Dr. Tom Flanagan;
This afternoon (March 6, 2007) I got a call from CBC TV news reporter Krista Erickson. She said she was desperately seeking someone to provide balance for a story she was doing on Christine Tell and the Saskatchewan Judicial Appointments Committee. Ms. Tell is the law enforcement representative on the JAC. The Liberals are calling for her to resign because she has also decided to run for the Saskatchewan Party in the next provincial election. […] Ms. Erickson said a crew would be there in 20 minutes to interview me. Then she called back and said that the story had been scrubbed, so they wouldn’t need an interview after all.
When I watched the National at 10 PM, I saw that they ran the story after all, and without balance. They had law professor Lorraine Weinrib to call for Ms. Tell’s resignation, but no one to give a view from the other side. I’ve watched the CBC for too many years to be surprised at the lack of balance, but I am genuinely surprised at the lack of professionalism. I’ve been cut out of stories before, and I can’t complain about it; no one has a right to appear on the CBC. But why didn’t Ms. Erickson just tell me, we don’t want your interview after all because it doesn’t fit into the one-sided story line we are planning to construct? Or, we can’t interview you because you don’t have the right expertise? Why did she have to make up a story abut canceling the story?
Just another example of the severe left wing bias at the Communist Broadcasting Commission and lack of truth coming out of that disgraceful organization. The soomer all taxpayer funding is withdrawn the better and they can compete for dollars like every other network. Come on Bev Oda, shut this abomination down NOW!
Seriously, why is the CBC on the public payroll?
This happens a lot. First a story is a go, then someone in authority says it is pulled, and then at the very last moment someone (usually that same someone) decides they are going to go with it anyway. Of course you can imagine the anger on the faces of the reporters trying to do their jobs. Ahh… the fun of television news.
Even more telling is the sweet list of jucicial appointments from Saskatchewan, and the ties to the Liberal Party.
Ralph Goodale might like to share how that happened so perfectly for them.
Certainly the CBC might like to explain their lack of focusing on that series of actual appointments.
Odious, truly….odious.
The CBC is a joke! The fact that the government still pays to have a “national broadcast” company is ridiculous! It doesn’t represent the viewpoint of Canadians and should be privatized so that it is forced to compete for the average Canadian’s attention instead of appealing to its niche left-wing audience.
In Saskatchewan, the CBC will frequently have 3 conservative commentators and no one representing any other perspective. This happens very frequently!
Incidentally, I, too, have had the CBC cancel an interview with me. It’s not a big deal. They continue to revise their schedule right up to the last minute. This is natural in news reporting and I don’t attribute their cancelling my interview to bias.
The CBC’s decline into sheer unprofessionalism continues, and now straight into pathetic adolescent lies. There’s no reason to give a damn of course, because at least two generations of Canadians have long since either learned to ignore them, or never knew of their existence in the first place, except for the fact that this silly public non-service is costing something around a billion dollars year. Zoom in on that for a minute: a billion dollars for TV and radio which is watched and listened to by almost no one, and run by people who now casually insult the intelligence of even the people who’s help they solicit in the making of their news, like Mr Flanagan. Uniquely Canadian, eh? Sure hope so.
Exile,
In which alternative parallel universe do you live in? CBC Saskatchewan wouldn’t interview three conservative commentators in a week of stories let alone on one. You can’t dismiss this as a range of the moment schedule change it was a blatant lie.
Just imagine the production manager speaking to K. Erickson . . .
** You realize the interview and the mention of *SmallDeadAnimals* will direct a lot of voters to a site that could convert many to the Conservative cause. **
CBC*s Erickson; ** Hear that guys? Scratch SDA.**
= TG
It is a bit unfortunate that the CBC news section is so bloody biased. Now if CBC would dump news, lose the Not Hardly Likely Hockey games and stick to doing what it does well, which is music, they’d be fine.
At some point in our history CBC was about the only radio/TV the the remote areas could receive (unless you had a shortwave radio or one hell of a receiver). Those communities really needed the CBC. Nowadays the CBC isn’t relavent but we keep paying for it.
