Paul Jackson on the Ottawa “rat pack”;
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has good reason not to trust the Eastern-based Lib-Left dominated media.
So did Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day.
As did Reform party leader Preston Manning.
The Lib-Left media — led by that wholly-owned subsidiary of the federal Liberal party, the CBC, the Toronto (Red) Star, the pompous Globe and Mail and their naive hangers-on and acolytes — did all they could to mock, heap scorn on, ridicule and twist just about everything Manning and Day said.
[…]
While Harper went through a similar meatgrinder during the 2004 campaign — with the Eastern media for the most part dancing to Martin’s slurs — by 2006 our new prime minister had learned a thing or two.
I actually warned Manning, Day and Harper to stay away from the CBC, Star and Globe and every other media outfit of a Lib-Left bent.
In these parts we have a saying for what the media has brought upon themselves – it’s called “pissing in your own bed”. Well, let them soak in it for a while.
Harper may find he has initially been too stringent in ordering his cabinet ministers and MPs to have tight lips — but, let’s be honest here, many are young and inexperienced — and he may have maintained too much bitterness over the treatment of Manning, Day and to an extent his early days as Conservative leader.
What he must do now is cautiously loosen the reins on his ministers after they settle into their roles. Then, just as cautiously, he should build relationships with journalists he can trust.
Read the whole thing – particularly if you’re one of those now cooling their heels while the new government keeps you at arms length. And make no mistake about another thing – if you think the general public shares your self-pity or buys into the shrill ” threat to democracy” hyperbole, think again.
For a better understanding of just how little most care that the rules have changed for the pack on the hill, may I suggest this little exercise – pull up one of those dozens of articles written by jilted scribes chastizing, whining and threatening retribution over the treatment of the fifth estate by the new Harper government.
Now, replace the words “media” or “journalists” with “lawyers”.
The heart bleeds, I tell you.
Right on, Kate.
Supporting data: I went out to the truck during breakfast at 11:30 MDT this morning to listen to Mr. Klein’s speech. He said he would, in September, advise the party to hold a leadership convention, and by November or December he expected to be replaced by a new Premier. The Edmonton Journal reported that he said he would resign in September. Idiots. I expect to see them complaining in September when he does what he said he would do and it turns out that doesn’t include resigning in September.
The same article refers to the vote on holding a leadership convention, last weekend, as “a crippling blow”, in the lede, and “a disappointment” in the eighth or ninth paragraph. How stupid do they think we are?
And then of course there the CBC’s main entry on the Speech from the Throne today, which highlights the ugliest photograph of the Governor General they have ever published. Well of course, she was reading Mr. Harper’s speech, they think, you would be ugly too. No sense of reality. What a pathetic, sad, dangerous institution is has become.
I am trying to send a “STOP THE CBC FUNDING” email to PMSH does anyone have his email address?
Excellent Post.
The punchline andswer to the question is, of course, “a good start”.
I’m betting that more than one of these superficial, whiney members of the Ottawa press gallery will have the obligatory criticism of Syephen Harper’s attire…Cancun revisited.
FREE, for PMSH’s e-mail address, just GOOGLE Government of Canada and follow the directions. (If my new computer had my Address Book in it, I’d give you his address straight up.)
Pretty good.
Down here, we can now add Katie Couric to the mix.
It was with pure delight that I read that article by Paul Jackson. And it is with equal delight that I watch the liberal media huff and puff about not having unfettered access to the PM, cabinet and every breath and fart the PM makes.
Good on ’em.
“Journalists you can trust?”
Is that Mulroney I hear sobbing in the distance…?
Dhimmi overboard? Hope Susan Riley’s with them.
The fundamental purpose of the modern mainstream media is to sell advertising. Since nobody will pay for non-stop advertising, they insert “content” to round out the presentation.
Now don’t get me wrong, there’s good content out there too. We all have our favourite columnists.
But at the end of the day the ink must run to the bottom of the page (or at least to the top of the advertisements), so big media has employed all the available tools to attempt to capture audience.
