Canwest "Coverup"

Of course there is a cover-up.The leftie Canwest cannot admit to being on our enemies side.
As to Ms Lang(sp), she displayed real valor in going beyond the bar to report.She may have been employed by a commie paper(Calgary Herald),but I think her true feelings were to report the truth.May she RIP beside our other warriors.

Well said.

However, like CBC wailing over funding cutbacks, or anguished coverage of newspaper layoffs, the intense coverage of her death should remind us that Canadian media consider their own "sacrifices" to be significantly more newsworthy than those of mere soldiers and citizens.

In part I blame the Canadian military leadership , as they have sat and watched how the US has dealt with IED's in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

A recent video from Afghanistan (I think it was on LiveLeak) showed a US helicopter gunship with infrared night vision equipment "patrolling" major roads used by their forces.

The infrared images clearly showed a big hole being dug in the road by the terrorists as dark relative to the surrounding road surface ... and eventually the terrorists were sent to visit the 72 virgins.

My point is the road where the latest Canadians were killed was apparently a major route and the IED was apparently a 500LB device , which would require a BIG hole , and easily visible if the Canadian forces had been provided with the likes of the US equipment.

Part of the problem in Ottawa military HQ is a NIH (not invented here) syndrom.

Brian,

Unfortunately, the CF does not have gunships of its own. The attack helicopters (AH) in Afghanistan where the Canadians are deployed belong to the US, the Dutch and the Brits. I would guess these respective nations would use their AH assets to prove roads for their own forces before tasking them to prove roads for the CF. Since there are a lot more Americans on the ground doing operations, the US probably doesn't have as many AH to spare for proving the safety of a route.

Pursuant to Kate's post here, let's also remember that the newspapers have little trouble telling the world who has which hostages, excepting of course if they are reporters, because they are 'concerned for their safety'. Remember Melissa Fung?

"Fung's capture was kept secret by international media so as not to compromise the negotiations for her release. CBC publisher John Cruickshank said that the network had requested the media blackout so negotiators could work for her release without mounting public pressure.

Harper said the media blackout may have been crucial to Fung's survival." (From a CTV report.)

I would contend if the news media would stop reporting terrorist events, kidnappings, etc, we would all probably be a lot better off.

And it would also be better if domestic terrorists disappeared down a memory hole - no Mirandazation for you!

Brian, I can appreciate your concern, but you're off base in a couple of areas.

First, the CF is using every surveillance avenue available to them to counter the IED threat. That includes UAVs, helos with ISR packages, and HUMINT - the whole spectrum. You can argue that we haven't given them enough tools, but having personally spoken with the C-IED folks at KAF and the KPRT, having seen firsthand the diligence with which every single patrol prepares, I don't think you can argue that the CF just isn't paying attention. Believe me, the CF has sent its fair share of Taliban bomb-making and bomb-laying crews to their just reward, as the result of good intelligence. I could tell you stories of guys staying on long past the end of their watch, eyes glued to a UAV video feed just so they can see the bright flash of light that is the payoff of hours spent watching empty, dusty tracts of Kandahar real estate. Just to know they've taken one bomber out, and kept one more convoy safe.

Second, the NIH syndrome isn't primarily an NDHQ problem. The CF leadership are normally fine with buying off the shelf where required. Note the purchases and leases of UAVs, the RG-31s, the AHSVS, the M-777s, etc. Urgent Operational Requirements are likely overused rather than underused by NDHQ. The bigger problem is with our procurement system in general, which requires both those putting the requirements to paper and those putting the bids together to jump through so many bureaucratic hoops as to make the projects creep to a halt. Not to mention the over-riding need for Canadian industrial benefits.

That's not to say that NDHQ doesn't sometimes complicate procurement requirements on its own, but even that is largely a symptom of a bigger problem: a project like the JSS tried to put too many capabilities onto one platform because the Navy knew it wouldn't get enough money to buy two separate classes of ship (the more prudent course). So even when they exhibit signs of NIH, the problem's generally deeper.

I can get as disillusioned with the Puzzle Palace in Ottawa as the next guy, but in this case, they're not the real problem.

I believe what needs to be reiterated is...

It is NOT Michael Yon who is claiming a cover-up, it is reporters he has talked to who are claiming a cover-up.

I suspect that said reporters are just trying to create another "crisis".

the Brits did it right in the Falklands, keep the media out until the cleanup.

The left in Canada sold out to islam a long time ago. They march with Hezbolla and Hamas, here in Canada for crying out loud!

Their dream is to become Satraps to the islamists and rule "us" on their behalf. Sorta like the "Kapos" were in another generation. They will do anything to aid and abet our enemies. Anything at all.

I fully realize that the Canadian military doesn't have helicopter gunships like the US , but my point is the Liberals first decimated the military ... remember Axworthy and his "soft power" crap? ... then they sent them to Afghanistan to avoid involvement in Iraq.

The Canadian military brass have watched the IED issue in Iraq and apparently only recently ... by July 2010 they will be mimicking what the US has been doing for a while !

http://milnewsca.wordpress.com/2010/01/02/more-can-msn-afg-hurons/

Am I missing something here?Where exactly is the cover-up?Four soldiers and a journalist died from an IED while on patrol,so where's the cover-up?

