | 8% |
| Auctioning** | 5 | 3% |
| Gambling | 3 | 2% |
| Lack of francophone content | 2 | 1% |
* Other crimes include harassment, luring, predation, stalking, selling and abducting children, hacking, drug-related activities, copyright infringement.
** Auctioning is defined as a problem because it may encourage irresposible spending habits.
Table 5
Placement of articles
| Source | Number | Per Cent |
| News | 133 | 43% |
| Business | 50 | 16% |
| Life | 41 | 13% |
| Technology supplements | 40 | 13% |
| Opinion | 18 | 6% |
| Religion | 1 | 0% |
Table 6
People quoted in the articles
| Source | Number | Per Cent |
| Industry | 75 | 24% |
| Educators | 45 | 15% |
| Youth | 40 | 13% |
| Parents | 36 | 12% |
| Government | 29 | 9% |
| Law enforcement | 29 | 9% |
| Public interest groups | 29 | 9% |
