These days, one political elite that whos strength is comparable to a hydrogen bomb is the media. The media shapes public opinion in an incredible fashion. Shockingly, the media almost has the power to completely destroy the publics trust in government. Vietnam and Watergate are two good examples. A good Canadian example is how the media exploited former Solicitor-General Andy Scott when he was in quite a bit of trouble last fall. As such, the media is an incredible force in politics. Also, it seems that the media can some exploit individuals, distort the news, and judge individuals as guilty without fair analysis. The recent "APEC Summit Affair" demonstrates this to a tea. For the purpose of this essay, two forms of the media are used: The newspaper (Evening-Times Globe), and television (CBC). The banner headline of the October eighth issue of the Evening-Times Globe read, in large bold letters: "He lied. Let him sue." Whereas a subheadline in the October seventh issue reads: "Talk Not Cheap: Solicitor General Andy Scott's chat with a Saint John man has him fighting for his political life." When the CBC reported on the incident, reporters were, at times far from objective, using buzz words like "The Forces of Darkness". And clips of question period in the House of Commons was all over the news, most of which were scenes of opposition members "grilling" the federal government, Andy Scott, and the Prime Minister. Thus, The PMO sent a long and detailed letter to the CBC. "we have learned that CBC News, through lead journalist Terry Milewski, may from the beginning have had a specific and one-sided agenda on this issue." (PMO Press Office, 1998). George Bain describes the power of Canadian journalists well. "Canadian journalists have always tended to pooh-pooh their influence on public opinion in matters of politics, not out of modesty, heaven forbid, but so as not to have too much invested in case something or someone whom they incausiously endorsed earlier turns out not quite as expected." (Bain, 1994). In short the media will never be the "bad guy". They are a kind of "indestructible elite", in which they can both shape public opinion and make or break a politicians career.

This is where elitism is spawned. Elitism can be seen, from a certain point of view, as people who are believed to important who "vest political power in their incumbents" (Van Loon, Whittington, 1981). From a sociological point of view, elitism deals with class structures. Marx describes these class structures and what makes certain individuals "High Class" or "important". "The separation of ownership from the management and control of industry" (Penguin Books, 1994, p.58). Marxists see political elites as "bad guys" - theoretically, it is because they represent a small portion of the population and are believed to control most of the political power and money. However, Plato's Republic offers a different standpoint. In his work, political elites are seen as "good guys" - wise, virtuous, and knowledgeable. It is difficult to define elitism, however. The above definition, first and foremost, deals with financial status. What's more, Plato's opinions and definitions of elites are blatantly out of date. Though political elites are predominately high-class and wealthy, it does not explain interest groups and lobbyists. The men and women in these groups are, on the whole, not particularly "rich" or "important". What makes them truly important or powerful is that they alter public opinion (The media works in the same way, however this will be discussed later). The idea that elites shape public opinion applies to all elites as well. Not to mention the fact that the majority of Canadians have negative attitudes toward political elites. As a common sense definition we see the actual people who are elites as "fat cats": Rich, privileged, with no concern for the middle-class. Essentially, we see elites as people who can bend the laws which are the bases of our de

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