Again, its more fallout from the cancellation of the helicopter purchase by PM "CorruptChien".

eastern paul: That is a point that is well noted, and thanks for the reminder. Creatin also sent the CF to Afghanistan without proper gear including uniforms. He (Creatin) operated towards the forces in the manner of his hero, the Nazi sympathizer, Turdeau who descimated the Armed Forces to finance his social engineering schemes, for which the country is paying dearly.

Erik @ 12:24, you are absolutely right. Since the beginning of both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars western media has been acting as a fifth column dutifully publicizing the enemies propaganda, and it has been working very well. Blech. I hate them.

Black Mamba at January 4, 2010 9:33 AM

Actually, I think the moms are admiring the ref! Look at their line of sight.

The only cover-up is Canwest wanting to be a CBC clone.

Louise @ 1:42 is bang on.

When is the media going to wake up to the fact that a Islamist victory will lead also to their demise, especially the female ones. Note photo of "religion of peace" demonstrators in Britain in McNair's National Post article.

In war sh*t happens. You do your best to minimize it.

If the MSM can insinuate that there's a cover-up and use Yon as a useful idiot in publicizing their "seeds of dissension" to discredit Canada and the Conservative Government, then I have no doubt they'll do it.

As far as the CF censoring details of the communications, so be it. It is a war and the MSM have absolutely no "rights" in this matter when it comes to publishing operational details, never mind what some other country may or may not do. I wasn't impressed with the location, size of bomb, name of route, location of receiver or length of wire details. Operationally it sucks.

I think Yon was had.

Pat @ 1:56 is right. Joe Public does not need to know details that only serve to help the enemy or in this case the Taliban.

"Need to know basis" has its' reasons.

...and canwest and the rest try to call themselves "local tv" so the CRTC will make us all pay extra for them to lie to us.

wendy.g @1:50 - inarguable sentiment, but wrong thread!

So correct me if I'm wrong, we have the CanWest network, which is more left than MSNBC and Micky Yon who is known as 'Bullshit Bob' complaining about a coverup.

What is supposed to be covered up, or is like wafer-gate in which nothing is wrong, but we invent it?

There's not much point in asking now, as Mr Yon is in flight etc., but when he returns to the blog, we'll have to ask who the reporter is so that this fact won't be subject of a coverup.

Couple of points:

1. Yon did, actually, suggest the coverup. It wasn't the CanWest reporter. Here's the text from Yon:

"This smells of a classic cover-up that has nothing to do with winning or losing the war, but more likely something to do with saving embarrassment."

2. The reason any info Yon gave to CanWest may have been suppressed is that at least one item compromised OpSec.

I have been reading Yon since about 2005. He has had some of the best war reporting I have encountered and I considered him among the best along with Roggio and Totten. However, I believe he is reaching the end of his use as a journalist. He has started to write more as a pundit than a journo. This post of his should lead to him being completely cut off from access to military sources. Almost every piece of info he disclosed can be viewed as opsec and could prove useful to our enemies.

"I suspect that said reporters are just trying to create another 'crisis'.

Posted by: Eeyore at January 4, 2010 12:29 PM"

That's what sells papers, along with celebrity 'scandals.'

I much prefer to vary my sources and not rely on the mainstream media for reportage.

I think Canwest's financial position is starting to show. They did a piss-poor job covering the repatriation, even tho one of their own was on the tarmac. Apparently at least 4 senior Canwest execs attended at Trenton, along with a bunch from the Herald, but as far as I can tell, Canwest didn't have a camera crew there. CTV live-covered their girl coming off the plane, but Canwest was nowhere to be found. The Herald apparently had difficulty confirming they'd lost her initially, but then she was on assignment for Canwest, not the Herald specifically.

The Herald staff were (are) pretty upset, so I don't fault their coverage. As big and stupid as Canwest is, newsrooms of individual stations and papers are a tough beat when your co-workers become the news, and she was the first to take one for the team, as it were. Side by side, like soldiers, you become friends.

What I don't appreciate, in particular, are the various anti-Harper drive-by smears by Canwest columnists (not Herald staffers, I want to emphasize) in their various eulogies. Some otherwise thoughtful commentary was ruined by sleaze. Don Martin comes to mind particularly.

I wonder how many of the Ottawa rat pack made it down to an overpass on the 401 to stand with ordinary Canadians to pay their respects; none I expect.

"In part I blame the Canadian military leadership , as they have sat and watched how the US has dealt with IED's in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

A recent video from Afghanistan (on LiveLeak) showed a US helicopter gunship with infrared night vision equipment "patrolling" major roads used by their forces.

The infrared images clearly showed a big hole being dug in the road by the terrorists as dark relative to the surrounding road surface ... and eventually the terrorists were sent to visit the 72 virgins.

My point is the road where the latest Canadians were killed was apparently a major route and the IED was apparently a 500LB device , which would require a BIG hole , and easily visible if the Canadian forces had been provided with the likes of the US equipment. ..."

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2f5_1250304453

Hell our troops are in a war zone, writing a factual article regarding a mission could ensure the Taliban kill twelve people next time. The public doesn't need to know how much exposive is needed to kill our troops in tanks, the public doens't need to know if one of the soldiers lived longer than the estimated time of survival. Frankly MSM's reporting of Afghanistan is abysmal, bording on hateful peacenik propaganda for the Taliban. MSM best be careful, there are alot of military families who have friends and family who buy their biased rags-FOR NOW.

Matthew Fisher of Canwest is actually Canada's best war correspondent. See the "Uppestdate" at the "Torch" post Kate linked to.

Mark
Ottawa