Stephen Taylor;
While hovering on the periphery of a budget-day scrum with Jack Layton, I was spotted by Elizabeth Thompson of the Montreal Gazette. She scolded me and expressed to this lowly blogger that he wasn’t allowed to scrum with Layton. Largely ignoring her, I continued to mind my own business and started to needlessly check my camera settings. Thompson alerted Parliamentary President Richard Brennan to my presence and minutes later, security asked me to leave the foyer area.
I left the hallway outside of the foyer and walked over to the railway room to interview some ‘stakeholders’ of the budget. This went off without incident and during that time, I cheerfully chatted with some reporters that were in the same room.
Having completed my interviews with the stakeholders, I left and headed on over to the Rotunda where I had a friendly chat with Jack Layton. Elizabeth May and her assistant were also hanging around chatting when I saw Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc walk by. Having heard that his party was the lone opposition party supporting the budget, I asked him for an interview. He agreed. After the interview something ugly happened.
He asks a good question. By what authority does a member of the press ask to have a member of the public removed from the Hill when he has been granted the right by the Speaker to be there?
Elizabeth Thompson responds to Stephen’s post in the comments.
“What happened budget day had nothing to do with whether or not you are a blogger – it had everything to do with the fact that you were violating the rules that go with the pass you were wearing around your neck. […] I can assure you that if I saw anyone without the right credentials doing something that violated the rules that go along with their pass I would also flag it – regardless of their political affiliation.”
Thanks for stopping by with your side of the story, Elizabeth – something tells me you were one popular girl in grade school.
Here’s an amusing Flashback;
“The journalists whom I saw there as members or guests of Civitas like Lorne Gunther, Andrew Coyne, William Johnson and L. Ian MacDonald quite obviously respected Civitas’s bylaws and to my knowledge have not written a word about it.
I am not a member of Civitas and am therefore not bound by the organization’s internal membership rules not to report what I hear. I did not enter the room and remained in the public foyer of the hotel, a foyer that members of the public have to cross through to get to other hotel services. Civitas President Lorne Gunther, with whom I have appeared several times on Newsworld, passed me about five times as I stood outside the room and never asked me to leave. I turned down invitations from members of Civitas to come on in and grab a seat.
If you want to keep people from hearing a meeting where a prominent Republican pollster using a microphone and rather loud speaker system briefs a large group with strong connections to the prime minister of this country and the government, (something many people would judge of public interest), I would suggest next time you simply close the door.
Elizabeth Thompson | 05.08.06 – 8:20 pm ”
E.Thompson said:
“I can assure you that if I saw anyone without the right credentials doing something that violated the rules that go along with their pass I would also flag it – regardless of their political affiliation. Lately, the Conservatives appear to be the only ones doing it.”
How do you identify that they are Conservatives, exactly?
Having had some history with Stephen Taylor, as noted, one might think a cordial explanation about the categories of passes, would have sufficed.
I hope the Speaker sees the interest of the public in this issue.
Unfortunately, I was unable to find the rules and regs on the commons foyer but a quick google search on “commons foyer media pass” shows that it isn’t just Mr. Taylor that has been blocked. Garth Turner’s MPTV has also run into problems and even 22 Minutes was denied a pass.
It looks like even MPs can’t bring a camera in. As much as it grieves me, it looks like Thompson had the right to ask security to do their job.
The rules need to be changed.
“I can assure you that if I saw anyone without the right credentials doing something that violated the rules that go along with their pass I would also flag it.”
Another self-appointed rabid leftist, policing other peoples business. This pompous. so-called journalist needs a very public and belittling slapdown. Which I hope she’s getting right here on this thread.
Sounds like she was in the right after all. Although she could have pointed out his error before sicking a security guard on him.
Maybe we need a petition to have the Speaker revoke Ms. Thompson’s press pass? I’d sign it.
It would seem that these blog owners see themselves as a credible media source, when in fact they are nothing more than sounding boards for their frequently ill-informed ideologies.
Hey Elizabeth what’s it like being in the same position as all those buggy whip people where a while back?
There could be a bias here, who really cares anymore? The Libs are on the skids anyway, let the media enjoy themselves keeping Conservatives in line.
How does one identify a Conservative? Do they have a special look? Are they all dressed in blue?
Stephen was not working on behalf of the Conservatives anyway.
The Speaker is going to be busy if he starts paying attention to a few issues that need it.
It will be interesting how he deals with the Holland/Jennings caper. The media will be around to report on that, especially if it is favorable to the snoop-dog pair.
“It would seem that these blog owners see themselves as a credible media source, when in fact they are nothing more than sounding boards for their frequently ill-informed ideologies.”
…as opposed to professional journalists providing sounding boards for David Suzuki’s ill-informed ideologies?
Credible media, my ass.
Donald,
The counterpart to Liz is not Rosacea but Helen Thomas
“when in fact they are nothing more than sounding boards for their frequently ill-informed ideologies.”
I agree. You fit right in that category.
If sheldon is right why wasn’t Stephen informed by security or Milliken?
It was just Thompson’s ‘ticket’ to get bossy.
Thanks for stopping by with your side of the story, Elizabeth – something tells me you were one popular girl in grade school.
What’s this supposed to mean, ya fuckin’ whore?