Advancing the Collective Consensus of Investigative Journalism
A Rhetorical Analysis of The Globe and Mail's Reporting on the MHCare Scandal in Alberta
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55016/exaqj954Keywords:
Investigative Journalism , Journalism , MHCare, Rhetorical Analysis , Canadian Investigative EcosystemAbstract
This rhetorical analysis examines The Globe and Mail’s reporting on the Alberta MHCare scandal from July 2024 to November 2025 to show how journalists use their own feelings about a topic they investigate to connect with their audiences. The MHCare scandal consists of investigative news stories in Canada that allege a conflict of interest within the Alberta United Conservative Party (UCP) government, implicating Premier Danielle Smith’s former chief of staff Marshall Smith, and formerly titled Health Minister Adriana LaGrange in favouring MHCare Medical CEO Sam Mraiche for healthcare procurement (Cardoso et al., 2025). A framework was developed using previous research on the morality of journalists from the findings of Glasser and Ettema (1989), who argued journalists objectified their morals to connect with a “community consensus of values” (p.9), and investigative journalism categories proposed by Wuergler and Cancela (2024), which contributed to a “self-feeding” journalism ecosystem in French-speaking Switzerland. We used Glasser and Ettema’s moral rhetorical appeals to analyze 20 articles from The Globe and Mail, then divided them into Wuergler and Cancela's four categories to identify which were proactive (sources actively sought) and which were reactive (sources easily acquired from releases, etc.). This addressed the question: What moral rhetorical appeals did Canadian investigative journalists from The Globe and Mail use when reporting on the MHCare scandal? The MHCare case study highlighted the challenges Canadian investigative journalists face, stemming from impediments to access to information and roadblocks within the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We found only one proactive story; the rest were reactive, suggesting that only one story is needed to sustain a Canadian investigative ecosystem.
References
Aufray, R., & Rovillé, M. (2008). Les écosystèmes. CNRS. https://sagascience.cnrs.fr/dosbiodiv/index.php?pid=decouv_chapA_p1_f1&zoom_id=zoom_a1_3
Cancela, P., Gerber, D., & Dubied, A. (2021). “To me, it’s normal journalism”: Professional perceptions of investigative journalism and evaluations of personal commitment. Journalism Practice, 15(6), 878–893. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2021.1876525
Cardoso, T., Tait, C., Mackinnon, M., & Chambers, S. (2025a, November 29). Who is Sam Mraiche? An Inside Look at the Health Care Controversy that has Roiled Alberta and the Businessman Whose Dealings with the Government Have Come Under Scrutiny. The Globe and Mail. https://ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fnewspapers%2Fwho-is-sam-mraiche%2Fdocview%2F3276454134%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D9838
Champlin, D. P., & Knoedler, J. T. (2006). The Media, the News, and Democracy: Revisiting the Dewey-Lippman Debate. Journal of Economic Issues, 40(1), 135–152. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/10.1080/00213624.2006.11506886
Cardoso, T., Tait, C., & Chambers, S. (2025b, September 29). Alberta health officials were also directors at a company linked to a supplier: Corporate filings reveal further links between Alberta Health Services procurement staff and private firms. The Globe and Mail. https://ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fblogs-podcasts-websites%2Falberta-health-officials-were-also-directors-at%2Fdocview%2F3255238846%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D9838
Deuze, M. & Witschge, T. (2018). Beyond journalism: Theorizing the transformation of journalism. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/10.1177/1464884916688550
Glasser, T. L., & Ettema, J. S. (1989). Investigative journalism and the moral order. Critical Studies in Mass Communication, 6(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295038909366728
Gouldner, A. W. (1976). The dialectic of ideology and technology: the origins, grammar, and future of ideology. New York: Seabury Press.
