This morning the Fraser Institute quantifies the obvious;
[A]nti-American bias at the CBC is the consequence of a “garrison mentality” that has systematically informed the broadcaster’s coverage of the US. Garrison mentality was a term coined by Canadian literary critic, Northrop Frye. He used it to describe a uniquely Canadian tendency reflected in our early literature, a tendency, as he put it, to “huddle together, stiffening our meager cultural defenses and projecting all our hostilities outward.”
[…]
To gauge the extent of anti-American sentiment on CBC, one year’s coverage of the Corporation’s flagship news program, The National, for 2002 was examined. The authors chose 2002 because it followed the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, but was prior to the US invasion of Iraq.
In total there were 2,383 statements inside the 225 stories that referred to America or the United States on CBC in 2002. As with most news coverage, the largest number of statements was neutral; they constituted 49.1 percent of the attention. Thirty-four percent of the attention to America or the United States was negative, over double the 15.4 percent positive descriptors. Only 1.6 percent of the statements were considered ambiguous.
The main issue, constituting 27 percent of the coverage, was relations between Canada and the United States. Within this category 41 percent of statements were neutral. Of the remainder, statements were over twice as likely to be negative as positive regarding Canada/US relations (39 percent versus 18.9 percent).
Terrorism was the second most-often cited issue area where CBC mentioned America, at 10.8 percent. Here the negative comments overwhelmed positive evaluations by a 9-to-1 margin (37.6 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively).
Neutral statements, however, constituted 58.1 percent of the total coverage, which somewhat restored balance inso ar as even a factual report on terrorist activity is usually seen to be a negative reflection on terrorism.
The third most mentioned American issue on CBC in 2002 was build-up to the war in Iraq. At 10.5 percent, this topic was covered almost as extensively as terrorism, which received 10.8 percent of the CBC’s attention. The negative evaluations of the American policy in Iraq were only slightly lower than on terrorism, comprising an 8-in-10 negative-to-positive ratio, compared to 9 in
10 for terrorism.
In total, despite the relative short period of time after the 9/11 attacks, the CBC’s opinion statements of America during 2002 were overwhelmingly critical of American policy, American actions, and American purposes.
From CBC News: Stephen Harper has issued the following statement:
“I have been aware that for some days now he has been feeling significant personal pressure. As a result, he and I agreed that he should take a temporary stress leave from his parliamentary responsibilities.”
Then this:
It was also announced on Monday that Grewal is under investigation by Air Canada. The MP is alleged to have approached passengers at Vancouver Airport asking them to take a package to Ottawa.
A union official said Grewal went to an Air Canada ticket agent to ask if he could arrange for someone to carry a package to Ottawa aboard flight 166 on Saturday. He was told that was impossible because of security practices.
“The agent told him he couldn’t do that. If he had a package to go on the flight, he would need to go on the flight.”
The official said Grewal then booked a seat and passed through security to a waiting area, where he asked other agents if they could give him a list of politicians travelling on the flight. He said he wanted one of them to carry a parcel for him. After he was told that this was a security violation, he was overheard asking “a number” of passengers to carry the package, an airline official said.
But thats not all thats bizarre: Witness what else Stephen Harper said after mentioning the Grewal leave of absence:
After announcing Grewal’s political departure, Harper urged the prime minister to suspend Murphy and Dosanjh.
So lets get this straight: the Tories still stand behind their guy that these tapes were legit and unfalsified, they’re sending him home to deal with some stress, and yet that co-relates somehow to getting Martin to suspend Murphy and Dosanjh?
The Liberals, as expected, rejected this piece of “advice”:
“To step down on the basis of falsified evidence would be grossly unfair and more than a bit bizarre,” said Martin spokesman Scott Reid, adding “where (Harper) finds the gall to demand the resignation of others is mystifying.”
I love how it is just an accepted fact that the tapes are “falsified” now.
A couple of clicks negates everything??
Martin at first stated that no one had offered Grewal anything. The tapes came out and Martin changed his story. So, not only did he LIE, he admitted that they were indeed trying to buy Grewal, which could be illegal.
So Doug, now do you understand?
