The ongoing cold war between Harper and the media has escalated to a shooting war.
The media's adamant refusal to accept Harper's insistence on changing the established press conference rules could easily be mistaken as a temper tantrum by spoiled media elites - Harpers apologists in the right wing press would certainly like you to come to that conclusion.
But it's worth noting that Harper's 'I'll decide who gets to ask questions' policy is the same policy that has turned the White House press corps into the balless scrotums so effectively skewered recently by Stephen Colbert at the White House correspondents dinner. It's what has kept Helen Thomas, the last real reporter covering the White House side-lined, never called upon because she has a nasty habit of asking real questions. It's what allowed Republican Party plant and occasional male prostitute Jeff Gannon to pose as a real reporter because he could always be depended on for a pro-administration softball question.
Given a choice about who gets to ask questions, will the PMO ever call on a real reporter who asks tough questions? Or would the folks at home come to think the only reporters in Ottawa work for The National Post or Global Television?
Harper is afraid of tough questions, and that's what this is all about.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
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10 comments:
I think your conclusion may be a tad too easy. This goes further, into controlling the minds of the populace. If the Harper can't control the messages that get out to the masses, he can't get his dearly-sought Majority.
What frightens me is that media control is a cornerstone of fascism.
Dalton McGuinty has the same list Harper's trying to put into effect, yet neither the MSM nor you seem to be in a huff about that. What entitles the PPG to get away with the tail wagging the dog?
Geez, Matt, you could have at least changed your comment from the one you made at my blog. So, let me explain it to you again.
Dalton McGuinty was Premier of Ontario and Stephen Harper was Prime Minister of Canada. Ontario. Canada. Do you see the difference? No? Well, let me try again. Ontario is a province. Canada is a country. I don't live in Ontario, but I do live in Canada. My 12 year-old understands this. Do you?
I'd like to see some of the small local media Harper so confidently expects to be onside surprise him with some tough questions - of course there isn't really much 'small local media' left. Odds are, he'll be speaking to the same two or three conglomerates that own almost every paper in Canada.
The one possible upside to all this would be if the Ottowa media hordes took all the time they're going to have on their hands because they aren't participating in the stale and empty ritual of the press conference and used it to do some real reporting.
Harper may come to regret releasing them from the press gallery - but considering the lazy stenographers the majority of the press corps is made up of - and I worked as a journalist, I know whereof I speak - probably not.
"Geez, Matt, you could have at least changed your comment from the one you made at my blog. So, let me explain it to you again."
Much like you just did, eh? You must be proud of your son - such a fast learner.
According to Larry Zolf of the CBC, the media made Harper and they can break him.
Is that the role of the media in a democracy?
No wonder Harper has told them to go pound sand, they freely admit to being biased and manipulating public opinion to affect the election's outcome.
Quote "suddenly Harper the former Reformer, the right-winger, was the proper vehicle for the media desire for a change in government."unquote
Read that last quote again. "..the media desire for a change in government."
That's a bit scary, isn't it?
Quote" But with his total denial of access to the media that backed him in the first place, he isn't doing himself any favours.
Harper’s treatment of the media is that of an ingrate. The media made Harper. The media also first made Trudeau and Mulroney. Later, the media made both Trudeau and Mulroney and their parties suffer at the polls.
A similar fate awaits Harper if he doesn’t change his basic suspicion and hatred of reporters and news commentators. " unquote
There was a secret agenda alright, only now it isn't so secret and it's obvious that it was the media that had a secret agenda, not Stephen Harper.
Would it be better for Canada if Stephen Harper played the corrupt media's game the same way that the Liberals did? He's doing the right thing by exposing them for the corrupt fools that they are.
It would be easier for him to play the liberal game and pay them off with cushy jobs and patronage apointments. This is harder, but it's the right thing to do.
Refusing to answer tough qustions is the right thing to do. Your logic is deliberately tortured in the name of partisanship.
Let's examine this media bias idea:
Two national newspapers, both of which endorsed Harper in the last election, one that is basically the Conservative Party newsletter.
Can West Global, a huge media conglomerate of newspapers and TV stations all across the country, all leaning Conservative.
Harper's right, there is a media bias - in favor of the Conservatives.
Any further comments will require something better tha Anonymous.
I'm getting comments but I repeat: I won't run them without something better than Anonymous. If you won't stand behind your statement by putting your name to them you obviously don't value them so why should I?
Anonymous said...
What tough questions does Harper refuse to answer? He actually provides answers for questions he is asked. He's just not going to let the PPG play their biased games and twist everything he has to say. No-one argues that he doesn't answer questions clearly and concisely.
The toronto star? Slightly to the left of Pravda. The Globe and Mail? Left wing all the way. The CBC? Well, being that almost all of their board of directors donated to the Liberals and they depend on a big government party for their billion dollars a year, I guess we'll have to say that they have a liberal bias.
Who owns Canwest? Longtime liberals. The trouble was that Martin was such a putz and Chretien hated him that the media didn't give him as much of a free ride as he was used to.
Tell me, why haven't we heard much about the Oil For Food scandal here in Canada? Could it be because Chretien's son-in-law was one of the major players? CBC must have missed that one somehow.
Isn't it odd that Power Corp never seems to make the news?
The Canadian media were all in favour of us staying out of the Iraq war and following the UN lead in our foreign affairs. UN good, Harper bad, right?
How did they miss this story that would have made it very embarrassing to be seen with the UN? What story, you ask? The one about UN peacekeepers running a kiddie porn/pedophile ring in the Congo. Somehow the Canadian media missed that story, but they were all full of reasons why we should follow the UN's lead. I guess they would have had to admit that the UN is a bunch of stinking rats and we shouldn't have anything to do with them. But that would have made Chretien and Martin look bad.
So google 'UN', 'pedophile', and 'Congo', and ask yourself why the Canadian media missed that story.
Think this is all crazy? Then you explain why the media have all but ignored the Oil For Food scandal, the UN pedophile story, and why we never hear about how Power Corp was so closely tied to the PM's office during the last 15 or 20 years.
Well Anonymous Virgil who just opened his blogger account and has no information on his profile, it's nice to see your brave willingness to sign your name to your words.
One little note to your rambling tirade - The Globe and Mail? Left wing all the way.
How does endorsing the Conservatives in the last election possibly make you Left wing? Have you even read the Globe?
Before you consider answering, this is a blog for grown-ups. And grown-ups know if you aren't willing to sign your name to your words you'e telling the world you don't believe in them.
I will not waste this space on anonymous cowards. Sign your name or post elsewhere.
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