Last Thursday a CBC crew undertook a dramatic chase-down of Gerry Ritz in an airport. The shaky camera footage and the out-of-breath questions suggested a scandal of government-toppling magnitude. Viewers unaware of the details could be forgiven for thinking Ritz was some international criminal finally caught on camera by the Fifth Estate, rather than someone who had used ill-advised gallows humour in a private exchange during a tense crisis.
The Ritz scandal was just the latest installment in an ongoing series. The previous weeks’ scandal began: “Oops again! Stephen Harper pulls his communications director after another false step,” accompanied by a helpful graphic – “Oops again” – and video footage of the *Elections Canada raid* from last April. After a brief bit about gas prices, it was back to business: over the graphic “Derailed,” Mansbridge alarmed: “The mistakes and apologies are piling up! Is the Conservative campaign in trouble?”
Recently the NDP, now that they’re emerging as a threat to the Liberals, has been getting that same treatment. Last Thursday the NDP dropped a candidate after a video surfaced of him taking illegal drugs; it’s the sort of thing that merits a mention, but The National saw fit to air, as top news, a lengthy “worst-of” compilation from the tape. So we saw Dana Larsen taking LSD on a beach, and smoking a joint in a car; it went on and on. The word “NDP” was repeated so gratuitously as to render the report a piece of of Liberal-strategy campaigning, a “think again” warning-piece directed at anyone who’d been considering switching from the Liberals to the NDP.
The CBC’s scandal-mongering is highly suspect for two reasons. First, the scandals are too frequently based on events that happened long before they are presented as breaking scandals. Gerry Ritz’s remarks were made two weeks before the “scandal” broke; the Dana Larsen video was eight years old when it was aired at length in the midst of an election campaign; the Tom Lukiwski tape became a scandal fully seventeen years after a tipsy Lukiwski jokingly made the remarks at a private party. Second, such scandals are often not the result of investigation on the part of CBC journalists, but rather the end result of dirt about non-Liberals being handed over, by individuals who remain unnamed, to producers and/or reporters who then run with it.
Greg Weston:
“With the media leak coming more than two weeks after the fact, and timed to do the maximum political damage to the minister, the PM and the Conservative campaign, there is one obvious question: Who shot Gerry Ritz and why?
“A high-ranking Conservative familiar with what happened on the conference call says no one really has any doubts the leak came from a disgruntled bureaucrat.
“A Tory insider points to previous damaging leaks about the Conservatives’ environmental plans, and cuts to cultural programs as similar push-back from ‘some people who don’t necessarily agree with us.'”
For too long the LPC has had their own public-relations juggernaut, massively funded by Canadian taxpayers, with which to campaign against the other parties. It’s time to stop forcing Canadians who don’t wish to support the Liberals to pay for it.
I think the Conservative’s list serve has been hacked!!!
Here is the email I just received from the same address I get Conservastive news updates from:
Hi The Average Canadian,
Stephen Harper wanted to tell you…
My name is Stephen Harper. I am an ALBERTAN, here me roar! My goal is to make Canada America’s 51st state and destroy health care that all Canadians cherish by infusing my propaganda with hard core ad hominem attacks. Please vote for me, because if you do, I promise you’ll be able to vote for McCain 2012!
We are a tar sands level party, not a grass roots party. We consider anything with the word \”Green\” offensive, except for the almighty American dollar, which we hope to be able to implement in the coming months! We shall first have to make sure that American and Canadian jelly beans have the same standards, and then we shall proceed.
I hope everyone has a great weekend,
Take care,
Stephen \”I can lead you to Hell but not back\” Harper
If you agree click he
When I clicked it took me to the “Will you be tricked” header but the site is not available.
Sick huh.
Hi Kate,
Just wanted to let you know that it was not a CBC crew which shot the Ritz airport scene, but rather Canadian Press (most major media outlets are subscribers and therefore have access to print and broadcast material). I am in no way discouraging your discussion about the CBC or media in general, nor commenting on the legitimacy or illegitimacy of the story…just trolling the blogs as is my habit, and thought you may wish to know that.
Respectfully,
Carolyn Dunn
Human foibles in an election campaign, is just grist for the media. It does nothing, save to garner ratings which translate to advertising dollars.
