Notley appointing a retired reporter to ‘review’ the gov’ts media policy is nothing but bait and switch.
Later Tuesday, the government announced that it had appointed a retired journalist to review the government’s policy and report back within two to three weeks.
“In light of the controversy around this issue,” Oates said, “we’ve asked Heather Boyd … to consult with media and give us recommendations on a media policy for the Alberta government.”
First, by putting a two-week time frame on the report the Alberta NDP hope to outlast the news cycle. That will work and is why a court challenge is important.
Second, by putting a ‘process’ in place, the Government tries to validate and justify their power-grab from the Alberta legislature press gallery. Next time something happens, the press gallery will have to ask the government of the day for permission, or to see if it works within their review.
Banning a media source from the press gallery, and all that entails, is not within the purview of the government. There is nothing for the gov’t (or more realistically the NDP party) to review, change, or implement. The government in this case can only acquiesce to what the legislature press gallery requires and according to their president, The Rebel did exactly that.
It will be interesting to see if any of the so called acceptable media and journalists side with the Rebel ,freedom of the press and all .For the want of a nail etc.
And anybody should give a damn what a “retired journalist” has to say about the matter? What unmitigated BS.
Having someone who writes a book called “This person sucks and this is why” no matter their orientation stands as good reason not to have them covering an event as “media”. That goes for her leftist bloggers or whatever too.
I know that establishment journalists have biases as well, but when you have someone who goes in with their mind completely made up and will surely report as anticipated, they aren’t journalists. There are good, qualified people of left and right persuasions (biases) who still try to speak truth to the public and those are the people who should be asking the questions.
Tim, did you read the book? At what point is a book different from other print journalism?
Your comment is drivel. The government has no power to determine who can sit in the Press Gallery and who does not. Screening is for security purposes only. And please define “qualified” in this context.
‘Appoint Ezra’ t-shirts/baseball caps ?
Wretched Knothead seems to be illiterate, which is an affliction of every Lieberal and Dipper government.
2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:
(a) freedom of conscience and religion;
(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
(c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
(d) freedom of association.
Rachel’s scared of Ezra
They would have to make sure whatever policy recommendations they come up with are fair across the board. So if a left wing online-news source is allowed in, so must a right-wing news source be allowed in. The government claims they do not need to accommodate online sources — but in this day of disappearing newspapers, they most certainly do. I cannot imagine a journalist/consultant not supporting their online peers on this issue.
They want the rebel gone for when they bring in Ben Levin to go after the children.
Tim, you are essentially saying it is o.k. to ban a journalist because you don’t like what they say. The “is she a journalist or not” is just a smoke screen. The Notley government clearly thinks it is o.k. to screen out anyone who might criticize. Can you just imagine the fuss if a Conservative government tried to shut out someone from the leftist media?
Notley must be just fuming.
They lie for Justin, why not for me?
Damn parasites are always the same, sap the health of the healthy and kill the weak.
So what is a reporter in the NDP’s eyes?
An answer to that should be most revealing.
Would Donna LaFramboise or …..?..Krause from BC qualify?
What about Rex?
Mike T. nailed it. Freedom of the Press is a Constitutionally protected Right.
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms applies to all levels of government.
Rachel Notley is becoming a complete embarrassment. Is there no adult in charge?
The court should fast track the Rebel’s case.
The Bolshevik Social Justice Warriors need a judicial lecture on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the political foundations of our Common-Law Parliamentary democratic system of government.
Clearly, the Alberta NDP caucus only got through high school via social promotion!
Canadian Media Guild..only members shall be acceptable as journalists by the Union.
Buy your CMG,MSM credentials here.
Not much longer. We are slowly losing all those freedoms.
This sounds like Red Rachel is trying to put lipstick on a pig.
Freedom of the Press is a Constitutionally protected Right.
So is freedom of association…but that’s been, somehow, parsed to mean forced association is okay when applied to private businesses.
The constitution isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.
If that was the case B she wouldve appointed Heather Mallice
Prediction: Notley will declare the Press Gallery a union shop, force the Rebel to unionise under UNIFOR or the Guild.
Red Rachel apologize? To Ezra Levant? I think there’ll be an hockey rink and a ski resort in Hades before that happens.
Socialist terrorists like Notley absolutely hate democracy. They want any view other than leftism to be banned. You don’t respond to someone with that viewpoint on a cordial way. Notley’s mistake here was to take the mask off. The leftist media agree with her and are only poised of because they have to pretend to be mad.
“Rachel’s scared of Ezra”
A wise man once said “You’ve got to be smart to be scared”. Notley has proven without a doubt that she definitely does not fit into the smart category. Therefore her latest antics lead one to believe that she is simply acting like the popular albeit shallow and vain teenager who revels in the admiration of sycophants and hangers-on. Anyone who recognizes what a vile person she is and isn’t afraid to say so is immediately banished with further punishment to follow.
If obvious bias meant a journalist couldn’t cover a politician the press gallery when Harper was PM would have been virtually empty. It’s a pretty thin line between bias and criticism, with that as the criteria soon only supporters are allowed and there is no criticism of the government. Alberta – the new Venezuela!
Why not the new Venezuela? After all, NDP MLA Rod Loyola was a die-hard fan of Hugo Chavez.
I would think even journalists have civil rights, to deny someone rights without cause or due process (targeting an individual) would trigger a civil rights lawsuit. Even the old British “Speakers Corner” avoided the Class System “Guild” control over professional speech…To say only journalists
have a say of who is a journalist is truly a classless guild.. The only restrictions should be available space & fire regulations.
“like”
Canada doesn’t have a civil rights laws anymore. trudeau senior abolished them when he brought in “the charter”. This allows them discriminate against anyone using double speak and statistics as their tools. The charter was never designed to protect people. It was designed to attack people.
As all who visit here understand appointing summbuddy to review Policy is just the usual Progressive sleazy side step a problem with I didn’t know what was happening and dumps on the lower level bureaucrats.
Ontario’s reieterration of the McGwynnie courupted Progressive Agenda has done this so often the Unaware, Low Information Toronto/Mississisauga/Oakville bought off electorate are starting to actually notice.
I’m still puzzled at the part of the story where the Rebel journalist was excluded from the Legislature buildings. I thought the Speaker determined who could be there and who couldn’t. Having the government to assert the right to vet who comes into the Legislature buildings is an affront to democracy. Why not let the government keep out opposition members? or all journalists? or the Boy Scouts or a Grade VI Social Studies class? The attitude of the Notley government that is on display with this is very telling: insecurity, vindictiveness and croney politics. The federal Liberals and the state media at the CBC are more subtle — they only broadcast what they think we ought to hear and masquerade that a federal cabinet minister and some left-leaning academic “expert” are all the viewpoints that we need.
B – You can put lipstick on a pig, but it really, really pisses them off. CAS – even slathered with lipstick, you’re not gonna get Ezra anywhere near her! I mean – would you?