98 Replies to “Julie Van Dusen: “Listen Harper, Around Here WE Make The News””
Just another group wrapped up in the culture of entitlement.
This kind of thing can’t go on. Harper needs the media to get his messages out and the Media need news. They need each other. If Harper insists on being hyper secretive then it will only make him look like Bush. I don’t think he should be going there. Who is advising him??? If he starts selecting only “friendly” reporters then that also is a mistake. I thought he was going to have a relaxed and open government. What is this?
What is this?
It is effective and productive government – and things have only started to unfold
Read the first comment, Steve, until it sinks in.
The MSM has rarely been very objective in their reporting of government. If Harper gains anything it must be some control of his own reporting of his own news without the biased twists orchestrated by socialists who think they are Liberals. Most Canadians and Immigrants are actually very Conservative in their actual views. They must absolutely get the UNFILTERED news from Ottawa. Hopefully this new media policy will effect that change.
i watched it on ctv. the reporter named tim was scared to ask a question. julie must swing a mean purse . damn i hope they cut funding to the cbc.
“Culture of Entitlement”. The talking point that never gets old.
Any body hear about PM taking his message directly to the people using a sattelite feed or? Heard it on Duffy. Anybody know more? Said they wanted the message to get out without MSM spin.Fantastic! I hope gov never gives into MSM, watching them whine and trying to be important to somebody,is better than any reality tv show!
Mel:
“Unfiltered” news? Tell me one instance in the history of humankind that a government presented totally objective information to the public. Do you believe everything your public officials tell you, provided they have (CPC) next to their names?
The “press” is a pillar of a modern western society. They are written into the first amendment of the US constitution, and clause 2(b) of the Canadian charter of rights and freedoms. They are there for a good reason, at least in principle, and that is: who questions the regulators?
In general the US media has been historically good at this job, because of the incentive of competition. Over the last few decades, though, the free western media has begun to forefit its role as a contra-stressed pillar in our society’s undergirding; big media, at least, has started to regularly back a political perspective (or worse, a side).
Nevertheless, in order for that strategy to work, the media must be able to tactically assume complicity on behalf of the government. When the government refuses to play along, the media come up relatively empty handed; in the vernacular, they look like fools.
This is a very interesting and most welcome experiment Mr. Harper is running. Based solely on my anecdotal conversations with my fellow citizens at the deli, the tobacconist, the gas station, &c (why, yes, I have been running around mentioning that “It seems to me the new prime minister is attempting to do a good job of running the country”), my fellow citizens seem to agree. I’ve heard more comments to the effect that “the country seems to be back on track again” than I’ve ever heard before in my five decades to date.
The danger to the media is that if they get too far behind the curve, they will suffer a catastrophic failure.
Don’t celibrate that. If we, the citizens, can’t whip the media back into shape, then the question remains: who will question the regulators?
HELP here….can anyone cite the authority of this “rule”…
Quote from article…”The move allows Harper to circumvent A RULE that lets journalists wait outside the cabinet room and question ministers as they enter and leave.”
Is this supposed “rule” a rule or an expectation…or an expected entitlement granted by the previous PMO’s leak machine.
In what official document is this “RULE”? And while I’m asking the improbable…who wrote it?
Iran announces nukes, bringing the world closer to another war…Harper follows through on priority #1 with accountability act…so what is the lead story on The National tonight?
“Lots of people have cancer”
I’m not making this up. Please provide independent confirmation…it’s been a long day, I may be halucinating.
LOL! Agreed NCF!
As for freedom of the press, that goes hand in hand with the responsability (wow, spelling!) of the press to report the truth! ‘Till the MSM give the Harper Government a fair shake, they can go suck thier thumbs in the corner for all I care.
Can we cut it out with the constant whining about the MSM?
Prime Minister Harper has, since taking office, had extremely positive news coverage on every file except for two:
1) His effort to reduce media access. That has generated a few stories, and not that many.
2) The Emerson and Fortier appointments — WHICH HARPER HIMSELF has admitted he expected to get kicked in the pants over. Well, he did, and it’s over now.
On everything else — on his trip to Afghanistan, on the accountability act, on the way he has performed in Parliament, on the throne speech, on his discipline and ease in his new role — he has deservedly received an avalanche of glowing reviews from the press.
So for some of the folks on this site who see a conspiracy theory lurking behind every shadow and every street corner, please grow up!
When your side’s in power, the I’m-a-poor-marginalized-loser routine starts to wear a little thin.
Tony: explain away the CBC’s choice to trump the Accountability Act with a complete non-news-story on cancer. It’s not a “conspiracy theory”, it’s completely obvious bias: the CBC wants you to believe that the Federal Accountability Act is not important, is not a campaign promise kept, is not another triumph for Harper. It sends the following message: nothing important happened today.
If they led with Iran, I would understand!
Tony.
The problem with the MSM is that they sometimes get lazy by trying to play up a storyline rather than digging up real news. And the same is true in the blogosphere. In this case, the storyline is “The MSM is out to get Harper”. Naturally, every piece of anecdotal evidence will be presented to support that case, and you’ll never see anything exculpitory published here.
On the other hand, they are willing to buy anything Harper tells them hook, line and sinker. For all of the chest-pounding about the blogosphere’s role in oversight of government and media, all of a sudden they are willing to trust this government blindly. They somehow believe that the government’s message should be presented directly to the people “unfiltered”, as if Conservatives are above spin. You would think they’d at least heed the advice of Ronald Reagan – trust, but verify. They don’t want the MSM to do that, and they don’t want to take it upon themselves. I guess blogs like this will be really boring with the Conservatives in power.
I totally agree with Tony.
Seriously, Harper’s gotten good press except for those couple of issues.
As for the Harper vs. the Media stories, there have been a few briefs and page 10 stories about it while the real news gets on the front page.