And the survey says: if it bleeds it leads. They make a living out of scaring the wits out of us with sky-is-falling horror stories, and obfuscating current events to their political advantage, all while pandering to our weaknesses. The Globe and Mail sells diamonds and furs in the front section, the Sun sells escort services in the back section. As you can see, there’s no logic to it, if human psychology didn’t rear its confounding head, the results would be the opposite.
Remember that above all else, the media are salesmen. I’m not saying salesmen are a bad thing, if there weren’t salesmen the planet’s economy would collapse in weeks and civil war would break out in half the world’s countries with nuclear devastation resulting before the end of the year.
I’m just saying that you have to judge the value of their products according to your own metrics. You can’t trust them, a priori, any more than you can anyone else. Trust can only be earned.
When something doesn’t work … well it’s gotta be fixed. There are a couple reasons MSN doesn’t work – the under 30-35 look for other sources of information, media slants, etc.
I don’t know if it exists already – but I would like to see a verbatim transcript of all the media scrums (at least the ones in the House) posted on the gov’t website (including the questioner). Maybe within an hour after the session has finished.
This would allow individuals, bloggers etc unfiltered questions and answers.
Perhaps the CPC could also accept a few questions from the blog sites … from all party alleviations … limited in some way (just for time). Something tells me the questions would be more relevant to the peoples concerns – whatever they are.
Irony…Why trust a Sun journalist/salesman, unless he’s selling what you want to hear?
Sun Media and CanWest Global in a Mockery of Democracy
Funny crackers.
You people are hilarious. The irony (look it up) in what you say is quite exquisite – it was, of course, this same “liberal media” that worked closely with you to deliver an election victory, without asking any difficult quesitons of you in the process – and now you complain that they aren’t consistently, always 100% in sync with your political agenda.
Yes our media is lazy, always prone to writing the easy story (do the words BOONDOGGLE or CORRPUTION ring a bell??), lacks in analysis, and is extremely easily coddled and manipulated.
The result of which is a government with precious few people of real stature and an agenda that has been “dumbed down” about as much as humanly possible, because, as one of your chief strategists so blithely pointed out today, Canadians “just don’t understand big numbers like a $30 billion tax cut, but rather simple ones like $500 bucks for doin’ sports”.
If that isn’t at least as bad as the stupid arrogance of Scott Reid (who was stupid and arrogant), then Peter MacKay’s a member of Mensa.
Grow up.
Steve in bc: Just what we needed, another socially progressive voice in the world.
Harper will be judged on his, and his ministers actions. Not on media reaction to being held at bay. In fact, if the public warms up to the Conservatives and their agenda the media will come on side. I think he should just focus on his job and, in the end, the people will decide, not the media, and that is all that matters.
Cudo’s Prime Minister Harper. His interview with Peter M was very good. (Even if it was CBC!) Anyone listening to this PM will start sitting up, paying attention to what he is saying. I am so enjoying being able to listen to Mr. Harper. I hope that the signs of co-operation are real and the government can get down to work.
I agree, Mary, I just saw the same interview with Peter M. on CBC and was really impressed. Mr. Harper responded really well to Peter’s questions (some of which I thought were pretty tough). Mr. Harper is a leader, no question about it….finally…after all these years (13!)!
The jury’s still out about whether we’ve just elected, according to laughing at you, “a government with precious few people of real stature and an agenda that has been ‘dumbed down.'” My guess, though, is that it won’t be long before we’re laughing at him/her for such an empty, stupid, condescending statement.