It is good to see someone is doing objective content analysis on the Canadian media. The Americans certainly put us to shame in this regard.
The conclusions, though, are not surprising. I just about gag every time I see Neil MacDonald’s mug on The National.
It’d be nice to see similar analysis of political bias at all the networks this year. We already know the conclusion, but some numbers would back up the case.
Nope Doug will never understand. A few clicks or messed up sections negate the Liebrals CRIMINAL attempts at bribery and vote-buying. Why, just taping someone as Grewal did is considered by Doug and the Family to be a social ill far outweighing 12 years of Liebral lies, corruption, thieving, Mafia ties, wasting billions upon billions of our dollars and so on. That one little Grewal incident made up Doug’s mind, no matter what the Liebrals did, no matter how low they slithered in the slime, the CP was much worse….and of course ‘scarey’!!
Doug: the words on the tape reveal illegal behaviour by Murphy. He must go. Everything else is as irrelevant as you are.
Paul Martin also lied, as jhuk points out. He needs to go too.
(In case you believe that Grewal used technology to create the tape conversations from scratch, I have some land to sell you in Canada with guaranteed property rights. Cheap.)
It would be interesting to see a bias analysis of the media done. What would also be interesting if it was done my a neutral organization rather than the Fraser Institute.
I am not surprised Tory bloggers are accepting a Fraser Institute report as 100% fact, but come on people, let’s do a bias analysis of the Fraser Institute.
A conservative think-tank trying to identify bias in the media and then having their findings fully accepted is absurd. Why not have an independent media watchdog analyze media bias here, maybe then you well have non-biased results rather than the conservative slanted reports that come from the Fraser Institute.
Here is a novel thought, have an independent media watch dog from another country (not the US), come in an examine Canadian media bias towards the US. Perhaps then we might actually have a more neutral viewpoint.
Sorry people, the Fraser Institute is itself a conservative think tank and biased. Hardly the credentials to make it an accurate source in screaming bias against the CBC.
“Fraser Institute” and “objective content analysis”. I almost spit up my coffee when I read that those two fragments in a sentence.
Grewal hired actors to do voice impersonations. According to experts everything you hear on those tapes is “manipulated”, falsified, edited, tampered with, …
If you play the tapes backwards you can clearly hear Murphy and Dusajj say no, no, no…can’t you take NO for an answer.
In fact, have you not heard the Liberals referring to Grewal as a serial taper. And, the BIG GUY the tapes refer to – that can only be the Friendly Giant who just wanted Grewal to curl up in a rocking chair in front of a nice fire with a fur lined welcome mat to make him feel at home.
If you don’t believe me just watch Don Newman and friends on CBC.
…and I’ll call Rusty.
Oh, stop it. The Fraser Institute has done nothing more than put a few figures to what is fact, under any objective analysis of the longstanding anti-American, left wing slant of the CBC.
I find it soooo interesting that the comments on the Fraser Institute described as a conservative think tank are in themselves dismissive and biased.
Because somehow they label the FI as conservative that should dismiss any of the ideas they have as, gasp, biased. Maybe even stupid. Or radical. Or extreme. Or non-Canadian. Or …what are some of the other invectives the Liberal left throws out on anything perceived as non-Liberal or non-socialist.
Quite funny when we are discussing bias.
Maritime Liberal:
We don’t need the Fraser Institute to tell us the CBC is biased. It’s bleeding obvious! The usefulness in collecting actual data is to convince people on the left. There’s not likely to be such a study by a lefty think tank because the left has lost the capability to self-criticize. You just demonstrated this by dismissing the study out of hand because of who is saying it.
Speaking of serial tapists and dicing and splicing little snippets to take comments out of context….
CBC NEWS!!!
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!!
Media married to the Liberals
Toronto Sun Editorial
Tue, June 7, 2005
If anyone needs more proof that most of our media are far more sympathetic to Prime Minister Paul Martin than Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, they got it again yesterday.
That happened when London-Fanshawe MP Pat O’Brien announced he was leaving the Liberals to sit as an Independent.