In the meantime, it’s people on this site — not the MSM — who have an almost unhealthy, twisted obsession with the media and go into hyper-ventilating overdrive anytime they see a conspiracy implicating the MSM.
Way to go! It’s about time someone told these guys to chill out.
Rules? We doan need no steenking rules.
Hi gang! Marshall Mcluhan here.
Say “steve d.” and “Avenger”…
are you guys nuts?
steve d. and Avenger
Maybe you need to visit: (might be a better fit)
liblogs.freethought.ca
dippers.myblahg.com
Before the Rabble takes over, let me pipe in one last time: if you don’t know by now that a Conservative supporter at 250 Front Street receives a reception somewhere between that of a neo-Nazi and a coughing SARS patient, you’ve probably been living under a rock.
Wilson,
Are you saying that there is no room for discussion here except among those who all agree with each other? If you only want an Amen Corner, you should have watched the Masters.
Sorry to say this but Tony, Aaron, steve d. and Avenger all make sense.
The MSM obsession on this site is beginning to sound a little looney.
Could it be that anyone here (KATE, I’m talking to you, but not only to you) is a little bitter after having been rejected for an MSM job?
Not saying that’s what’s happened.
But it would offer a logical explanation for your bizarre and angry obsession with the media — who, I might add, provide a healthy proportion of the content on this site.
Here’s a scenario to warm your bitter heart: Maybe we should just shut down all the free media in this country, and inform the country through press releases chosen and distributed from the prime minister’s office. This policy, of course, would be extended to Liberal governments, I hope you’ll agree.
Then we could cover our democracy with press releases posted on Small Dead Animals.
And Kate wouldn’t be bitter anymore!
Hello people of the left leaning media loving persuasion. Every talk show has been talking about Harper’s media relationship. So it ain’t the public talking about it, its the self serving MSM. As for independent reporting the story of the clash with Julie Van Dusen was the same story taken from the Canadian Press in the Ottawa Citizen, National Post and the Red Star. So much for independent reporting.
So Van Dusen was upset that her question wasn’t going to be answered. When Harper relented she asked if he was trying to get rid of Shapiro. Here we have the government introducing a 250 section piece of legislation and we have a reporter for the Communist Broadcasting Corporation asking about the fate of Bernard Shapiro. It shows the depths to which the press gallery is uninterested in real news but asks a question which is meaningless and does not help the public to understand what the government is doing. So much for informing the public. Van Dusen is known for reporting sleaze and gossip because she is unable to ask a serious question because she doesn’t understand the issues. CBC should tread lightly. They could find themselves on the chopping block and rightly so.
Parliamentary tradition makes government accountable in Parliament. The press may feel they have the obligation to hold the government to account, but that’s not based in parliamentary tradition. Section 2(b) guarantees: freedom of the press and other media of communication. In other words the press has the freedom from government, not to government. In a parliamentary system the press can be indulged, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have a ‘right’ to press conference. Though it’s been refreshing by and large to see Harper respond to the press with substantive answers; Question Period as well. Especially after the last government. Question Period under their watch was an exercise in obfuscation. I generally quit watching QP after the coup: http://www.freedominion.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=438344&sid=6d8061a0c7f36a45b22f5d8305c21dbc
Did anybody catch Yves Lavigne on CTV morning news today? In his synopsis of the MSM’s presumptuously frenzied coverage of those biker gang murders on the weekend, one statement went something like “the verbal masturbation of the PeeWee Hermans in the mainstream media…”. Ya nailed it, Mr. Lavigne.
“Trust, but verify”. OK, fine. What’s that??? The MSM is a reliable vehicle to establish a government’s message (PARTICULARLY the Conservative government’s message) in an unfiltered, responsible fashion? That’s rich!
Hmmm… I wonder what Katie Kouric’s ensemble will be for her opening newscast on CBS News (former home of that paragon of veracity Dan “fake-but-accurate” Rather, as Mark Steyn put it). Oh, right… who in their right mind really gives a damn about the slanted, stilted, stiff-and-stuffy MSM… ahem… “news”people, anyway?
I suspect Harper’s just scanning for actual reporters, which would obviously mean bypassing Julie VD. When it comes to federal politics, she’s like most reporters at the CBC (but I suspect not their producers) who seem entirely unclear on the difference between a news report and an editorial.
I think some of them are just habituated by daily routine to the idea that being a CBC reporter is all about stumping for a Toronto-centric, 90’s-Liberal version of Canada — it’s a reflexive, brand-name kind of thing.
Keith Boag is the worst (well, unless the rarely used Peter Gullage is on) because it’s so obvious that unlike some others not only does he know he’s spinning for the Libs, he knows that the viewers know what he’s doing, and he goes ahead an does it anyway. So we get treated at taxpayer expense to his sweaty obsequious countenance attempting to either secure a Senate seat, or, if one were to judge by his facial expressions alone, continue paying off some really serious underworld debt.
Regardless, his approach is always the same: “X has happened, but the real story, according to me and my hardcore Liberal insiders, is Y”.
Only in Canada! You just can’t make this stuff up. As I said earlier, this all reminds me of ‘Taming Of The Shrew’.
Don’t get mad with CBC…get even. Go to fin.gc.ca and recommend privatizing or cutting their budget. They don’t even do a good job of sports anymore and I’m sure the other markets would love a shot.
Where’s the respect for the office of the Prime Minister of Canada? Like him or not Stephen Harper is the highest elected official in Canada and deserves some respect.
In this case we have a journalist pushing her way to the front of the line while the PM is trying to address questions from the group. the PM picked a certain reporter to ask a question, VanDusen thought she should be next and cut in, interupting the reporter who had been addressed. The PM referred the question to Baird to answer, and that was it.