CBC is just the LIEberal cheerleading choir. Most Canuckleheads have figured that out. There is nothing objective about them. Only a tatoo on their foreheads in the shape of an “L” could make the connection more explicit.
Heather Mallick’s tripe, scraped from the entrails of swine, is hardly what one consider’s journalism.
It is screed in the same league as “DER STUERMER”.
Let the LIEberals continue their “Harper is Hitler” diatribe, as it will only cement in people’s minds how insipid and inane the commentary has become.
No one in their right mind, is going to take that hysterical twaddle seriously.
Cheers
Hans-Christian Georg Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
Frankenstein Battalion
2nd Squadron: Ulanen-(Lancers) Regiment Großherzog Friedrich von Baden(Rheinisches) Nr.7(Saarbrucken)
Knecht Rupprecht Division
Hans Corps
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
lmf…not a surprise,they probably got the idea from that Kernell kid who is being investigated by the FBI for hacking the Republican Veep’s e-mail.It turns out he’s a Democrat Senators son.
CTV Newsnet just gave big city lib a platform for a lenghty interview about the Cons.candidate that just stepped down.NO balance,just all Lib views..nothing about the Hitler stuff that the Libs do,nothing about Turner putting up a ‘deathwatch’ for Lisa Raitt(the Cons candidate).Fair and balanced MY ASS.
And what I really would like to know is, what happened to all those polls indicating a too close to call result regarding the Libs and Cons chances of forming the next government.Now Mr.Harper is polling near majority numbers?Could the MSM be trying to tell the electorate to vote Liberal even if the leader of the party is less than palatable as to avoid a Conservative majority?Rhetorical question I suppose.
I believe 2008 was a watershed year for the death of the MSM in North America . We have seen all the tricks of the trade used to disparage the Conservatives while real scandals & gaffes by Liberals go unmentioned. I AM SICK OF IT! FIRE THE CBC. MAKE IT PRIVATE, THAN SEE HOW LONG THEY LAST? Smears will back fire, as its doing in the US against Palin.
This “everyday a new made up or misquoted piddling scandal” campaign is so obvious it hurts.
The press in Canada as well the media in general is running its own election for the Slimy Liberals. I guess a few still want to be Senators. These are the same folks who have shut up over the HRC’s. The thousands of liberal scandals whitewashed over by these sycophants of Neo-Marxism for 40 years now. They have even in there hate of all things conservative gone along with there own censorship & loss of free speech. Journalists today can only be compared to cattle waiting for slaughter at the farm Liberal, while eating more to be fatter. The culling is already happening.
Mr. Ritz unfortunately under stress did what health care professionals , fire, police, EMS, or any grim job where people die or are injured do. To stay sane they make macabre jokes to ward the horror of the situation. Heck they did it too me as I was being wheeled to surgery having a heart attack. I laughed along, it eased us all. Hell I even made a few myself from tension.
In the end the Media have shown us just how biased with misinformation if not ignorance they radiate. This type of yellow journalism is the kiss of death to an ailing industry. No veracity ,no, reliability, no objectivity, in the end, no trust left of our information outlets. The fall of the media conglomerates is nigh.
JMO
Canadian Sentinel;
No you where not. This Nation , needs a complete overhaul of ALL it institutions. They have become hives for malcontents or fanatic activists. We need a dividsion of powers & equal laws for all & real Bill of Rights. Grow up Canada, time to be a real Democracy not play pretend!!!
Does anyone have any info on Krista Erickson? Isn’t she supposed to rejoin the CBC’s team as a correspondent any day now? Will she be filing reports for the CBC on this election alongside Boag, Hunter, Van Dusen and co.?
The CBC mentioned that Dion said the CPoC hates the public broadcaster. My question is does the CBC hate the CPoC? If not, then why havn’t they revealed the names of the 2 Liberal MPs it even had to admit colluded with Erickson. Assuming one is Pablo, who is the other? Is it Szabo? Is it Brison? Is it Dryden? And doesn’t the CBC believe that the constituents of that other MP running in this election should have a right to know that info, especially all the negative stuff it’s running against the CPoC.
Four far-left parties and one centrist party and the CBC is confused. Ha!
They want to get their Order Of Canada, or Governor Generalship, but are losing confidence. Could they get one from the Conservatives? Noooo. Well, then, we must work against the Liberal enemies, the Greens and Knee-Dippers.
