Subscribe to our
mailing list
« Grieving Nichola | Main | Who are we fighting in the war on terror? »
“The author of this report is currently in a titanic struggle with the government Canadians elected. Therefore the contents are in accordance with approved Press Gallery procedure and may not be true to all people. Whatever you do, DO NOT read blogs to correct or we’re screwed.”
It’s a fun read…
Posted by Darcey on May 26, 2006 in Media | Permalink
TrackBack URL for this entry:
https://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d834515b5d69e200d8348d870453ef
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference News with a Disclaimer:
The MSM 'journalists' are living caricatures.
They could ignore the CPC and it's predecessors when they were the official opposition but this type of boycott won't last.
No news IS good news.
Posted by: Speller | 2006-05-26 12:55:14 PM
I thought this was one of the lamest stories to come out of the Hill is recent months. Both sides throwing tantrums, and neither providing evidence to back up their claims. The government didn't convince me that the press has a liberal bias, nor did the press give examples of Harper favoring "softball" reporters.
Then I watched Mike Duffy Live yesterday. In support of the press, a reporter (Kady O'Malley? I couldn't find a transcript on the CTV site, so I'm not sure) cited an example of Harper's media manipulation. She said that the government released the Accountability Act (to paraphrase) "... five minutes before the press conference ... not enough time for us to do analysis and add context..."
Excuse me? Your job is to report, not to add context and analysis. That is called editorializing. If a member of the opposition wants to criticize, that's fine. At least they are elected, accountable and you know where they're coming from. When a reporter does this under the guise of reporting, it erodes what little faith the people have left in objective journalism.
Here's an example of what reports should, and shouldn't do:
Reporter: "PM Harper, NDP leader Jack Layton has claimed that you eat babies for breakfast. How do you respond to that claim?"
Editorialist: "PM Harper, some people are suggesting that you love to eat babies for breakfast, possibly lunch too. Is this yet another example of the conservative hidden agenda?"
Posted by: db | 2006-05-26 1:50:00 PM
In his May 29 column in MacLeans magazine, Anderw Potter points out that under the British parliamentary system, the Prime Minister only obligation is to answer to parliament.
And PM Harper has never backed down from a question in Question Period. In fact, he steps in much more to answer questions than either of his immediate predecessors.
Potter points out the idea that a leader's power is checked by the media (among other checks and balances) and that the concept of answering to the people through a free press is more an idea formulated and developed within the terms of the US constitution.
What a delicious irony. Besides their record of personal attacks on a succession of Conservative/Alliance/Refore leaderhip over the years, Ottawa press gallery has spent plenty of energy carving out Canada's right to create its own identity by bashing the US.
I laugh. Loudly. Ha. Ha. Ha.
While PM Harper is living within the letter of the BNA Act (the Trudeau thing doesn't count because Quebec didn't sign on), the Ottawa press gallery wants an American-style press relationship.
Seriously, this is too funny.
The more these clowns protest, the more I laugh.
I like that quote (can't find it now, somebody posted it yesterday) about how journalists are like children dancing in front of a parade, then reporting back at how they are leading it.
What a freakin' knee-slapper.
Not even Monty Python could have dreamt up this stuff.
Posted by: Set you free | 2006-05-26 3:12:29 PM
Just finished watching a couple of press gallery types on Mike Duffy.
I'm even more convinced now most of the people on this blog would have no difficulty outdebating those shallow points.
Bwhahahaha. Bwhahahaha.
Posted by: Set you free | 2006-05-26 3:56:41 PM
Black Rod knows what time it is in this country.
Posted by: EBD | 2006-05-26 4:34:22 PM
In fairness Prime Minister Harper should answer questions which are representative of what members of the Canadian public would ask.
For example 40% of the questioners should be people who are small c conservatives. If and when the CBC hires someone who is small c conservative, they too should get to ask a question.
Posted by: Terry Gain | 2006-05-26 9:07:45 PM
About 97% of the questions PM Harper is asked by a member of parliament elected to represent the voting populace.
Furthermore, those questions are asked by members whose duty it is to oppose.
At least somebody voted for them.
Conversely, on the face of it, nobody knows which political stripe each individual member favours.
Therefore, if the parliamentary press gallery are so intent on keeping the government honest, perhaps they could run for office.
They would promise to forever be in opposition, even if the party they ran for formed a government.
Feedback?
Posted by: Set you free | 2006-05-26 10:26:10 PM
Just finished watching CBC Today on CBCNewsworld about this and I must say that it was disturbing. Here was the CBC, the government mouthpiece, trashing their boss, but using average Canadians to do the dirty work. This would not have happened in the Liberal golden days. Their question of the day was "Do you care about the battle going on between PM Harper and the National Press Gallery?"
Now the sickening part. Some old guard of Liberal enlightenment actually called the CBC and left his comment about Harper. "...This guy is a religious fanatic and he wants to be a dictator."
One does not know whether to laugh or cry.
Posted by: dan beaulne | 2006-05-27 12:03:01 PM
People are too credulous about the nobility and goals -- and the value to Canadians -- of the OPG. For an informed and sober view, read Andrew Coyne's excellent column today in the National Post (also online at Neale News). Here's one quote:
"Most of what passes for reporting on parliament hill..(...)..consists of retailing leaks that have been fed to reporters from various self-interested sources. More often they are simply bits of spin, slagging an opponent or puffing some pet project, always under cover of anonymity."
Can you say "Paul Hunter"?
Posted by: EBD | 2006-05-27 12:30:10 PM
Special K;
That's just the way the BNA Act, the real Canadian constitution, is set up.
Based on British parliamentary tradition, the prime minister's sole obligation is to be honest with elected members of the house.
This concept of the press being a conduit for a leader's communication was formulated in the U.S. Therefore the press gallery appears to be advocating for an American-style system.
The irony is delicious.
dan:
Did you notice the politically correct mixture on the man on the streets of Toronto?
One elderly male, one homosexual male.
One eldery woman, a middle-aged black woman and a young woman.
Their poll apparently proved 60%, three of five, people on the street thought PH Harper should not be so mean to the poor, downtrodden press gallery.
Interestingly enough, the elderly had the two dissenting votes. Must have come from the ‘loose lips sink ships' generation of dinosaurs. At least that's the impression I got they were trying to feed mie.
Posted by: Set you free | 2006-05-27 12:30:12 PM
EDB;
I thanked Andrew in the email I send him this morning and invitied him to chuckle along, just as we are here, as the air is being let out of theie pompous heads.
Posted by: Set you free | 2006-05-27 12:45:51 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.