It is always strange when public money is used for things like this.
You would think it would mean middle of the road painfully balanced reporting or art etc. That truely edgy stuff would come from private patrons.
But those taking public money will scream censorship.
This is the whole reason why public money shouldnt be used for stuff like this.
Building the museum, fine. General operting money, fine to a point….specifics program…not at all.
The patron ALWAYS gets a say….
“Exile,
In which alternative parallel universe do you live in? CBC Saskatchewan wouldn’t interview three conservative commentators in a week of stories let alone on one. You can’t dismiss this as a range of the moment schedule change it was a blatant lie.”
Give me a month and I can provide you you with a month’s worth of examples! One of the main reasons this happens is their reliance on other media commentators. This leads to a strong right-wing bias simply because the Saskatchewan media are mostly right-wing.
We have no way of knowing whether the CBC employee was lying to this guy or whether they really had decided to cancel the item.
TG, the odds of sda converting anyone are extremely remote! It’s a kind of virtual revival service for the far right but all this jumping up and down and shouting is not going to convert anyone.
Small signs of hope
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/015577.php
“the CBC will frequently have 3 conservative commentators and no one representing any other perspective”
Just because a person doesn’t publicly declare some drug induced 9/11 McChimplerburton conspiracy he’s deemed “conservative”? That’s the only possible explanation I can come up with for this idiotic comment.
And butterflies destroy polar bear habitats.
The Left is insane, literally.
“Just because a person doesn’t publicly declare some drug induced 9/11 McChimplerburton conspiracy he’s deemed “conservative”? That’s the only possible explanation I can come up with for this idiotic comment.”
My criteria for “conservative” are probably wider than yours but they are generally accepted criteria. I would describe supporters of the Sask party as conservative. I regard John Gormley as conservative. I see the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon-Star Phoenix as conservative papers. I see Stephen Harper as a conservative.
I find your assumption that I accept some 9/11 conspiracy theory and that I would make acceptance of such a theory my criterion of “conservative” bizarre. (I will not call it “insane”.) Fundamentally, conservatism has to do with a preference for certain economic arrangements, though all kinds of other beliefs are associated with that preference.
maybe, just maybe, if we put a 2nd harper majority in office, the cpc will KILL the beast on front street by cutting off its blood supply, ie millions in public tax money.
“maybe, just maybe, if we put a 2nd harper majority in office, the cpc will KILL the beast on front street by cutting off its blood supply, ie millions in public tax money.”
Of course they will kill it. There’s no “maybe” about it. Then all our media will be operated by giant private corporations and their propaganda will rule the airwaves undisputed. Utopia will have come!
“maybe, just maybe, if we put a 2nd harper majority in office, the cpc will KILL the beast on front street by cutting off its blood supply, ie millions in public tax money.”
What do you mean 2nd majority?? I’m sure they will do it as soon as they get a majority.
Give me a month and I can provide you you with a month’s worth of examples! One of the main reasons this happens is their reliance on other media commentators. This leads to a strong right-wing bias simply because the Saskatchewan media are mostly right-wing.
Exile,
I await your “month worth of examples” on April 9th.
I am out of province, temporarily and can’t access cbc Saskatchewan but I noticed this trend in the past and actually wrote a letter of complaint.
But I will bookmark your blog and, one month after I return, I’ll send you the evidence. In fact, I’ll post it on my blog and send you the link.
In a nutshell, as the story I told at greater length has been caught in the filter–What the …?–the same thing happened to me years ago, and I know others who have been lined up to give an interview, have changed their schedules in order to do so, and have summarily been cancelled, often with the lib/left side being amply represented, with no one on the distaff side.
That’s the CBC: Critically Biased Crap.
What do you expect from a bunch of unaccountable public employees?
Competence?
Journalists often lie or fib to interviewees about their angle or what’s happening with their story.
They believe they are justified because they do not feel obliged to explain their “process” to someone who does not have editorial control, nor want to give the interviewee an opportunity to prepare for what they are really going to ask him about.
