After reading these post mortems by Chantal Hebert, Don Martin, Greg Weston, one can only conclude that Susan Delacourt wrote the outline for her report on the Liberal leadership debate a couple of days before the event, then filled in the blanks after calling someone who was there. Someone like a Liberal organizer.
Not that it matters.
Though, this bit of “drive-by journalism” by Ms. Delacourt merits an explanation;
“Harper’s hard-right governing style is also galvanizing the Liberals.”
What precisely does she mean by “hard-right”? That’s her descriptor, not that of a political rival. One trusts she can provide examples, because I certainly can’t think of any.
If Harper’s governance is representative of the political hard-right, then how does she explain the continued existence of the Canada Health Act? Provincial equalization payments? Spending on foreign aid? Federal child care payments? The absence of major income tax reforms to reduce the punitive effects on high income earners?
Or is “hard-right” just Star-speak for “unlikely to appoint journalists to the Senate”?
I have been a reporter for 30 years. Do NOT make the mistake of placing all the blame for news distortions on the reporter. Especially if the story in question is in the T.O. Star.
That paper, more than most, is a sausage factory. Everything gets put through the same political grinder. An army of sweating editors makes sure every story tastes the same and that their bosses (and the Liberal party) like the taste.
If the editors decide Harper is “hard right,” it doesn’t matter whether or not Delacourt uses those words in the original version of the story she hands in. The ‘desk’ will put them in for her.
She learns to use the right words next time. If not, a more aspiring young reporter will get the juicier assignments.
So sure, go ahead and blame Delacourt if you like. But to really understand the newspaper medium, know that it is a machine powered by hundreds of little Liberal cog-thingies. Every raging post above should have used the words “The Star” instead of Delacourt.
Sure it’s an evil socialist rag bent on returning their thieving friends to power. But it’s not Suzie’s fault: it’s the Red Star machine you should hate, the hundreds of unseen hands on the tiller.
More than anyone, it’s the unaccountable editors to blame for what angers all of us here.
Delacourt always reminded me of someone goofy i’d seen before,but could never figure out who.Today it clicked.
Wasn’t she in the tv series Laverne and Shirley?
Actually, I saw her on Pravda news(?) last night and she really looks more like Jean Chretien’s illegitimate child.
So, Lewand is gone, must be a big shock to finally realize there is a new boss in town. Wonder if the changeover at the Star was planned, or the result of Susans story, and the Blogs giving it h*ll for edititng it. I have noticed keith doesn’t have that sneer on his face as much as he used to when reporting on Harper. The PPG lost big time, most of us have seen thru them for years, and have no trust or faith in anything they say. Wonder how the msm in the US will react after Nov 7. If the dems get a small majority they will get nothing done so all inaction will be blamed on Democrats. Great news for the republicans for 2008. Kos is blaming Bush for the earthquake in Hawaii, because of the NK bomb. You would think if he is so powerful he can cause hurricanes and earthquakes, the public would be afraid of him. Also hear the plane crash in New York was his fault. So,that must mean the fall of the Liberals is his fault also.
I look at the shakeup at the Star as the beginning of an up-gunning in preparation for the next election.I believe these new ideologues for the Star will be instructed to ratchet up the rhetoric and cheap partisanship in the days and months leading up to the “anointing” of the next commissar of the federal liberals.
One can only think that the junior Marxists who run Pravda north have had a house clearing that would have made Beria proud..
Watch, my friends , as the MSM- political machinery grinds forward with Rae and power corp support to ever new heights of Liberal political partisanship.
According to Daifallah (Oct 5 – “Full Court Press”) Lawand quit CBC to take a non-journalism job.
Sounds like something similar is happening now at the Red Star…
‘hard right’ ?
the last ‘hard right’ I partook in was a steering manouver to avoid getting whammed by a speeding oncoming car, so ‘hard right’ works for me.
ms delacourtesan is speaking from her ‘perspective’ which makes harper appear ‘hard right’ from her clearly left of left of middle position.
I have to take all this on faith folks, I have not witnessed in a cbcpravda news or event broadcast is a very long time.
Delacourt is under some stress. Two or more years of Paul Martin fart catching and no appointment as a “communications director” in the PMO or Senate seat.
Now she’s left working for a newspaper doing ever tightening circles in the porcelain bowl.
I’d be bitter too.
If the Star goes belly maybe Delacourt can become a Phantom Liberal.
One of the many problems Susan Delacourt has (aside from a clothes dresser and a hair dresser who seem to hate her) is that she hangs out with only like-minded people, people who don’t have a “hard right,” let alone “soft right,” bone in their bodies.
People who have made the utterance of “the right” a really bad word. Doo-doo, doo-doo: Scary. Right?
As for “hard right,” if Delacourt means it in the sense that “the right” is kicking butt, then bring it on.
I love what’s happening on “the left.” The more they sputter in indignation about Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his “hard right” policies, liberal/left code words for “scary” and “hidden agenda,” the more they expose THEMSELVES as the sorry, washed up, not-a-new-idea-among-them, SCARY political hacks and thugs they are.
Susan Delacourt belongs to “da family” dat’s goin’ down. ‘Tough pill to swallow after years of entitlement, eh Sue?
Someone asserted that Harper’s gov’t won’t show its true colors unless it has a majority.
Well, the Liberals showed their true colors with a minority: they forced gay marriage on the nation without a mandate from the people. That’s hard-left.
Liberal minorities can be far worse than the worst Conservative majorities… because there’s the hard-left NDP and the Bloc there to support hard-left bullcrap all the time!