If the Parlimentary Press Gallery had seen fit to conduct itself more civily then I’m sure the scrum would have continued longer, but they didn’t, so that was that. I have no sympathy for this whinny media, that seems to think they can dictate their demands to the Prime Minister of Canada.
I’m really not getting this “secrecy” thing the media is trying to push. Since the throne speach MPs, Cab Mins and the PM himself have all been highly accessible. I have had no problem hearing from the gov’t. So what is the media complaint all about?
Grow up, show some respect! You might get further that way.
Here’s some evidence that perhaps a few of you are taking this anti-MSM obsession to ridiculous heights.
I saw EBD’s post on the Most Biased Reporter Ever at the Most Biased Left-wing Propaganda Outfit Ever.
SO I googled the alleged Most Biased CBC Reporter Ever, “Peter Gullage.”
Right away, I found one of his reports linked from the website of none other than… wait for it… Jim Prentice.
An anti-Liberal, pro-CPC story, used as a reference by one of the most powerful ministers in the Harper government. By the Most Biased CBC Reporter Ever! http://www.jimprentice.ca/Documents/Feb9-MediaCBCat6.htm
Maybe Gullage isn’t the evil, Liberal-loving, Tory-tormenting ideologue you make him out to be.
Or maybe you guys are all a little over-conspiratorial about this MSM thing, and it’s time to stop looking up for black helicopters and time to come inside with the other normal folks.
Does anyone know where I can find the video of Van Dusen getting uppity? I missed it.
Seeing the piles of free copies of the Toronto Star newspaper at all large convention centers, hotels, etc.- just wondering how many people actually PAY for that rag?
The tv news is no better, (I gave up watching that, years ago), but it might be fun to watch these liblapdogs & fartcatchers make fools of themselves?
Prime Minister Harper now has a very good website, covering what he is doing. It’s free, and am already on the mailing list.
Nevertheless- the msm has to be watched very carefully,(just to see what drivel they are feeding the drones!)
Considering the piles of free copies of the toronto star newspaper, that are available at all large convention centres, hotels, etc.- leaves one to wonder how many people actually PAY to read this rubbish?
The tv news is no better, ( stopped watching that, years ago)- but come to think of it, it might be worth a laugh to watch the liblapdogs and their fartcatchers all making fools of themselves.
Our Prime Minister’s Office now has a very good website up and running! Registration is free!
The msm still requires keeping an eye on- if for no other reason than to see what kind of nonsense and drivel they are feeding the drones.
As for reader’s opinions on current events:SDA is still a tier 1 source!
Avenger/Francis — same person I think. I want the drugs you are on. You spin it any way you want in your tiny little mind. You will only end up dizzier than you are now.
Avenger/Francis — same person I think. I want the drugs you are on. You spin it any way you want in your tiny little mind. You will only end up dizzier than you are now.
Avenger/Francis — same person I think. I want the drugs you are on. You spin it any way you want in your tiny little mind. You will only end up dizzier than you are now.
If their is no bias in the MSM, than why is Mike Duffys on CTV newsnet panel discussing the accountability act consist of a Liberal senator, a Liberal opposition critic, and a NDP critic? Should the governing party not have a representative? Watch the CBCs politics, how many times is their a redstar, globe and mail reporter, along with the strategic counsils rep. To be unbiased, a discussion should have all sides represented not just the side the MSM wants Canadians to hear. To you moonbats that say Kate is dreaming this up, give your heads a shake!!! The bias is real, and for you to argue this insults my intelligence and makes me question yours.
Every day I see lies and spin comming from the MSM. I no longer bother with them. I can find the truth on the internet, all I have to do is dig a little. The MSM is a dead horse who is still whinning about its own loss. WHOS CARES? They lie for the liberanos and we catch them at it, then they act all wounded. These scum have lost my trust and by looks of things anyone with an IQ over 70 doesnt trust them either. Let the media go vacation in Cuba but when they do go DONT let them COME BACK.
I don�t think the MSM in Canada have necessarily given Harper a fair shake. They�re just biding their time while he�s in his �honeymoon� phase. Not only that, he�s actually coming across as a competent leader, so they haven�t had the feeding frenzy they�re waiting for. Let�s not forget the great �waistband� scandal at the army base!
Still, a couple of days ago, one of the main stories on The National was the closing of a dumpy little �eco-office� somewhere, because their grant money had dried up. As CBC reported further about the cuts, they must have crammed in as much archived footage of billowing smokestacks with industrial filth on any spare piece of screen they could display to the viewer. Get the message?
Given that most MSM are from the Bell/Globe/CTV/TorStar/Teachers swamp, or the mother Corpse, Harper should call on more freelancers, IMHO.
I have a question: Does anyone know anything about this reporter. She always appears to be at the center of major diatribes. She was the reporter during the election that confronted the woman elected from Quebec City (I forget her name). It was at the beginning of the campaign when Harper didn’t introduce his candidates and she chase her down demanding that she answer some questions. Finally the poor woman stopped and began to reply in French and Julie screamed at her to speak English. When Julie asked her question it had nothing to do with who she was but rather her stand on same sex marriage. Smartly, she turned and walked away with Julie screaming at her in her shrill voice. This reporter does a disservice to all reporters and women and someone should take her to task for it.
If the PPG executive wants some respect from the new PM they should stop not only complaining about the new rules, they should also stop bullying the free lance journalists.
Glad to see the Accountability act will also put the CBC in the Auditor Generals sights.
Francis: What planet are you on? My legitimate concerns about the left/lib/fem bias on the CBC goes back about 25 years, and has to do with their presentation of, apparently, “balanced” reporting on issues of importance to Canadians which, BTW, is the mandate of said broadcaster. The CBC’s idea of a balanced debate (not to mention another scion of the MSM, Duffy Live) is to have someone on who is slightly left of centre on an issue, another panelist who is more left of centre, and finally, someone who is totally out in left field.