Exile – do yourself a favor and keep reading this blog site. It is a great bullshit filter from which emerges facts and the truth. You lefties could use a good dose of both.
exile,
As a public funded corporation the CBC should be completely unbiased. For years they have been just a mouthpiece for the Liberal Party. They will do everything they can to undermine PM Harper and the Conservatives. It is bad enough when you have the Liberal/Socialist G&M,Red Star,CTV etc etc, spouting off with their one sided agenda.
The billion dollar cost to the taxpayers could be put to much better use. If the CBC is to continue it should be converted to a PBS type operation and then anybody that wants to support it can pay for it.
I for one detest having my tax dollars helping to pay for this lefty propaganda machine!
“I am out of province, temporarily and can’t access cbc Saskatchewan but I noticed this trend in the past and actually wrote a letter of complaint.”
Translation:
I FEEL that this is the case and that makes it true. Here’e a lame excuse because I could never come up with hard data backing up my FEELINGS.
Typical Leftist disconnect with reality.
“”I am out of province, temporarily and can’t access cbc Saskatchewan but I noticed this trend in the past and actually wrote a letter of complaint.”
Translation:
I FEEL that this is the case and that makes it true. Here’e a lame excuse because I could never come up with hard data backing up my FEELINGS.”
If you think the second is a translation of the first you have problems that go well beyond the present topic of discussion.
I’ve provided as much hard data as you have. Here’s one little bit of evidence: Their regular political commentator is Murray Mandryk.
I hardly think being out of the provice is a “lame excuse”. This is a pattern I noticed during the last provincial election and I will provide the data a month after I return.
Provide me with one month’s worth of data of left bias and there won’t be any need for me to collect one month’s data worth of conservative bias.
And, no, this story is not sufficient evidence. They also cancelled an interview with me and I am on the left.
“Give me a month and I can provide you you with a month’s worth of examples!”
Now exile is saying “Provide me with one month’s worth of data of left bias and there won’t be any need for me to collect one month’s data worth of conservative bias.”.
He now wants you to do all the work of getting the examples and he will undoubtedly belittle your effort or blow it off. Typical lefty, what a maroon.
By the time, if ever, that the Liberals get back into power, Peter Mansbridge will be long since retired, and without a Senate seat to boot.
Ah, poor Peter!
He will be sorely missed by all of his 75 lefty viewers.
The Conservative strategy revealed!
Whenever a negative story comes out in the press – the same kind of attacks the Liberals faced when they were in government – the response will always be two pronged: attack the messenger, i.e. the media, and attack the former government, i.e. the Liberals. At no point shall ye respond to the substance of the criticism. Remember: media is biased; Liberals did it too. Repeat: media is biased, Liberals did it too.
That way we will continue to have the media with the single possible exception of the CBC (which we prefer to be biased so we can have an excuse to cut its funding) act like our lapdog and buy into our storyline the way they have for the last two years.
And there’s more. A Conservative Party strategy memo has been leaked! http://canadiancerberus.blogspot.com/2007/03/leaked-memo-reveals-conservative.html
Ted
Tom Flanagan’s story would never have gotten into the public domain without the internet.
The good part is that they (CBC) are being exposed regularly as the left winged biased news disseminators they have been for the last half century.
All at Canadian taxpayers expense.
Sadly, CTV and Global are just as guilty of imbalanced coverage with talking head guests.
All SPIN Zones tilted to the left!
The unfortunate part is that relief does not appear to be forthcoming from Canadian MSM, the very enablers of a decade of Liberal government corruption and malfeasance.
Hello, I am a Leftist Moonbat. I go by many names. In this thread alone, my name is exile or Ted.
My idea of intelligence or knowledge is to be contrarian to whatever is presented here. So if you say “CBC is biased against conservatives” I say “CBC is biased against liberals” regardless of the facts.
That way, I always win the argument!
LALALALALALALAAALAAAA! (fingers in ears) I can’t hear you!
Lonely again eh Ted.
I guess biased judges are okay as long as they’re biased your way.
