Media and Government: The Role of the Director of Communications

Although there has been a significant discussion in the literature about technology’s role in governmental communications, no study has focused on the Director of Communications, whose role is to control the flow of information in contemporary Canadian politics. This thesis examines the role that the PM’s Director of Communications plays in conveying the PM’s message to the Canadian public and how technology has impacted that role. The thesis will consider how the communication teams of various American Presidents and Canadian Prime Ministers have used the media and technology in demonstrating that while the medium of governmental communication has changed, the medium does not dictate the PM’s tactics and strategies. Technology has changed how politics are presented, but not, fundamentally, the way in which they are performed. Accordingly, the Director of Communications’ increasingly critical position in contemporary Canadian politics is related to both technology and political culture.