If you haven’t noticed this, then you’re too far gone.
I’ve contacted the CBC Ombudsman numerous times in the past to register my concerns about their bias, which prevents them from fulfilling their mandate to the Canadian public who, BTW, pays their bills (damn!), to no avail. Every response, for over 20 years, has vindicated the CBC. The new ombudsman, by the way, is a former employee of the CBC, then worked at Ryerson connected with ethics in journalism, and now is back at Mother Corps because, apparently, they asked him to. Serioulsy, how unbiased and objective can he be?
But, having said that, I’d suggest to Sandra that she write to the CBC Ombudsman (keep him busy, at the very least) about taking Julie Van Dusen to task. Ombudsman@cbc.ca
Miss VD is way too big for her britches. And I’d like to know a little more about her, too.
Maybe Julie VD has finally lost it and should retire. It happens at different ages for different people. What’s the name of her American counterpart, Helen Thomas? Didn’t that old scribe recently behave the same way towards the President?
And the CBC shouldn’t get a free ride from the taxpayers. It shouldn’t get our money just so it can be the mouthpiece of the LEFT.
It should have to fund itself like any other MSM outlet. It should have to compete for viewership, relevancy and advertising revenue.
I suspect that should they be cut loose, they couldn’t make it in the real world.
They already have too few viewers as it is.
Pull the plug and put them out of their misery.
Agreed Canadian Sentinel (7:08 a.m.): Pull the plug on the CBC and put US our of OUR misery!
This is what happens in the shower. Apologies to poetry lovers.
Julie Van Dusen
Stop your abusin’
It’s clear the lib/left/fems have lost.
The PM’s the winner,
Your gruel’s getting thinner
‘Cause the Librano$ dynasty’s paust. (Brit for past)
4
Hey New Kid, Isn’t there a government grant you could apply for as a budding poet? Not bad for a shower but just think of what you could write having a bath.
Re: CBC in general, if they get a billion or so of taxpayer’s money to operate then why do they have as many commercials as CTV, Global, etc? Actually, being down here in Texas, I don’t have to watch CBC at all.
Listen/watch for the Lib/Left porkers in the MSM, the CBC, & on the blogs, to burst their gall bladders: spill their bile; their hatred of Prime Minister Harper.
Down with the Librano$$$$$$
love those words: “Chretien’s Daughter Could Lose Plum Job”.
More, Mr. Strahl, and faster.
Cut the CBC’s funds to the bone. Down with Van Dusen, Boag, & the CBC.
Chretien’s Daughter Could Lose Plum Job
Harper’s political chief for B.C., Chuck Strahl, questions the legitimacy of former prime minister Jean Chretien’s daughter and two other prominent Liberal appointees on the board of the 2010 Winter Olympics. + http://www.paulding.net/bin/url.cgi/13250.6
via neale news
Excerpt:
Peter O’Neil, with a file from Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, April 12, 2006
OTTAWA — The new Federal Accountability Act includes a measure that could trigger the replacement of three of former prime minister Jean Chretien’s most controversial patronage appointees.
Shortly before stepping aside for his bitter rival Paul Martin in 2003, Chretien named his daughter and two friends of cabinet loyalists Herb Dhaliwal and Sheila Copps to the board of directors of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
France Chretien Desmarais, Copps political ally Tony Tennessy, a former union president, and Dhaliwal chum Peter Dhillon, a B.C. businessman, are scheduled to serve until their three-year terms end in November.
Dhillon said Tuesday he hopes all three are re-appointed for the sake of “continuity” as Vanoc enters the crucial years heading into the games.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in B.C. next week to promote his new legislation. +
rebarbarian is right:
Just another group wrapped up in the culture of entitlement.
Posted by rebarbarian at April 11, 2006 10:30 PM
I watched that little tit-a-tat press conference yesterday. It was downright embarassing (for the press) – you could hear this shrill voice from the sidelines interuppting the Prime Minister of Canada – you could hear the venom and disrespect dripping from her voice.
When the camera panned out you could see the crazy hair!!! Julie – who else!.
Good that PMSH cut the questions short.
Kate – you must be really getting some press over on the Lib and Dipper blogs because the troll traffic over here is really getting heavy.
So for all you that have come over to visit us and feel that the MSM have a point – the point is that since the cabinet swearing in, I have seen and heard MORE of the CPC prime minister and cabinet ministers than ever before – yet the MSM keeps saying there is a cone of silence.
So think about it – obviously the CPC are talking to reporters because we are seeing them on TV and reading comments from them in newspapers. So why are the MSM complaining – because the former top tier – the ones who got all the leaks and were on the top of the press heap (meaning- they wrote liberal friendly/anti conservative pieces to keep their status)now find themselves shut out – they will continue to be shut out until they realize that they do not run the country, the government runs the country.
That is why we are seeing so much of the CPC – they are going to lesser known reporters who are presenting the facts – not the biased spin that reporters like “crazy hair” Julie, or any of the “old guard” –
I watched the new press gallery president on Duffy yesterday saying she was trying to get hold of the PMO to talk about the “problem”.
The “problem” is that the press gallery do not realize that the only problem is of their own making and until they decide to accept that they do not have any more “right” to a story than any other reporter or even joe schmoe off the street who can easily find out “news” – make their own judgements without being “told” what to think.
I am sure “crazy hair” Julie is feeling quite smug that she “put Harper (she loves to call him Harper! – not PMSH or prime minister – just Harper – shows just the right level of disrespect!)in his place! Little does she know that she just looked ridiculous and her antics makes the general public realize why the PMO has taken great care to insulate themselves from these types of reporters.
