"Cautionary tale" and "game changer": Media response to Marpole Midden decision

Abstract

The close of summer saw “resolution” of the high-profile, year-long “Marpole Midden” imbroglio, a finale that did not go unnoticed by the media. Indeed, coverage by the Vancouver Sun provides us with a unique opportunity to explore up close the very heart of our contemporary heritage crisis. Here, I focus on two important elements: the first is media hegemony, where media is manipulated to reinforce dominant views, and the second is the ideology of economic “development,” where private property is paramount. These dimensions are important because they highlight the economic basis and seeming intractability of the crisis. In the end, and among many other things, Marpole became a case study in the production of public opinion.