This government hasn’t had a chance to show its stuff–and I think it’s going to surprise a lot of people. Jack Layton, of all people, was very positive about the Speech from the Throne, something that nearly knocked Peter Mansbridge off his chair in his interview of PMSH on The National tonight. Stephen Harper listens to people, and has spent the last two months talking behind closed doors to a whole lot of people about a whole lot of things. Have you noticed his broad grasp of issues of real import to the governance of our country? I feel like grown ups are in charge now, instead of the corrupt, ga-ga eyed, blah-blah-blah, look-at-me Liberals, just in it for the power, the glamour, and THE CASH. The press loved them, which tells you as much about the MSM as about the Lieberals. They loved the perks and the entitled lifestyles of being close to those in power–and, in return, they always made sure to plug their noses at the stench of corruption and to avert their eyes, while focusing on the perceived shortcomings of the CPC, whose values they don’t share. The only problem is, most Canadians do share CPC values: honesty, accountability, responsibility, decency, moral fibre, long-held and time-honoured views about marriage and family, etc. The MSM is just beginning, to their great consternation, to find this out. Sweet.
So, what do you call 50 journalists at the bottom of the ocean?
LOOKING GOOD!
As any of us who lived in Saskatoon in the 1980s knows only too well, Paul Jackson is an asshole. For anyone who remembers, his “restaurant” reviews were a major hoot. How he can be paid to write his quite mindless drivel in the Calgary Sun is beyond belief. Well, maybe not, considering the Calgary Sun. The power behind the drone in Grant Devine’s extremely incompetent government.
The CBC- protesting with all of its might, puny as it is, all that is Right with the world, including the liberation of 50 million Muslims. Perhaps they were waiting “the Go-Ahead” from France or Russia or Morgentaler. Oh what sophistcated, pathetic morons they are.
Who asked the PM the question-Do you love Canada, and is that woman still employed. Or Kevins blindside re abortion, during the campaign. No wonder PM Harper stays away from such idiots. Still no outrage that Martin snuck in and out a back door.
Jackson may be an a-hole telling us what we want to hear, but he happens to be right on.
The Ottawa press gallery’s attitude reminds me of the line my dad used on me to use when my mom told him to discipline me: “Come here so I can hit you.” Of course, my father didn’t really want me to come over to him (he wasn’t the least bit violent); the Ottawa press gallery, in all its arrogance, actually expects Harper to come on over for a beating. But I was smart enough at age 8 not to obey; and so far, it seems, so is Harper.
PMSH can diet, but the Liberals will still be ugly.
WOOF! There’s only ONE correct answer to THIS question: They’re called “ANCHORS”!
“Mr. Harper responded really well to Peter’s questions (some of which I thought were pretty tough)”
Isn’t that the media’s job? Do we really want a lapdog press, asking questions like “Are you having a good day?” Mansbridge’s interview was spectacular. He asked good, hard questions and Harper answered them very well. Great journalism.
Let me ask – if you perceived the CBC to have a conservative bias, would you want it to be closed down?
These over-fed loafers just hate that their jelly donut is going away. They cannot fathom having to go and work for a living.
The libs spoon fed these creatures for so long that they thought that what they were doing was their job.
Can you imagine hanging around the parliament waiting for lies, inuendo, and gross egotism to spin and report to a disbelieving audience.
Work to be proud of.
I watched the CBC news tonight. What a farce. The reporter describing the throne speech indicated that Harper had introduced an American style to it but inviting members of our military to hear the support indicated and some Chinese Canadians to witness the apology for the head tax. The reporter was so excited he rushed through the details in order to get this slam in. He finished all of this with a line that Harper had �Reaganized� parliament.
Rather than focus on content, they look to undermine this government with comparisons to the US. I think this will inevitably back fire. The support for this government comes from people who generally have a positive attitude towards the US. It is only those on the left side of the political spectrum that think snide comparisons will somehow undermine and ultimately defeat this government. It did not work in the last election and there is no reason to believe it would work in the future.
Why didn’t Mansbridge ask Harper about gay marriage? That’s the main reason I couldn’t bring myself to vote CPC (that and living in downtown Vancouver where it would make no difference). I wonder what their plans are on this issue.
Having said that, this interview was incredibly refreshing. I can’t remember hearing two cogent sentences in a row from the last two Prime Ministers. Excellent grammar too. I like that.
the faster that the gubmint sells CBCpravda to Fox the happier we will be.
I get a kick out of these journalists who are whining and feeling sorry for themselves. I laugh when they curse and threaten Harper for refusing them access. WHO CARES YOU ASSHOLES?
