Framing Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Economic Leadership: A Comparative Analysis of CBC News and CTV News

Abstract

This study investigates how the two Canadian media outlets CBC News and CTV News construct and interpret narratives of economic leadership through the combined lenses of agenda-setting and framing theory. Focusing on the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the research employs a qualitative comparative analysis of 164 news articles published between November 2025 and February 2026. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative comparative approach informed by Entman’s framing model to examine how CBC News and CTV News construct narratives of economic leadership. Framing is treated as a process through which media selectively emphasize particular aspects of economic reality, while Entman’s model serves both as the study’s theoretical foundation and as the analytical framework guiding the qualitative interpretation of media discourse. Specifically, the analysis examines how economic challenges, policy commitments, and reported achievements are prioritized and framed within each outlet’s coverage.

The findings reveal a clear distinction between convergence in issue salience and divergence in interpretive framing. Both outlets consistently prioritize key economic concerns which include inflation, cost-of-living pressures, and international trade tensions. However, significant differences emerge in how these issues are constructed. Drawing on Entman’s four framing functions, the study shows that CBC News adopts a thematic and structurally oriented framing approach that situates economic challenges within broader global and institutional contexts, accompanied by balanced and moderated evaluations of leadership. In contrast, CTV News employs a more episodic and politically driven framing style that emphasizes immediacy, policy contestation, and leadership accountability.

These framing differences produce distinct representations of economic leadership that shape how responsibility, effectiveness, and policy responses are understood. By integrating agenda-setting and framing theory, the study demonstrates that media influence operates not only through the prioritization of economic issues but also through the construction of competing interpretive narratives.