Just feed the sheep a half dozen lies a day like their Marxist heros do and they will only wimper when with their wives or girl? friends
Just another group wrapped up in the culture of entitlement.
This kind of thing can’t go on. Harper needs the media to get his messages out and the Media need news. They need each other. If Harper insists on being hyper secretive then it will only make him look like Bush. I don’t think he should be going there. Who is advising him??? If he starts selecting only “friendly” reporters then that also is a mistake. I thought he was going to have a relaxed and open government. What is this?
What is this?
It is effective and productive government – and things have only started to unfold
Read the first comment, Steve, until it sinks in.
The MSM has rarely been very objective in their reporting of government. If Harper gains anything it must be some control of his own reporting of his own news without the biased twists orchestrated by socialists who think they are Liberals. Most Canadians and Immigrants are actually very Conservative in their actual views. They must absolutely get the UNFILTERED news from Ottawa. Hopefully this new media policy will effect that change.
i watched it on ctv. the reporter named tim was scared to ask a question. julie must swing a mean purse . damn i hope they cut funding to the cbc.
“Culture of Entitlement”. The talking point that never gets old.
Any body hear about PM taking his message directly to the people using a sattelite feed or? Heard it on Duffy. Anybody know more? Said they wanted the message to get out without MSM spin.Fantastic! I hope gov never gives into MSM, watching them whine and trying to be important to somebody,is better than any reality tv show!
Mel:
“Unfiltered” news? Tell me one instance in the history of humankind that a government presented totally objective information to the public. Do you believe everything your public officials tell you, provided they have (CPC) next to their names?
The “press” is a pillar of a modern western society. They are written into the first amendment of the US constitution, and clause 2(b) of the Canadian charter of rights and freedoms. They are there for a good reason, at least in principle, and that is: who questions the regulators?
In general the US media has been historically good at this job, because of the incentive of competition. Over the last few decades, though, the free western media has begun to forefit its role as a contra-stressed pillar in our society’s undergirding; big media, at least, has started to regularly back a political perspective (or worse, a side).
Nevertheless, in order for that strategy to work, the media must be able to tactically assume complicity on behalf of the government. When the government refuses to play along, the media come up relatively empty handed; in the vernacular, they look like fools.
This is a very interesting and most welcome experiment Mr. Harper is running. Based solely on my anecdotal conversations with my fellow citizens at the deli, the tobacconist, the gas station, &c (why, yes, I have been running around mentioning that “It seems to me the new prime minister is attempting to do a good job of running the country”), my fellow citizens seem to agree. I’ve heard more comments to the effect that “the country seems to be back on track again” than I’ve ever heard before in my five decades to date.
The danger to the media is that if they get too far behind the curve, they will suffer a catastrophic failure.
Don’t celibrate that. If we, the citizens, can’t whip the media back into shape, then the question remains: who will question the regulators?
HELP here….can anyone cite the authority of this “rule”…
Quote from article…”The move allows Harper to circumvent A RULE that lets journalists wait outside the cabinet room and question ministers as they enter and leave.”
Is this supposed “rule” a rule or an expectation…or an expected entitlement granted by the previous PMO’s leak machine.
In what official document is this “RULE”? And while I’m asking the improbable…who wrote it?
Iran announces nukes, bringing the world closer to another war…Harper follows through on priority #1 with accountability act…so what is the lead story on The National tonight?
“Lots of people have cancer”
I’m not making this up. Please provide independent confirmation…it’s been a long day, I may be halucinating.
LOL! Agreed NCF!
As for freedom of the press, that goes hand in hand with the responsability (wow, spelling!) of the press to report the truth! ‘Till the MSM give the Harper Government a fair shake, they can go suck thier thumbs in the corner for all I care.
Can we cut it out with the constant whining about the MSM?
Prime Minister Harper has, since taking office, had extremely positive news coverage on every file except for two:
1) His effort to reduce media access. That has generated a few stories, and not that many.
2) The Emerson and Fortier appointments — WHICH HARPER HIMSELF has admitted he expected to get kicked in the pants over. Well, he did, and it’s over now.
On everything else — on his trip to Afghanistan, on the accountability act, on the way he has performed in Parliament, on the throne speech, on his discipline and ease in his new role — he has deservedly received an avalanche of glowing reviews from the press.
So for some of the folks on this site who see a conspiracy theory lurking behind every shadow and every street corner, please grow up!
When your side’s in power, the I’m-a-poor-marginalized-loser routine starts to wear a little thin.
Tony: explain away the CBC’s choice to trump the Accountability Act with a complete non-news-story on cancer. It’s not a “conspiracy theory”, it’s completely obvious bias: the CBC wants you to believe that the Federal Accountability Act is not important, is not a campaign promise kept, is not another triumph for Harper. It sends the following message: nothing important happened today.
If they led with Iran, I would understand!
Tony.
The problem with the MSM is that they sometimes get lazy by trying to play up a storyline rather than digging up real news. And the same is true in the blogosphere. In this case, the storyline is “The MSM is out to get Harper”. Naturally, every piece of anecdotal evidence will be presented to support that case, and you’ll never see anything exculpitory published here.
On the other hand, they are willing to buy anything Harper tells them hook, line and sinker. For all of the chest-pounding about the blogosphere’s role in oversight of government and media, all of a sudden they are willing to trust this government blindly. They somehow believe that the government’s message should be presented directly to the people “unfiltered”, as if Conservatives are above spin. You would think they’d at least heed the advice of Ronald Reagan – trust, but verify. They don’t want the MSM to do that, and they don’t want to take it upon themselves. I guess blogs like this will be really boring with the Conservatives in power.
I totally agree with Tony.
Seriously, Harper’s gotten good press except for those couple of issues.
As for the Harper vs. the Media stories, there have been a few briefs and page 10 stories about it while the real news gets on the front page.
