Blog Post #3

 What stood out to me most in these two media artifacts is that both are trying to keep Vimy Ridge meaningful for Canadians, but they do it in different ways. Harold Innis’s ideas about time bias and space bias help explain that difference really well. Innis says that time-biased media are better at preserving memory, tradition, and meaning over long periods of time. Space-biased media are better at spreading information widely and quickly across large distances. Looking at the CBC video Why the Battle of Vimy Ridge Matters and the Government of Canada’s Vimy Memorial website, I think both contain a mix of the two, but the CBC video leans more toward space bias, while the memorial website leans more toward time bias.

The CBC video feels more space-biased to me because it is made to reach a large audience in a quick and accessible way. Since it is a documentary shared through broadcast media and YouTube, it can spread ideas about Vimy Ridge across Canada very easily. That fits Innis’s idea of space-biased media because it moves information over long distances and brings many people into the same conversation. At the same time, I do think the video has a time-biased side too. It not only explains what happened in 1917 but also shows how the meaning of Vimy has changed over time. Instead of presenting it as one simple patriotic story, it shows that Canadians have remembered it differently depending on the period. I liked that part because it made Vimy feel less like a frozen symbol and more like something that people are still trying to understand.

The Government of Canada website feels more time biased overall, mainly because of the memorial itself. A monument is meant to last, preserve memory, and honour people across generations, which is exactly what Innis means by time bias. The website explains the history of the memorial, the symbolism in its design, the names carved into it, and the preserved trenches around it. All of that works together to keep the memory of the battle and the soldiers alive over time. Even though the website is online and can be accessed from anywhere, which gives it a space-biased element, its main purpose still feels more rooted in remembrance than in fast communication. It is trying to make sure that this event continues to matter, not just inform people about it once.

I think both of these artifacts do help Canadians know the past in a way that can shape the present and future. The CBC video helps by encouraging people to think critically about what Vimy means now, while the government website helps by preserving a more lasting memory of sacrifice and national loss. To me, that balance is important. One artifact opens up reflection, and the other protects remembrance. Together, they show that remembering Vimy is not just about repeating facts from history. It is also about how the media shape the way that history is carried forward. That is what makes Innis’s ideas so useful here. They help show that the way we remember something is just as important as what we remember.