Basically a journalist is a drunk, dim-witted, fame craving, untalented, unskilled, unfocussed, self indulgent, self righteous, self centered, poorly educated, arrogant, patronizing, condescending, whiny, loud mouthed loser who was too lazy and uninspired to study anything useful or challenging in college so they became a journalist. For all this they still maintain this inexplicable air of superiority and a complete LACK of humility. They want fame and the ability to order people around without EVER putting the hard work or sacrifice that anyone else would to achieve it.
There’s nothing in the occupation of journalism that any person couldn’t pick up in a couple of months and yet it takes these morons anywhere from 2 to 4 years to make it through a college or university journalism program. That says a lot right there.
Journalists are scumbags.
John,
The extra three and a half years are for socialist liberal indoctrination.
John:
I went to college at Grant MacEwen 20 years ago in the Ad & PR program. Pretty intense. A four year program jammed into two. 5000 written words a week in CP style on top of a huge course load (thank you Wally West)
There was an annual writing competition held which included GMCC and U of A journalism.
students.
We beat them every time. Didn’t hold them in high regard then, and sure don’t now.
Perhaps the one of the only professions in the world where you can be wrong all the time and still have a job.
The out-of-this-world subsidy that we [taxpayers] give the CBC really burns me but, I try to get some of my money’s worth. For quality journalism, you can’t beat The National – especially with Mansbridge, and I watch it every night. (Truth be told, I rarely watch much of anything else on the tube.)
CNN sucks, Global is amateur hour and O’Reilly’s bombastic delivery eventually gets on one’s nerves
Every media outlet, electronic or print, has an axe to grind and its own obvious bias. Kick back, turn on your built-in BS filter, be informed and enjoy the National.
.
The yo-yo press gang. All those nasty, cruel, snide, game players have run into a person, our new PMSH, who can think circles around the most ‘brilliant’ mutt in the media batch. I laugh at them and I am Sooo enjoying their misery!! Creepy paule scurried in the back door to vote – like you Mary M, I noted the ‘non coverage’ of this shameful, cowardly action. Where are his gushing adoring ‘friends’ in the MSM? What a pitiful outfit the Liberanos turned out to be – now to get our money out of their bank accounts!!
BTW, Peter pansbridge turns my stomach – I can’ t watch him at supper time.
What do you call 50 journalists at the bottom of the ocean?
Shark bait trying to interview ex-PM Paul Martin.
It looks like the MSM at last, seeing the proverbial writing on the wall which tells them that Stephen Harpers CPC are heading for a clear majority at the next election, have decided to hedge their bets and begin to play nice.
Then in the run up they will get right behind him so that they can claim that they gave him his majority. The idea being that he will then be in their debt.
They should already suspect that they are now dealing with a PM that they can�t manipulate.
Laughing: ‘CORRPUTION’ doesn’t ring a bell…I believe THAT was Quasimodo.
This Jackson guy sounds jealous that he’s stuck out in the boonies writing for one of the Sun newspapers. Well, that’s almost like being a journalist. Wonder what color crayon he uses when he writes?
What’s to enjoy about I’m-Peter-Mansbridge-you’re-not? He’s an insufferable, humourless, stuffed talking head who’s around long past his sell-by date. Granted, he’s a lot better than Juli (can’t-do-anything-with-my-hair) Van Dusen, Don Newman, Neil McDonald, Susan Bonnar, et al., but that’s not saying a lot.
I didn’t so much find his questions tough (hey, PMSH had his Wheaties for breakfast, no, at his mother’s breast) as surly. When Harper answered well, there was no graciousness on I’m-Peter-Mansbridge-you’re-not’s part, just a sour look on his face (and you could kind of detect a further thought, “Darn, I didn’t get him there”). Heck, I’m-Peter-Mansbridge-you’re-not, you’re talking to Canada’s PRIME MINISTER, for crying out loud, show a little respect not just weary, long-suffering condescension.