In the meantime, it’s people on this site — not the MSM — who have an almost unhealthy, twisted obsession with the media and go into hyper-ventilating overdrive anytime they see a conspiracy implicating the MSM.
Way to go! It’s about time someone told these guys to chill out.
Rules? We doan need no steenking rules.
Hi gang! Marshall Mcluhan here.
Say “steve d.” and “Avenger”…
are you guys nuts?
steve d. and Avenger
Maybe you need to visit: (might be a better fit)
liblogs.freethought.ca
dippers.myblahg.com
Before the Rabble takes over, let me pipe in one last time: if you don’t know by now that a Conservative supporter at 250 Front Street receives a reception somewhere between that of a neo-Nazi and a coughing SARS patient, you’ve probably been living under a rock.
Wilson,
Are you saying that there is no room for discussion here except among those who all agree with each other? If you only want an Amen Corner, you should have watched the Masters.
Sorry to say this but Tony, Aaron, steve d. and Avenger all make sense.
The MSM obsession on this site is beginning to sound a little looney.
Could it be that anyone here (KATE, I’m talking to you, but not only to you) is a little bitter after having been rejected for an MSM job?
Not saying that’s what’s happened.
But it would offer a logical explanation for your bizarre and angry obsession with the media — who, I might add, provide a healthy proportion of the content on this site.
Here’s a scenario to warm your bitter heart: Maybe we should just shut down all the free media in this country, and inform the country through press releases chosen and distributed from the prime minister’s office. This policy, of course, would be extended to Liberal governments, I hope you’ll agree.
Then we could cover our democracy with press releases posted on Small Dead Animals.
And Kate wouldn’t be bitter anymore!
Hello people of the left leaning media loving persuasion. Every talk show has been talking about Harper’s media relationship. So it ain’t the public talking about it, its the self serving MSM. As for independent reporting the story of the clash with Julie Van Dusen was the same story taken from the Canadian Press in the Ottawa Citizen, National Post and the Red Star. So much for independent reporting.
So Van Dusen was upset that her question wasn’t going to be answered. When Harper relented she asked if he was trying to get rid of Shapiro. Here we have the government introducing a 250 section piece of legislation and we have a reporter for the Communist Broadcasting Corporation asking about the fate of Bernard Shapiro. It shows the depths to which the press gallery is uninterested in real news but asks a question which is meaningless and does not help the public to understand what the government is doing. So much for informing the public. Van Dusen is known for reporting sleaze and gossip because she is unable to ask a serious question because she doesn’t understand the issues. CBC should tread lightly. They could find themselves on the chopping block and rightly so.
Parliamentary tradition makes government accountable in Parliament. The press may feel they have the obligation to hold the government to account, but that’s not based in parliamentary tradition. Section 2(b) guarantees: freedom of the press and other media of communication. In other words the press has the freedom from government, not to government. In a parliamentary system the press can be indulged, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have a ‘right’ to press conference. Though it’s been refreshing by and large to see Harper respond to the press with substantive answers; Question Period as well. Especially after the last government. Question Period under their watch was an exercise in obfuscation. I generally quit watching QP after the coup: http://www.freedominion.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=438344&sid=6d8061a0c7f36a45b22f5d8305c21dbc
Did anybody catch Yves Lavigne on CTV morning news today? In his synopsis of the MSM’s presumptuously frenzied coverage of those biker gang murders on the weekend, one statement went something like “the verbal masturbation of the PeeWee Hermans in the mainstream media…”. Ya nailed it, Mr. Lavigne.
“Trust, but verify”. OK, fine. What’s that??? The MSM is a reliable vehicle to establish a government’s message (PARTICULARLY the Conservative government’s message) in an unfiltered, responsible fashion? That’s rich!
Hmmm… I wonder what Katie Kouric’s ensemble will be for her opening newscast on CBS News (former home of that paragon of veracity Dan “fake-but-accurate” Rather, as Mark Steyn put it). Oh, right… who in their right mind really gives a damn about the slanted, stilted, stiff-and-stuffy MSM… ahem… “news”people, anyway?
I suspect Harper’s just scanning for actual reporters, which would obviously mean bypassing Julie VD. When it comes to federal politics, she’s like most reporters at the CBC (but I suspect not their producers) who seem entirely unclear on the difference between a news report and an editorial.
I think some of them are just habituated by daily routine to the idea that being a CBC reporter is all about stumping for a Toronto-centric, 90’s-Liberal version of Canada — it’s a reflexive, brand-name kind of thing.
Keith Boag is the worst (well, unless the rarely used Peter Gullage is on) because it’s so obvious that unlike some others not only does he know he’s spinning for the Libs, he knows that the viewers know what he’s doing, and he goes ahead an does it anyway. So we get treated at taxpayer expense to his sweaty obsequious countenance attempting to either secure a Senate seat, or, if one were to judge by his facial expressions alone, continue paying off some really serious underworld debt.
Regardless, his approach is always the same: “X has happened, but the real story, according to me and my hardcore Liberal insiders, is Y”.
Only in Canada! You just can’t make this stuff up. As I said earlier, this all reminds me of ‘Taming Of The Shrew’.
Don’t get mad with CBC…get even. Go to fin.gc.ca and recommend privatizing or cutting their budget. They don’t even do a good job of sports anymore and I’m sure the other markets would love a shot.
Where’s the respect for the office of the Prime Minister of Canada? Like him or not Stephen Harper is the highest elected official in Canada and deserves some respect.
In this case we have a journalist pushing her way to the front of the line while the PM is trying to address questions from the group. the PM picked a certain reporter to ask a question, VanDusen thought she should be next and cut in, interupting the reporter who had been addressed. The PM referred the question to Baird to answer, and that was it.
