Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Fair and Balanced

Diefenbaker's ghost lives on.

For what it's worth, reporters actually laughed at Paul Martin a year ago when he was introducing Belinda Stronach to the media. They'll eat anyone alive, regardless of political stripe.

posted by calgarygrit at 10:19 p.m.

18 Comments:

  • There are over 200 comments posted on this story a few hours after it was published. The Antional News ediitors are letting this one run. This is huge. The press will get him for this.

    By Blogger S.K., at 4:04 a.m.  

  • owenin ottawa
    I love it.
    " Anyone that tries to convince we the media currently doesn’t lean (fall over) to the left is blatantly biased (partisan). "
    So anyone who tries to convince you the press is not partisan is partisan so therefore you win.
    So, So open minded.
    Truth is the press is biased, so biased to the right that it is pathetic.
    The truth is that over the last 200 years every economic idea that Harper has has been shown to be full of crap yet the press still takes him seriously. How is that for bias.

    By Blogger Aristo, at 10:03 a.m.  

  • As polls seem to be indicating (as much as I hate polls - as opposed to the Poles, whom I generally like), the nation in general doesn't care about the media's problems. Much as you may disagree with what Harper is doing, its nothing different than Liberals like... say... Trudeau.

    About 4 years ago, when Chretien was still emporer.. er.. i mean prime minister, I challenged one of my big-L Liberal diehard friends to watch the CBC and take note of each time the media mentioned Paul Martin's name, especially in stories that didn't relate to him.

    My friend returned after a week and admitted that the CBC was giving him amazingly good PR.

    The media always has a bias one way or another. If you read the Toronto Star I doubt you'll come away saying 'that's a really nicely balanced newspaper'. Similar feelings on the Toronto Sun. Even the National Post and the Globe and Mail have a bias towards or against certain policies.

    To people who say that the media coverage of Harper is not biased I dare you to explain why they were running articles criticizing what he drinks (pop - heaven forbid), that he is getting fat (spare tire - it happens) and his clothing (what does that really matter?).

    By Blogger Eric, at 10:24 a.m.  

  • Anyone who claims that there is a rampant liberal/Liberal media bias is deliberately ignoring (1) the entire Sun Media chain, the National Post, Canwest Global, the Calgary Herald, etc. etc. etc., (2) the attack-dog coverage that the Liberals got in the last election, the fawning and softball approach the Conservatives got and the almost ignoring that the NDP got, and (3) the fact that all of the scandals that broke the back of the Big Red Machine orginated in the so-called Liberal friendly "MSM", such as Adscam and Shawinigate and the income trust "scandal"... all first researched and reported in the "MSM" at a time no one knew about them and would not have known but for the reporters.

    With friends like that, the Liberals sure don't need any enemies.

    Do media writers have biases? Of course. But it's more bias against the government of whatever stripe than against conservatives (which explains why they gave Martin good PR before he was in government and were attack dogs after).

    Ted
    Cerberus

    By Blogger Ted Betts, at 11:38 a.m.  

  • My favourite example of media cough cough balance occurred during the last election when the tories couldn't be caught dead musing about a majority without some PPG Jack-in-the-box waiting to pop his head out screaming "Gotcha!"

    The media will occasionally gore the Liberal oxe but please don't try to retail the notion there's balance.

    By Blogger Dr. Strangelove, at 12:08 p.m.  

  • You know, I think this is a good message for the media in general. Not whether they are Liberal bias or Tory bias... but that they have to stop the over dramatification and sensationalization of news.

    The press reminds me of my labs, swamping me when I come home, waiting for their cookies.

    By Blogger Joe Calgary, at 12:31 p.m.  

  • It obviously depends on the source. The Star is Liberal, the Post is Tory.

    Last election, nearly every newspaper in Canada endorsed the Conservatives and it's fairly clear the media were gunning for Martin.

    If the media is anti-Harper now, it's not because he's Conservative. It's because he's trying to micro-manage every aspect of media relations and limit their access. You don't think if a Liberal PM did the same things (fair or not), that they'd be pissed?