O’Brien, who is opposed to legalizing same-sex marriage, said Martin had not, as he promised, allowed a “full and fair” debate on the issue and was instead just trying to ram it through
http://www.cbcwatch.ca
$$$$$$$$$
CBC = State Propaganda from the National Socialist regime.
Paid for by your tax dollars = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Down with the CBC. Demolish it.
So, the CBC’s coverage of America in general was 2-1 negative, its coverage of the war on terror was 9-1 negative, and its coverage on the run-up to the liberation of Iraq was 4-1 negative.
The irony of it all? Ratios like that makes the CBC the most PRO-AMERICAN MSM network in North America.
No, I’m not kidding.
Oh! The Fraser Institute. There’s a fine impartial organization.
Thanks a lot for blocking me out of your comments Kate. I had to walk all the way over to the kids’ playroom.
Dateline Chile 1973
(cue teletype clacking)
Democratically elected President Salvador Allende was assassinated in a military coup on September 11.
September 19, 2000 via American Pravda (CNN).
CIA admits involvement in overthrow of Allende.
For every action there is a reaction,
To be insulted by these Fascist is so degrading.
I am so outta here.
You and your Fascist synchophants have fun in this wallow Kate.
Ayn Rand wouldbe proud.
dafyyd
Maritime Liberal: I would welcome any content analysis by leftish organizations for right-wing bias in the Canadian media. The fact that we don’t see any such analysis means only one thing: they would not waste their time because they would be unable to prove a thing.
If you think the Fraser Institute’s study is biased then prove it. Review their methodology and point out their errors. I highly doubt they had to massage the data to get the conclusion everyone expected.
What I would like to see is something similar to The State of the Media, 2005 done for Canada. Probably too much to expect from all those bureaucrats at the CRTC or media specialists at Canadian journalism schools.
Hey Kate – remember our other comments about name calling being the lowest point of a debate.
Now a socialist supporter is calling conservatives Fascists. Here I thought I was a Libertarian free enterprise conservative-minded Canadian wanting more democratic rights – not less as in fascism.
Strange.
Coming Soon:
http://www.mediabias.ca/
Sponsored by the Citizens Centre for Freedom and Democracy
(two things that I as a citizen am willing to fight to get back)
Canadian Anti-Americanism
I can’t apologize to the US on behalf of all Canadians. What I can do, what all of us can do, is ask for a little patience. The winds of change are blowing.
dafyyd, I didn’t block you from commenting.
Those on the left conveniently forget that Castro and Hitler, both fascists, were/are on the left politically… They don’t seem to understand that the term they’re using applies to themselves far more than it does to any of us…
dafyyd (assuming you’re still paying attention),
Did you actually bother to look at the CNN news story?
The CIA did not “admit involvement in overthrow of Allende.” In fact, nearly everyone involved acknowledges the CIA did NOT join in the 1973 coup.
Meanwhile, there is ample evidence that Allende:
. . . violated the agreement he signed with one of the opposition parties that was required for his election in the first place . . .
. . . received weapons from Fidel Castro in 1971 . . .
. . . routinely ignored the wishes of the opposition-controlled, democratically elected Congress, to the point of using an arcane 1932 law to seize nearly every major industry in sight . . .
. . . and, as the tide turned against him, committed suicide.
Granted, old myths die hard, especially those surrounding Latin American Leninists, but to call those of us who do not subscribe to your ultra-leftist version of history “Fascists” says more about you than it does us.
Oh, and one more thing, Ayn Rand was read out of the American conseravtive movement over 40 years ago.
Have to laugh!
More and more truth hungry liberals are here.
June 07, 2005
INDEED: Eugene Volokh points to this story with the jokey headline “Blame Canada:”
The 17-year-old Bucks County boy charged with having bomb-making equipment in his bedroom and threatening to blow up his school is a Canadian who hates Americans, prosecutors say.
Obvious headline. On the other hand, the CBC, according to a just-released Fraser Institute study, is engaged in what sounds a lot like paranoid hate speech:
The CBC�s television news coverage of the United States is consistently marked by emotional criticism, rather than a rational consideration of US policy based on Canadian national interests, according to The Canadian released today by The Fraser Institute.