Susan needs to get on the same page as Bill Graham et al, and replace “hard right” with “heartless”. A word from the Liberal dictionary which describes how Flaherty and Baird reduced spending by a whopping 1/2 of 1 percent of the $200 billion or so of total govt spending ! Do the Liberals even pause to consider the damage to their credibility, when they grossly mis-characterize what Harper does ? Not to mention, the next Lib leader won’t have the option of promising MORE tax cuts than whatever Harper puts out in the next election campaign.
Journalists (with a scant-few exceptions) are vermin scum propagandists for the “hard-left” who don’t have the honesty to tell the truth about what they’re doing.
In a perfect world they would be cleaning toilets in prison (with their tongues.)
Scott,
I think Canada’s Conservatives are actually to the left of US Democrats.
Cases in point:
– socialized healthcare (most Dems don’t support hillarycare like the Cons).
– death penalty and crime (3 strikes and states’ issue)
– taxes (35% vs. 48%(Canada))
– the flawed concept of equalization payments
– Iraq? (Dems are divided, Cons won’t touch the issue now)
However, I hope I’m wrong and that the Cons are actually to the right of the US Dems. 🙂
Watched a program on Pearson, and it stated that he come to power, and was elected with the intention of turning Canada inside out. People have forgot the rot he started, and pet continued. It is too bad that the majority of the media today, in Canada, started their careers during that time, and have not had a new thought since. Those born after pet think Canada has alway been they way it is now, and know nothing about family, marriage, education, military, hard work, and honesty. Looks and charisma is more important than ideas, or debate. Iggy is still trying to get his foot(feet) out of his mouth. He had the guts to say he did not offend anyone with his remarks, and his ideas are supported by the majority of cdns. Will give George S some (very little) credit for trying to get him to admit he was, is, wrong.
Of all the candidates, only 5 sit in the HofC, so if any of the others (RAE) win, the first thing he has to do is get elected as an MP. What safe seat is there for them to convince someone to resign so he can run. They can’t give that person a senate seat, ambassadorship, head of any cdn corp. He could not run in Que as that would turn off all non lib voters who do not want a que PM again. Iggys seat might be available as he has said it depends who wins if he runs again. Then, there is no guarantee that the PM would call a by-election any time soon. But, he might call a federal one, on the grounds it is expensive to have a by-election and followed by a general one. Poor Rae, would have to work to get his own seat, and convince the country he is capable. I will never vote liberal and many more wont until all those martin/chretain dinasours are out. They have to all decide not to run again. So, knowing there would be a complete slate of unproven MPs to run the country, could they win. Would the msm bash them, like they bashed the Conservatives as being beginners. And what if Kennedy wins. Dalton lost that seat in a by-election. And, if Iggy is so great, why hasn’t he had more exposure during question period so we can see him in action. I forgot, libs don’t want us to see him in action. Those delegates have a lot to think about. The question asked by Don M needs to be answered, WHY DO THE LIBS DESERVE TO WIN, AND HOW HAVE THEY CLEANED OUT THE CROOKS.
Is it true Iggy has been dis-invited to Isreal.
Straw Head Delacourt is out to lunch. She has never liked Harper. If you read her columns or watch her on Don Newman’s program she has nothing good to say at all. Harper is mean spirited, has a chip on his shoulder, doesn’t remember he won the election and any number of other things she can ascribe to him. Hard right indeed. Why is it hard right to want criminals to spend more time in jail if they are a menace to society. Why is it hard right to want more Accountability in government. Why is it hard right to support the troops aggressively when they are in a dangerous mission in a foreign country and losing their lives. Why is it a far right policy to support Israel when they are attacked by a terrorist group. I hope Canadians are watching carefully. The Liberals are all over the map on all these issues. They have a professorial, intellectual snob who is a pretend citizen of the country, a former NDP premier who virtually destroyed the economy of Ontario and a former Environment Minister who cannot speak English and helped spend $6 billion on feel good projects with no results and had the nerve to call it an environmental plan. That’s the choice facing Canada. Those Liberal candidates, loaded with baggage and Stephen Harper who has a track record and has shown real leadership in the face of adversity. Harper has not been able to get any of his legislation through and I think he should call an election in the middle of November. Ask the people of Canada for a majority mandate and let the chips fall where they may. Let’s see how mouthy the opposition parties are then. Let’s remember the Liberals won’t have a leader and it will be in the middle of their convention.
Message to owl: It is her mouth spewing the venom on Don Newman’s program, not the gremlins at the Star. Don’t make excuses for her. I don’t care how much experience you have as a journalist.
Wasn’t intended as an excuse, hollinm, but an explanation of how the machine works from an insider who toils unhappily among the lefties.
I don’t like it either, don’t condone it, hate it,
etc. etc.
At least I came to my senses later in life, eh?
Wasn’t intended as an excuse, hollinm, but an explanation of how the machine works from an insider who toils unhappily among the lefties.
I don’t like it either, don’t condone it, hate it,
etc. etc.
At least I came to my senses later in life, eh?
Didn’t Delacourt write a book on a loser named Paul Martin the Junior?
Attention owl: I hear you but she seems to relish in her criticisms of the prime minister.It is infuriating to watch. So when she is on TV the mute button is used vigorously.
Attention owl: I hear you but she seems to relish in her criticisms of the prime minister.It is infuriating to watch. So when she is on TV the mute button is used vigorously.
One question has not been answered. How does being in Afghanistan help Canadian people? The only person who seems to relish it is Mr.Harper. So soldiers are dying so our prime minister seems credible?