Abstract
In the thousand-channel universe, politicians must find innovative ways to reach citizens via television. Viewership for news and current affairs television programs has dropped dramatically. Meanwhile, the rise of programming that blends information with entertainment – infotainment – on French Canadian television has provided new opportunities for today’s politicians. Breaking News? traces the development of infotainment and exposes the impact of these kinds of programs on modern political communication. Though not without its controversies, infotainment ultimately makes a positive contribution to democratic life by piquing the audience’s interest in public affairs and motivating it to pay more attention to political news in general.