This anti-American bias at the CBC is the consequence of a �garrison mentality� that has systematically informed the broadcaster�s coverage of the US. Garrison mentality was a term coined by Canadian literary critic, Northrop Frye. He used it to describe a uniquely Canadian tendency reflected in our early literature, a tendency, as he put it, to �huddle together, stiffening our meager cultural defenses and projecting all our hostilities outward.�
One hopes that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation will review its stance before any more innocent schoolchildren are threatened. . .
instapundit.com
“Sorry people, the Fraser Institute is itself a conservative think tank and biased.”
It is interesting that he notices bias on the part of the Fraser Institute, yet is totally oblivious to the bias in the MSM.
The Frasier Institute’s study shouldn’t be dismissed because the FI is biased, but because it’s lousy work. Counting “negative” and “positive” references without figuring out whether or not they were unjustified by the context is ludicrous. You could be conceivably claiming that the truth is biased.
Searching for truth is like shooting pudding.
Its a movable target. Positive or negative references are VALUE judgements not factual information.
Your positive fact could be my negative fact. Depends where you stand.
You can interpret different Truths out of one set of facts.
Todd, did you know that spitting up coffee is usually the first sign of terminal AIDS setting in? Just thought I’d mention it.
Kate,
Warren Kinsella has posted a press release from Democracy Watch that you really ought to have a look at. Hopefully we will hear more about this on Thurs. when Shapiro gets grilled in Committee over the Sgro fiasco. Broadbent has already come about as close as humanly possible to demanding his resignation twice now. I trust someone will make sure the Murphy issue also gets raised.
Canadian broadcasters do not speak for me! They never have since I never liked the British system of government. In the British Isles, England made Scotland, Wales and Ireland into vassels. The British Parlimentary system is very inferior to that of Switzerland (also a very small country but a country with equal representation for distint cantons because government is decentralized). If Canada had a triple E senate, that would help to offset the tendancy for central Canada to treat all other regions of this vast country as vassels.
When my Scottish Highland ancestors were forced off their property by British sheep (the four legged ones, quite unlike the two legged ones we have here in Canada), they moved to Canada to OWN their land; hense their lives. It would be a bitter pill for them to swallow if they were able to see what has become of their struggle to own their land so that no one could force them to move. I am glad those brave people are not alive today, the distruction of their hopes and dreams for Canada would have killed their spirit where starvation and loss of their homeland at the hand of the British did not.
In my opinion America has a Stong and free Republic because the Americans elected a President who believes in social and political equality and where economic equality is earned. This gives a country happy, enterprizing people who are proud of being citizens. Our citizens shame for Canada is reflected by the news casters who constantly repeat the lie that America is wrong – they never explain why being wrong leads to such sucess and pride. Americans feel sorry for us. That is why Canada has been allowed to be so obnoxious without much criticism from American Newscasters. If your antagonist is weak, shrill and impotant you waste very little time on their ravings.
Let me post the first paragraph of my comment:
“It would be interesting to see a bias analysis of the media done. What would also be interesting if it was done my a neutral organization rather than the Fraser Institute.”
Key phrase in there is done by a neutral organization. I am not saying a left-wing organization in Canada should do a right-wing analysis of bias. I am not saying left-wing think-thanks should get involved. I do not believe either side should get involved.
If you read my post, I advocated an independent media watchdog from another country (other than the US) should be the one to conduct such a study in order to reveal the facts in as neutral and independent a tone as possible.
My point was that it was obvious that the Fraser Institute itself is a biased organization and that the most neutral report would be one from a non-partisan, independent, international media watchdog not based in the US (since this study dealt with the CBC’s perception of the US). We must recognize that think-tanks and polling groups each have a certain ideological bias that is reflected within its work.
Maritime Liberal: You bigoted small minded twit. You think that Americans would be unable to objectively analyze foreign media coverage simply because we’re Yanks? Do you honestly think that out of a population of over 280 million we couldn’t find anyone who can be objective?
The reality is it’s quite easy for us to be objective because we don’t care what most people worldwide think of us. Those who hate us will do so no matter what we do, and those who support us do so intermittently at best.