If the Parlimentary Press Gallery had seen fit to conduct itself more civily then I’m sure the scrum would have continued longer, but they didn’t, so that was that. I have no sympathy for this whinny media, that seems to think they can dictate their demands to the Prime Minister of Canada.
I’m really not getting this “secrecy” thing the media is trying to push. Since the throne speach MPs, Cab Mins and the PM himself have all been highly accessible. I have had no problem hearing from the gov’t. So what is the media complaint all about?
Grow up, show some respect! You might get further that way.
Here’s some evidence that perhaps a few of you are taking this anti-MSM obsession to ridiculous heights.
I saw EBD’s post on the Most Biased Reporter Ever at the Most Biased Left-wing Propaganda Outfit Ever.
SO I googled the alleged Most Biased CBC Reporter Ever, “Peter Gullage.”
Right away, I found one of his reports linked from the website of none other than… wait for it… Jim Prentice.
An anti-Liberal, pro-CPC story, used as a reference by one of the most powerful ministers in the Harper government. By the Most Biased CBC Reporter Ever!
http://www.jimprentice.ca/Documents/Feb9-MediaCBCat6.htm
Maybe Gullage isn’t the evil, Liberal-loving, Tory-tormenting ideologue you make him out to be.
Or maybe you guys are all a little over-conspiratorial about this MSM thing, and it’s time to stop looking up for black helicopters and time to come inside with the other normal folks.
Does anyone know where I can find the video of Van Dusen getting uppity? I missed it.
Seeing the piles of free copies of the Toronto Star newspaper at all large convention centers, hotels, etc.- just wondering how many people actually PAY for that rag?
The tv news is no better, (I gave up watching that, years ago), but it might be fun to watch these liblapdogs & fartcatchers make fools of themselves?
Prime Minister Harper now has a very good website, covering what he is doing. It’s free, and am already on the mailing list.
Nevertheless- the msm has to be watched very carefully,(just to see what drivel they are feeding the drones!)
Considering the piles of free copies of the toronto star newspaper, that are available at all large convention centres, hotels, etc.- leaves one to wonder how many people actually PAY to read this rubbish?
The tv news is no better, ( stopped watching that, years ago)- but come to think of it, it might be worth a laugh to watch the liblapdogs and their fartcatchers all making fools of themselves.
Our Prime Minister’s Office now has a very good website up and running! Registration is free!
The msm still requires keeping an eye on- if for no other reason than to see what kind of nonsense and drivel they are feeding the drones.
As for reader’s opinions on current events:SDA is still a tier 1 source!
Avenger/Francis — same person I think. I want the drugs you are on. You spin it any way you want in your tiny little mind. You will only end up dizzier than you are now.
Avenger/Francis — same person I think. I want the drugs you are on. You spin it any way you want in your tiny little mind. You will only end up dizzier than you are now.
Avenger/Francis — same person I think. I want the drugs you are on. You spin it any way you want in your tiny little mind. You will only end up dizzier than you are now.
If their is no bias in the MSM, than why is Mike Duffys on CTV newsnet panel discussing the accountability act consist of a Liberal senator, a Liberal opposition critic, and a NDP critic? Should the governing party not have a representative? Watch the CBCs politics, how many times is their a redstar, globe and mail reporter, along with the strategic counsils rep. To be unbiased, a discussion should have all sides represented not just the side the MSM wants Canadians to hear. To you moonbats that say Kate is dreaming this up, give your heads a shake!!! The bias is real, and for you to argue this insults my intelligence and makes me question yours.
Every day I see lies and spin comming from the MSM. I no longer bother with them. I can find the truth on the internet, all I have to do is dig a little. The MSM is a dead horse who is still whinning about its own loss. WHOS CARES? They lie for the liberanos and we catch them at it, then they act all wounded. These scum have lost my trust and by looks of things anyone with an IQ over 70 doesnt trust them either. Let the media go vacation in Cuba but when they do go DONT let them COME BACK.
I don�t think the MSM in Canada have necessarily given Harper a fair shake. They�re just biding their time while he�s in his �honeymoon� phase. Not only that, he�s actually coming across as a competent leader, so they haven�t had the feeding frenzy they�re waiting for. Let�s not forget the great �waistband� scandal at the army base!
Still, a couple of days ago, one of the main stories on The National was the closing of a dumpy little �eco-office� somewhere, because their grant money had dried up. As CBC reported further about the cuts, they must have crammed in as much archived footage of billowing smokestacks with industrial filth on any spare piece of screen they could display to the viewer. Get the message?
Given that most MSM are from the Bell/Globe/CTV/TorStar/Teachers swamp, or the mother Corpse, Harper should call on more freelancers, IMHO.
I have a question: Does anyone know anything about this reporter. She always appears to be at the center of major diatribes. She was the reporter during the election that confronted the woman elected from Quebec City (I forget her name). It was at the beginning of the campaign when Harper didn’t introduce his candidates and she chase her down demanding that she answer some questions. Finally the poor woman stopped and began to reply in French and Julie screamed at her to speak English. When Julie asked her question it had nothing to do with who she was but rather her stand on same sex marriage. Smartly, she turned and walked away with Julie screaming at her in her shrill voice. This reporter does a disservice to all reporters and women and someone should take her to task for it.
If the PPG executive wants some respect from the new PM they should stop not only complaining about the new rules, they should also stop bullying the free lance journalists.
Glad to see the Accountability act will also put the CBC in the Auditor Generals sights.
Francis: What planet are you on? My legitimate concerns about the left/lib/fem bias on the CBC goes back about 25 years, and has to do with their presentation of, apparently, “balanced” reporting on issues of importance to Canadians which, BTW, is the mandate of said broadcaster. The CBC’s idea of a balanced debate (not to mention another scion of the MSM, Duffy Live) is to have someone on who is slightly left of centre on an issue, another panelist who is more left of centre, and finally, someone who is totally out in left field.