I’m fed up with the CBC journalists slurping from the public trough and treating the right-of-centre political players–and us, their supporters–like s____. In answer to an earlier question, yes, it’s definitely time to either get rid of the CBC or to give it a major overhaul. It’s been on the gravy train far too long and I’m getting sick of seeing my hard-earned tax dollars going to prop up this propaganda machine which only about 7% of Canadians watch, anyway. Let’s hang on to Music and Company on Radio 2 (Tom Allen’s knowledgeable and a hoot), but as far as the political commentary team go, let’s give some others a kick at the can.
In response to the question in the post title:
A: A good start.
In the immediate questions right after the throne speech it was interesting to watch the CBC media-types valiently trying to find negatives. What they discovered was a series of positives. Susan Bonner cornered a young Native guy and asked him there was anything in the throne speech for his folks. His reply that they’d already had a SEVEN page letter from Mr. Harper and the Indian Affiars Minister outlining plans absolutely bog-smacked the poor girl. The media was unaware that this had happened. GEE guys, just because you weren’t spoon-fed the info like when the Lying Liberals were in “powere” doesn’t mean you can’t do some legwork.
That went on for quite a bit, and eventually the CBC folks had to admit it was looking like a pretty good throne speech.
They made every effort to incite the other party leaders and members to say bad things but were not successful for the most part.
Mike In White Rock
What about CPAC running a mike on the protestors during the processional into the House?
What Do You Call 50 Journalists At The Bottom Of The Ocean? – A good start.
Who needs real news anyways when you can make it up. April Fool’s jokes about “liberal” scientists plotting to wipe out the world or CGI images of shiny new villages in Kurdistan are a lot more entertaining.
Michael Barone- media
WELCOME INSTAPUNDIT READERS! THANKS GLENN!
“Let’s say you were part of a group designing the news media from scratch. Someone says that it would be a good idea to have competing news media — daily newspapers and weekly magazines, radio and television news programs. Sounds like a good start.
Someone else says that it would be a good idea to staff these news media with people who are literate and well-educated. Check. Then someone says let’s have 90 percent of the people who work for these organizations be from one of the nation’s two competitive political parties and 10 percent from the other.
Uh, you might find yourself saying, especially if you weren’t sure that your party would get the 90 percent, maybe that’s not such a good idea. But that’s the news media we have today.”
posted by newsbeat1
http://www.washingtontimes.com/commentary/20060404-085855-3240r.htm
Jose..welcome back..missed your stuff here.
But who needs reality…the government will always give us the truth.
Ask V.
Steve- Thanks for the kind words but I suspect that’s a minority opinion. I’ll still pop in from time to time but I’m starting to get fed up with the amount of made up news that gets passed around as gospel on the political blogs.
The government will never fear these people.
Bernie, high-fives for your April 4, 11:29PM comment! 🙂
(Reminds me of one of my favorite Churchill stories. One time, Winston Churchill and his wife were at a posh dinner in London. After dinner, Churchill was pontificating over brandy and cigars. And Churchill could drink!
One old crone didn’t care for Churchill or what he was saying. She said, “Mr. Churchill, you are DRUNK! You are VERY DRUNK!”
To which Churchill immediately responded, “Madame, you are UGLY! You are VERY UGLY! In the morning, I will be sober.” 🙂
MSM is not biased to the left liberals?
Not according to Janey Taber, aka Aunty-American Janey.
Bet she earns a bonu$ from G&M for this hit piece.
Janey Taber hates Pte. Salikin; hates herself; hates Canada; hates the people of Afghanistan. Pity. +
http://www.paulding.net/bin/url.cgi/13243.15
“He also chose to emulate the way Americans deliver their State of the Union addresses by inviting Canadian heroes rather than filling the chamber with old politicians. This is how Private William Salikin, 22, who was seriously wounded in an attack in Afghanistan that killed diplomat Glyn Berry, found himself sitting in a place of honour on the Senate floor with other military representatives. He was seated to the right of the Prime Minister and among the senators and Supreme Court justices.”