The last time we cared about world opinion was when we wrote our Declaration of Independence.
Call us parochial, call us self absorbed, call us anything you want.
But I’ll bet if you get in trouble, have a huge natural disaster, or really need help, you’ll call us then, too.
Of course the CBC is anti-American, as are all good socialists. By nature,as a state-run broadcaster, the CBC is a socialist organization. Thus, only those whose views reflect the mainstream f leftist thought will tend to move upwards. It’s kind of like how there are Mustang guys working at Chevrolet as engineers, only hard-core Chevy guys get to work on the Corvette program. The CBC will continue to evolve towards the left as long as it is the propaganda wing of the state.
Thanks ebt. I’m gay, therefore I must have Aids, right? Just like you’re from Alberta and therefore must be a redneck moron, huh?
I’d Rather be a redneck moron than be gay.. thanks for coming out
Larry Morse:
The Fraser Institute studied anti-American bias in the CBC’s reporting. To me it would be a conflict of interest for an American watchdog to examine anti-American bias in Canadian media. It’s credibility would be in doubt. That is why I said an independent, international media watchdog not in the US should examine it. Perhaps read and understand everything I say in my posts, it will spare a blow to your own credibility.
I don’t think my ability to read and understand the printed word is at issue here. The question is your arrogant opinion that Americans purely because of their citizenship status are incapable of objectivity.
Jema54, “Americans feel sorry for us.” Nah. Generally Americans don’t feel anything for Canadians — it’s nearly impossible to get emotional about a blandness. (Personally, I hold in high regard the work of Canadian snipers in Afghanistan.) Some Canadians vie for the attention of Americans when they eschew the usual Canadian blandness and give voice to their anti-American neurosis. But sneering anti-American agitprop from the entire lot of anti-American Canadians seems, yes, bland when compared to the sneering anti-American agitprop we get from our homegrown anti-Americans. Sorry, but the fact is that with the NHL in a coma Americans not living near the border rarely think of Canada at all. And it won’t do to blame American provincialism. Not when salsa is now the #1 condiment in the U.S. Once upon a time Canadian beer had cachet among Americans but a zillion microbreweries put an end to that. No, it’s not provincialism causing us to vacation all over Mexico and Central America drinking Margaritas. Sorry again but “Come to Canada — Land of — er, um, — Hey, we are proudly not American!” or “We’re damned near European”. Just doesn’t cut it. Kinda pathetic as a drawing card. If we want to go to Europe, we go to Europe. If we want to know what huge numbers of Canadians think of America we read what the French think of America and then bland-it-up by diluting the haughtiness. And do keep in mind that when it comes to what France thinks of the U.S., most of us just. don’t. care. Please don’t think that I have anything against Canadians. Hell, a lot of cool Canadians live here. And I run into any number of Canadians when their serious health problems bring them here. The treatment they get here is not free but they seem willing to pay. Possibly when they go home feeling well they get right back into the spirit of things and denounce fascist America. But hey, that’s what a lot of Canadians do. And for a risible number of them it seems to be who they are. Eh. So what. And I do know that not all Canadians are anti-American.Mark Steyn. But it is true that when an American does get around to turning his ear toward Canada that those Canadians who are not anti-American can barely be heard. To those Canadians reading this who are not anti-American I say, Hello. To the other sort, Eh.
Larry Morse:
As I have said many times already, when discussing anti-American bias in the Canadian media, I think the best thing to do would have an independent media watchdog that is not American do it. This is to prevent a conflict of interest similar to the one that led to my criticism of the Fraser Institute.
I am not attacking Americans or their objectivity, I am simply saying that I do not believe we can get the best results in this instance by having the nation analyze another nation’s media bias of that nation.
To me that just made sense. No where in there was I criticizing Americans or America. You are reading too much into the issue mate and attempting to make an argument about it. I don’t put hidden meanings in my posts, reading into them will only give you false impressions such as the ones you have now.
Maritime Liberal: “I am simply saying that I do not believe we can get the best results in this instance by having the nation analyze another nation’s media bias of that nation.
To me that just made sense.”
Good. I’m glad it works for you.
Jeez.