As usual, missing the point folks.
You guys keep harping on about what happened before. I don’t really care. I haven’t said whether the CBC was biased or not. I tend to find that their coverage, unlike the rest of the MSM, does lean towards Trudeau-Liberal (they certainly were no friend of Martin or Turner or McGuinty and they are all Liberals).
Personally, I’ve been an advocate of more accountability and transparency in the judicial appointment process so criticism of past practice of the Liberals in this regard finds welcome ears.
But that’s all beside the point.
What we are seeing here is the typical reaction to anyone who dares to raise a question about the Conservative government. THEY are OUR government, remember. Not the Liberals and not the CBC or the rest of the Conservative-friendly media hordes.
Typical of Conservatives instead of refuting the substance of the question about the judicial appointment process, instead of speaking positively about the changes or defending the changes, you see the standard two pronged response: attack the messenger (the media) and attack the former government (the Liberals).
Under no circumstances should the substance of any question be given any response, direct or indirect.
There is only one answer: the media are biased and the Liberals did it too.
It’s a free pass for everything you do, every flip flop, abandoned promise, broken promise, aboutface on fundamental principle, partisan cheap shot.
LALALALALALALALAAAA! (fingers in ears) I can’t hear you!
We all know what we’re dealing with when it comes to the journalists, it’s Liberal operatives.
.
Today we find out Journalist Giles Gherson,who formerly had postings with the Edmonton Journal,Financial Times and
Financial Post plus was recently deposed Editor of Toronto Star, has been appointed to Ontario Liberal Government. He is now DEPUTY MINISTER AND ASSOCIATE SECRETARY OF CABINET COMMUNICATIONS, IN THE CABINET OFFICE.
His predecessor’s salary was $220,537 annually plus $27,000 taxable benefits. Not too bad!
We really need to put a fire under Bev Oda. This
is a Democracy, the media cannot decide who runs
this Country BY MANIPULATION .
Ted,
Try to notice the basics. The long term CBC, MSM Librano$ covert agreement.
Our past GG Clarkson, Governor General via CBC.
Get the idea?
Next GG or Dion replacement?
Why ManlyBridges, almost certainly.
Any bets? = TG
OK, TG, let’s say all that you say about the Liberals and the CBC is true…
How does that make the Conservatives doing the same thing somehow OK?
Maybe the CBC is being inconsistent and even biased. That doesn’t change what the Conservatives have done.
Classic bait and switch.
Ted: Under no circumstances should the substance of any question be given any response, direct or indirect.
What are you smoking man? That’s the whole point. A direct response of substance can’t be given because the reporter wouldn’t allow it. A response wasn’t permitted into the discussion. Do you get it?
I just can’t believe that you are serious (are you trolling?) You say that the criticism of the reporting (presentation to the public) is “all beside the point” and that this is “the typical reaction to anyone who dares to raise a question about the Conservative government.” What do you mean by “typical reaction”? Do you mean “no reaction at all” since the actual would-be reaction is not allowed to be presented to the people?
The reaction to the appointments issue itself was supressed. If us getting angry about that is the “typical reaction” – well then, yes, I suppose it is. But what would you expect? If I started nationally broadcasting negative stuff about you and then suppressed any reaction from you or your supporters, you’d be angry. And if that happened and you could show that I (your critic) had actually done many more ethically-questional acts of the exact same sort – with total impunity…you’d make a point of mentioning that. How would you feel if I responded to that with the kind of BS you’re giving here (“that’s all beside the point”).
In these circumstances, yes, it is entirely appropriate to point out that the media won’t allow the government or its advisers to respond to the criticism. And then it is appropriate to ask why the same question wasn’t asked of the Liberals when they were doing the same thing…and in spades.
If you raise questions about someone’s ethics and don’t allow them to respond and then go on to air your “balanced” report, of course your ethics as a reporting entity are going to come into question. The substance you speak of can’t be gotten to because the media gate-keepers won’t let it out.
If someone from the CBC told me they wanted an opposing opinion for “balance” in their new story, I would immediately seek shelter as I gazed skyward looking for flying pigs.