    By Blogger calgarygrit, at 12:33 p.m.  

  • Consider what the political press is writing about: All Harper, All the time. Nothing about any of the Liberal leadership candidates. It's as if Harper had the press corps on puppet strings. If Harper were to announce a week before the Liberal leadership convention that he's going to impose a dress code on the Ottawa press, no one in Canada would ever find out who the new leader of the Liberal party is, the press would be too busy writing about themselves.

    By Blogger nuna d. above, at 1:48 p.m.  

  • The media is hard on all politicians of all stripes as they should be. If Harper cannot handle being put on the spot, he should step down. He needs to learn this is democracy and he isn't the only one who can control the agenda. Others not only have the right, but the duty to question his agenda.

    At least Paul Martin understood this and as annoying as he found the press gallery he still continued to take questions from them.

    By Blogger Monkey Loves to Fight, at 3:46 p.m.  

  • The reason the media is seen as anti-conservative is because the conservatives are the government. You can believe if the NDP was in power the media would be after them, too. Ask Glen Clark or Bob Rae. They will tell you a few stories.

    By Blogger Greg, at 5:49 p.m.  

  • I was going to write a few points on both sides but this thread is degenerating into rampant partisanship.

    So I'll just say, I'm really interested in seeing how this all plays out.

    PS - the media was hard on Bob Rae because Bob Rae sucked. I mean, he REALLY sucked.

    By Blogger Michael Fox, at 7:23 p.m.  

  • :)

    By Blogger Michael Fox, at 7:23 p.m.  

  • "The reason the media is seen as anti-conservative is because the conservatives are the government."

    Gee - Stockwell Day was in government when Macleans decided to put him on the cover? Who knew? Harper was the PM when reporters were badgering him about whether he loved Canada? Gee, was I ever confused...

    By Blogger deaner, at 7:43 p.m.  

  • Cerberus: (3) the fact that all of the scandals that broke the back of the Big Red Machine orginated in the so-called Liberal friendly "MSM", such as Adscam and Shawinigate and the income trust "scandal"... all first researched and reported in the "MSM" at a time no one knew about them and would not have known but for the reporters.

    Bwuh? The Adscam story was "broken" by the Auditor General; it hardly took a lot of journalistic savvy to write about it. As for the Income Trust story, the bloggers were sniffing around that one well before the MSM picked up on it, and it was the RCMP investigation that made it a big issue, not investigative reporting.

    By Blogger The Invisible Hand, at 12:24 a.m.  

  • I think when somebody seriously tries to get away with saying the National Post is pro-Liberal, your discussion is over, Calgrit.

    Although bias does exist, it's difficult for many partisans to judge, as they see bias in those organizations that don't confirm their own assumptions and biases.

    (Hence 90% of the "liberal bias" websites, that usually attack the media for not agreeing with the Republican talking points they're parroting.)

    That is, of course, when it's not a deliberate strategy, and it is deliberate bias most of the time. Go read Eric Alterman's book on the subject- he notes how these charges are fantastically useful for cowing the media into providing space for outspoken conservatives and avoiding outspoken liberals. While that isn't entirely the case in Canada, it's certainly the case in the United States.

    Of course, considering Frank Luntz's well known trip up to Canada, it's safe to say that whatever a Republican does, a Conservative is going to be doing. Thus the charges of media bias. If it worked for the Republicans...

    By Blogger Demosthenes, at 4:06 p.m.  

  • "Of course, considering Frank Luntz's well known trip up to Canada, it's safe to say that whatever a Republican does, a Conservative is going to be doing."

    I've seen spin, but this comment is just out there.

    By Blogger Michael Fox, at 5:24 p.m.  

  • I think everybody should glance at this.

    By Anonymous www.sillones.nom.es, at 9:13 a.m.  

  • ugg boots
    michael kors handbags
    cheap basketball shoes
    polo ralph lauren
    coach outlet online
    coach outlet
    michael kors purses
    ugg boots
    kate spade sale
    coach outlet online

    By Blogger raybanoutlet001, at 11:43 p.m.  

Post a Comment

<< Home