If you haven’t noticed this, then you’re too far gone.
I’ve contacted the CBC Ombudsman numerous times in the past to register my concerns about their bias, which prevents them from fulfilling their mandate to the Canadian public who, BTW, pays their bills (damn!), to no avail. Every response, for over 20 years, has vindicated the CBC. The new ombudsman, by the way, is a former employee of the CBC, then worked at Ryerson connected with ethics in journalism, and now is back at Mother Corps because, apparently, they asked him to. Serioulsy, how unbiased and objective can he be?
But, having said that, I’d suggest to Sandra that she write to the CBC Ombudsman (keep him busy, at the very least) about taking Julie Van Dusen to task. Ombudsman@cbc.ca
Miss VD is way too big for her britches. And I’d like to know a little more about her, too.
Maybe Julie VD has finally lost it and should retire. It happens at different ages for different people. What’s the name of her American counterpart, Helen Thomas? Didn’t that old scribe recently behave the same way towards the President?
And the CBC shouldn’t get a free ride from the taxpayers. It shouldn’t get our money just so it can be the mouthpiece of the LEFT.
It should have to fund itself like any other MSM outlet. It should have to compete for viewership, relevancy and advertising revenue.
I suspect that should they be cut loose, they couldn’t make it in the real world.
They already have too few viewers as it is.
Pull the plug and put them out of their misery.
Agreed Canadian Sentinel (7:08 a.m.): Pull the plug on the CBC and put US our of OUR misery!
This is what happens in the shower. Apologies to poetry lovers.
Julie Van Dusen
Stop your abusin’
It’s clear the lib/left/fems have lost.
The PM’s the winner,
Your gruel’s getting thinner
‘Cause the Librano$ dynasty’s paust. (Brit for past)
4
Hey New Kid, Isn’t there a government grant you could apply for as a budding poet? Not bad for a shower but just think of what you could write having a bath.
Re: CBC in general, if they get a billion or so of taxpayer’s money to operate then why do they have as many commercials as CTV, Global, etc? Actually, being down here in Texas, I don’t have to watch CBC at all.
Listen/watch for the Lib/Left porkers in the MSM, the CBC, & on the blogs, to burst their gall bladders: spill their bile; their hatred of Prime Minister Harper.
Down with the Librano$$$$$$
love those words: “Chretien’s Daughter Could Lose Plum Job”.
More, Mr. Strahl, and faster.
Cut the CBC’s funds to the bone. Down with Van Dusen, Boag, & the CBC.
Chretien’s Daughter Could Lose Plum Job
Harper’s political chief for B.C., Chuck Strahl, questions the legitimacy of former prime minister Jean Chretien’s daughter and two other prominent Liberal appointees on the board of the 2010 Winter Olympics. +
http://www.paulding.net/bin/url.cgi/13250.6
via neale news
Excerpt:
Peter O’Neil, with a file from Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, April 12, 2006
OTTAWA — The new Federal Accountability Act includes a measure that could trigger the replacement of three of former prime minister Jean Chretien’s most controversial patronage appointees.
Shortly before stepping aside for his bitter rival Paul Martin in 2003, Chretien named his daughter and two friends of cabinet loyalists Herb Dhaliwal and Sheila Copps to the board of directors of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
France Chretien Desmarais, Copps political ally Tony Tennessy, a former union president, and Dhaliwal chum Peter Dhillon, a B.C. businessman, are scheduled to serve until their three-year terms end in November.
Dhillon said Tuesday he hopes all three are re-appointed for the sake of “continuity” as Vanoc enters the crucial years heading into the games.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in B.C. next week to promote his new legislation. +
rebarbarian is right:
Just another group wrapped up in the culture of entitlement.
Posted by rebarbarian at April 11, 2006 10:30 PM
I watched that little tit-a-tat press conference yesterday. It was downright embarassing (for the press) – you could hear this shrill voice from the sidelines interuppting the Prime Minister of Canada – you could hear the venom and disrespect dripping from her voice.
When the camera panned out you could see the crazy hair!!! Julie – who else!.
Good that PMSH cut the questions short.
Kate – you must be really getting some press over on the Lib and Dipper blogs because the troll traffic over here is really getting heavy.
So for all you that have come over to visit us and feel that the MSM have a point – the point is that since the cabinet swearing in, I have seen and heard MORE of the CPC prime minister and cabinet ministers than ever before – yet the MSM keeps saying there is a cone of silence.
So think about it – obviously the CPC are talking to reporters because we are seeing them on TV and reading comments from them in newspapers. So why are the MSM complaining – because the former top tier – the ones who got all the leaks and were on the top of the press heap (meaning- they wrote liberal friendly/anti conservative pieces to keep their status)now find themselves shut out – they will continue to be shut out until they realize that they do not run the country, the government runs the country.
That is why we are seeing so much of the CPC – they are going to lesser known reporters who are presenting the facts – not the biased spin that reporters like “crazy hair” Julie, or any of the “old guard” –
I watched the new press gallery president on Duffy yesterday saying she was trying to get hold of the PMO to talk about the “problem”.
The “problem” is that the press gallery do not realize that the only problem is of their own making and until they decide to accept that they do not have any more “right” to a story than any other reporter or even joe schmoe off the street who can easily find out “news” – make their own judgements without being “told” what to think.
I am sure “crazy hair” Julie is feeling quite smug that she “put Harper (she loves to call him Harper! – not PMSH or prime minister – just Harper – shows just the right level of disrespect!)in his place! Little does she know that she just looked ridiculous and her antics makes the general public realize why the PMO has taken great care to insulate themselves from these types of reporters.
Just feed the sheep a half dozen lies a day like their Marxist heros do and they will only wimper when with their wives or girl? friends