Ted,
You are offended by Conservatives being political in a sense, [ not that I agree with you, in that sense],
and you are totally forgiving of the Librano$, clearly political in the full criminal sense?
Google Scamslist
Your logic escapes me. = TG
Theres two issues here, aside from the obviously biased reportage.
One is the actual appointment of judges.
The other is the make-up of the ADVISORY committee.
How many judges have been appointed by the Conservative Government?
Sorry Ted,
Very seldom do I chew up and spit out polite commentors like yourself on this great blogsite.
The weather is dark and windy – wet here today and I was just in a fun mood. No hard feelings.. OK? = TG
That’s HURRICANE Krista.
“You are offended by Conservatives being political in a sense, [ not that I agree with you, in that sense],
and you are totally forgiving of the Librano$, clearly political in the full criminal sense?”
TG, I’m liberal way before I’m Liberal. Where do you think I have been forgiving of the Liberals let alone totally forgiving? On the contrary, I have been very critical of Chretien and his corruption, I’ve been critical of Martin and his stupid substance-less demonizing of Harper as “scary” and the Americans as bad.
I’m also a citizen of this country. Democratic government should be about “what have you done lately”. What the past government did or did not do is irrelevant unless you are stuck fixing the mistakes of the prior government, like McGuinty with the Eves/Flaherty deficit.
Regardless of what is past, Canadians are entitled to demand better from their always-underperforming governments. I really don’t buy into this Conservative notion that gets repeated here that because I voted for the Liberals (Bill Graham in fact when I couldn’t stomach the thought of voting for Martin or Harper), I for some reason don’t get a say with how Harper is throwing around my tax dollars to get re-elected.
Hope the weather gets better.
Ted
p.s. I didn’t take it personally, but I was surprised. You usually rise above the pettiness of “Liberano$”.
Ted says, “What the past government did or did not do is irrelevant unless you are stuck fixing the mistakes of the prior government”.
Is this person functioning with his mental faculties intact?
What the past government did impacts fully on our lives, often well into the future. If that government stole our money–as the Liberals did–that’s OK because it’s in the past? And we shouldn’t concern ourselves with fixing the mistakes of past governments? This is pure
magic thinking.
The tentacles of Trudeau, via the Charter, continue to strangle freedom and integrity in this country. You’re darn right I’ll try to fix that huge mistake: it impacts on me and the rest of us BIG time.
CBC? To hell with it. I was once supposed to be on a political show and was cancelled at the last minute. My opponent refused to be on with me–I’m a pretty effective debater. Topic changed? New opponent scouted? Nope: my opponent was allowed on the show without an opponent. CBC news today? Two anti-Conservative items with NO balance at all. Utter crap. I’ll cheer when the CBC propaganda machine gets axed.
I lost about half of my interest and respect for the Crap and Bullroar Corpse when they axed an investigative news show ‘this hour has 7 days’ decades ago. we didnt have cable and there was nothing whatsoever offered at alternative. it was a hard lesson to this lad how rotten to the core politishuns can be. and disgustingly wimped out were the cbc mandarins, protecting their own jobs and careers instaed of stnading up to the ‘masters’ in the HOC icl. the o esteemed and royalty blowjobber john diefenbaker ( a conservatist)
well before 60 minutes.
over the years they’ve pretty much squandered the remaining 50 % and now there is none left.
zip, nada, zilch, all those words meaning nothing left.
thus it must die, this, this zombie like entity on front street.
even their comedy shows are completely repetitive now. enough with the exaggerated stilted movements of stephen harper ok ?????
No Liberal Bias?
Ted (the raving liberal partisan),
is defending the CBC,
and the raving conservative partisans are outraged.
Kind of proof in the pudding, no?
I am kind of amused by the NON-Partisan label.
On one hand the desire is to have a person on the committee who is sufficiently qualified to judge competency, and on the other they should be politically neutral.
Are there any such people in existence?
There is more on this, Go to Stephen Taylor to see the article and listen to to Dr.Flanagan.