Keel, V.A. (1998). Community Values in the Law and Practice of Journalism in Canada. American Review of Canadian Studies, 28:1-2, 29-52. https://doi.org/10.1080/02722019809481562
Schudson, M. (1992). Watergate in American memory: how we remember, forget, and reconstruct the past. BasicBooks. https://archive.org/details/watergateinameri0000schu/page/146/mode/2up
Schudson, M. (2022). What does “trust in the media” mean? https://doi.org/10.1162/daed_a_01948
Siebert, F. S., Peterson, T., and Schramm, W. (1956). Four theories of the press: the authoritarian, libertarian, social responsibility, and Soviet communist concepts of what the press should be and do. University of Illinois Press. https://archive.org/details/fourtheoriesofpr00sieb/page/74/mode/2up
Smith, D., & Tiffen, R. (2023). From Watergate to Trump world - the declining power of scandals. In C. Coatney (Ed.), Investigative Journalism in Changing Times (1st ed., Vol. 1, pp. 150–169). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003279808-10
Tait, C. (2024, July 18). Alberta Premier accepted Oilers playoff ticket from Crown corporation director; Ministers hosted by player in medicine import deal: Premier Danielle Smith was given private box tickets by board member of Crown corporation Invest Alberta, while UCP cabinet ministers were hosted by player in children’s pain medication import deal. The Globe and Mail. https://ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fblogs-podcasts-websites%2Falberta-premier-accepted-oilers-playoff-ticket%2Fdocview%2F3082373007%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D9838
Tait, C. (2025a, March 5). Alberta appoints former judge to probe health contracts after allegations of interference: Raymond Wyant will review the circumstances around which the ministry of health and Alberta health services procured children’s medicine and chartered surgical facilities. The Globe and Mail. https://ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fblogs-podcasts-websites%2Falberta-appoints-former-judge-probe-health%2Fdocview%2F3173138269%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D9838
Tait, C. (2025b, September 24). Adviser on Alberta’s use of private clinics was also working for company vying for contract, confidential report says: Potential conflicts of interest outlined in document at centre of health procurement controversy. The Globe and Mail. https://www.proquest.com/docview/3253536532?accountid=9838&parentSessionId=9EW73eTUVvzBxjDYbu%2FWxLVqx68uxKrxbGM7h1wOpHs%3D&sourcetype=Blogs,%20Podcasts,%20&%20Websites
Tait, C. (2025c). Alberta ousted health services CEO amid probe into medical contracts, document alleges: Athana Mentzelopoulos was dismissed two days before a meeting with province’s auditor on her investigation, according to letter. The Globe and Mail.
Tait, C., & Smith, A. (2025, March 21). Board of Alberta Health Services fired on same day that investigation report was due: Health Minister dismissed board after directors forwarded a letter to the Auditor-General alleging that government officials meddled in AHS’s operations to the benefit of private companies. The Globe and Mail. https://ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fblogs-podcasts-websites%2Fboard-alberta-health-services-fired-on-same-day%2Fdocview%2F3179698699%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D9838
The Canadian Press. (2024, May 11). B.C.’s David Eby, Alberta’s Danielle Smith watch Oilers-Canucks playoff game together. The Canadian Press News. https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/sports/b-c-s-david-eby-albertas-danielle-smith-watch-oilers-canucks-playoff-game-together/article_03054da6-13a1-5db7-85bd-817aa97821b9.html
Thompson, M., Amend, E., & Marini, L. (2021). Canadian access to information and journalism: Obstacles and opportunities. Facts & Frictions: Emerging Debates, Pedagogies and Practices in Contemporary Journalism, 1(1), 1-18. http://doi.org/10.22215/ff/v1.i1.01
Usher, B. (2026). Wandering Crusaders: A Short History of the Investigative Crime Journalist. In J. Price, N. Macfarlane, & B. Longo-Flint (Eds.), Insights on Investigative Journalism (1st ed., Vol. 1, pp. 13–28). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003478157-3
Wuergler, L., & Cancela, P. (2022a). How do investigative journalists initiate their stories? Exploring the investigative ecosystem of Switzerland. Journalism Practice, 18(6), 1398–1419. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2022.2103019
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Alejandro Melgar, Clariz Luz Andrea Garingan, Abbigail Johnson, Daman Preet Singh, Eva Suanez
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright Policy
The Motley Undergraduate Journal is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Share-Alike License. Under this license, users are free to share (copy, distribute and transmit) and remix (adapt) the contribution, including for commercial purposes, providing that the original work is properly cited. Under Creative Commons, authors retain copyright in their articles.
Author Self Archiving Policy
Authors are permitted to post their work online in institutional/disciplinary repositories or on their own websites. Pre-print versions posted online should include a citation and link to the final published version in The Motley Undergraduate Journal as soon as the issue is available; post-print versions (including the final publisher's PDF) should include a citation and link to the journal's website.
