Strategies of silence : Acadian images in the New Brunswick press

This is a study in community perception, an examination into the manner in which Acadians and anglophones regarded each other as seen in the daily press of New Brunswick during the 1960's.An examination of the newspapers L'Evangeline, the Moncton Daily Times and the Saint John Telegraph-Journal revealed fundamentally different ways in which the English-speaking New Brunswickers viewed Acadians and the way in which Acadians viewed themselves. The gradual emergence of Acadian coverage in the anglophone press was a function of events occurring outside New Brunswick itself, events such as movements toward greater autonomy and possible independence for Quebec and the establishment of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism, a federal response to challenges posed by Quebec.The minimal nature of Acadian coverage may also be attributed to journalistic mediocrity and a strategy of silence undertaken by the English language press in order to maintain a climate of economic stability which would benefit financial interests in the province. This strategy failed because the press never appreciated the nature of Acadian cultural aspireations and historical development.