Media Analysis

Doug Ford and François Legault: Who is number 1 in the media?

By Pierre Gince, PRP, ARP, FSCRP | 20 November 2024

Partners on certain issues, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Quebec Premier François Legault often go their separate ways in the Quebec, Ontario, and Canadian media.

Frequently criticized by their opponents and political commentators, which of the two positions themselves more effectively? Who records the most positive media coverage and, conversely, suffers the most negative? How do they score on their respective priority issues?

Let’s take a closer look at some of their results.

Similarities and Differences

Since taking office in 2018—Ford in June, Legault in October—the Premiers of Ontario and Quebec have quickly found common ground: both come from the business world and share a “practical, hands-on” approach.

While they are not great orators like some of their predecessors — such as Bill Davis and René Lévesque — they are nonetheless omnipresent in traditional and digital media, as well as on social networks.

However, the realities of their respective markets are quite different, as Ontario has far more regional media outlets than Quebec. What also sets them apart are the issues they prioritize.

Here are some examples drawn from the print and digital media (radio and television news items are preserved for a much shorter time):

Significant Presence in Print and Digital Media

Between November 1, 2023, and October 31, 2024, the name of the Premier of Quebec appeared in 34,398 mentions in print and digital media, compared to 29,029 for his Ontario counterpart. Unsurprisingly, public sector negotiations in Quebec generated a significant volume of media coverage, contributing to this disparity.

François Legault received more media attention than Doug Ford…

In Quebec, the two daily newspapers owned by Québecor overwhelmingly dominated François Legault’s media coverage. La Presse’s two platforms lagged far behind, with The Montreal Gazette coming in fourth place.

In Ontario, the Toronto Star stands in a league of its own. This can be attributed to the fact that “Toronto is Toronto,” while cities like Ottawa, Hamilton, St. Catharines, and several others have their own local media outlets.

… but Ford received the most media coverage on seven major issues

Clearly, the Premier of Ontario adopted a more targeted communication strategy over the past year. As a result, he managed to dominate media volume on seven key issues: the economy, education, environment, immigration, housing, health, and transportation.

François Legault, on the other hand, drew more attention for his numerous demands directed at the Trudeau government, while also addressing a wide range of other topics.

October 2024: An Exception

Last October, François Legault garnered the highest volume of media coverage. However, it was attention he likely could have done without…

The “Bedford School case” – where a group of teachers were imposing their religious beliefs in a toxic environment –reignited debates around the relevance of the Quebec’s Act respecting the laicity of the state and funding for religious schools. This was compounded by his clash with the Trudeau government over immigration thresholds and the growing role of the private sector in healthcare.

Very often, François Legault is reacting to the news. Setting the agenda has become increasingly difficult for him.

Bombardier and Trump

Last year, in a rare move, Doug Ford and François Legault both took a stand in support of Bombardier, urging the Trudeau government to reverse its decision to award a significant contract to Boeing. In print and digital media alone, they appeared in 140 and 147 mentions, respectively.

Regarding the possible election of Donald Trump, it was Premier Ford who sought to stand out: 851 mentions, compared to 535 for François Legault

Positive and negative reputational impact

Like all leaders who make the news, both premiers have experienced – day after day, hour after hour – gains and deficits in their reputations. Here are a few examples:

According to Mesure Média, this coverage resulted in a performance score of 92% out of 200% for Premier Legault – despite a third-party negative stance regarding the possible use of the notwithstanding clause. Source of the image: The Globe and Mail

According to Mesure Média, Premier Ford recorded a performance score of -48% out of -200% with this report. Source of the image: thestar.com

Elon Musk ? Meh…

Everything Elon Musk does doesn’t seem to influence Premiers Legault and Ford. In fact, unlike many public figures who boycott him, they continue to make use of his X account to reach a wide audience.

Doug Ford and François Legault continue to feed X with their every move. Sources of the images: X

To remember, regardless of your organization:

It’s not the quantity of media coverage that matters. It’s the quality.
Despite the pressure to communicate as quickly as possible, it is absolutely necessary to take a few extra minutes to… reflect. To re-question the strategy decided upon. And, changing your mind? Not a problem!
Performance scores determine the effectiveness of the messages conveyed. They are more important than positive or negative reputational impact in dollars.

Pierre Gince, PRP, ARP, FSCRP, is President of Mesure Média, a Canadian firm specializing in the analysis of traditional and digital media content, as well as social networks.