I am outraged to hear that Halton Tory candidate Lisa Raitt has posted a “deathwatch” about Turner on her blog. This is DISPICABLE! It should not be allowed to stand and I beleive that as we speak, the MSM, led by the CBC, are hot on this story with full details to follow.
Oh, sorry. I misread. It was Turner who had the “deathwatch” against the Tory candidate.
Well … then, what can I say? There’s no story here. We need to cool our jets on this minor indiscretion. What’s Ritz been up to anyway?
Liz J, I expect forgiveness toward the federal bureaucracy after October 14th. Certainly many bureaucrats will be grovelling :^)
How do you spell: “Oh, we never did any such thing; we are neutral; the horror!! we are mere servants of the liberal party public”.
Anon, she may be good for sex; not much else though IMHO. Is that what you wanted to know?
Some have mentioned that in spite of the best efforts of the Liberal Broacasting network the CPC is still climbing in the polls.
This is an economic issue my friends not an ideological one.
Do you suppose that perhaps the reason its not going so well this time is because their viewing audience has declined?
In the old days before cable and the internet, news was provided to Canadians from the source that was available via the antenna or rabbit ears. The CBC basically could broadcast whatever it wanted no questions asked and they knew there wouldn’t be any blowback because there was nothing there to do a fact check. Times have changed.
Now we have multiple sources and frankly an uncompetitive body such as the CBC can’t survive without a generous “contribution” each year to pay the mortgage on that big honking building in prime downtown TO real estate.
This is the elephant in the room around the CBC head office, and clearly understood from the very top exec. right down to the most lowly clerk. They have a spending problem. A problem which would be quickly irradicated by the introduction of private ownership.
In private hands they can broadcast the most leftwing spew all they want, but if it doesn’t bring in the ad revenues, the creature won’t survive. They know that, but its the fact that we know it that makes them very nervous of a Harper majority.
Harper wouldn’t cut them loose over a difference of opinion, he would cut them loose because their product isn’t selling.
Its called economics 101.
Cbc has backed Heather Malice. It is an opinion piece. Therefore journalistic integrity,common sense,and the golden rule do not apply. I wonder if the cbc would publish the opposing point of view?… Bob Rae has a website up. It mentions his time as premier of Ontario. It also lists his accomplishments. Apparently he did not accomplish anything during his years as premier. Kudos to that,me mum has always said that if you can’t say anything good about someone,then shut your yap. I think the website is http://www.bobrae.ca.
I myself truly hope dion wins his seat in the house of commons,but only he wins no other librano mps.
Can you just see it poor little dion sittin there all by his lonesome. Maybe Harper will let him be hall monitor.
At the Slop-Mail:
” D. MacKay from Atlantic, Canada writes:
OMG !!!
Truly pathetic!
3 hours ago , this story* ran with 100 comments.
90 comments made fun of the fact that the G&M was reporting on $14.00 lunches as if it was a scandal.
Suddenly the article is reprinted with the comments deleted.
This is a blatant attempt at a smear attack while Betty May rides the rails on her Diefin-journey.
No doubt the blaring headlines in Central Nova newspapers tomorrow.
Canadian Press — pathetic .”
http://tinyurl.com/3f2g94 (Comments)
SlopMail headline:
* “Passport Canada’s hospitality tab cost taxpayers $16,8000: paper”
Boag, Hunter,Van dusen, Mansbridge, Kneel Macdonald, Sooohanna Merchand or whatever, then swing over to the talking head tools at CTV and you have a lovely bunch of Liberal toadies. Different channels, same mission. All part of the Liberal Network.
I just got a second hacked message from the PM’s list serve:
Serbia’s Southern province of Kosovo declared independence in February 2008. Harper’s government recognized it’s independence. Does this lead to slowly accepting sovereignty for Quebec? Here’s why Canada must follow International Law, the UN Chart, UNSC Resolution 1244 and the Final Helsinki Act of 1975.
concerned citizen
What the h e l l – this is the list serve for government of Canada news releases!!!!!!!!
What should I do????
imf, the truth will come out eventually and we’ll find out who’s responsible. Then again, if it’s the Liberals, we may never find out 😉
CBC is a Liberal Sink Tank and has been since the Trudeau years. Nothing will change other then the fact that the problem for the CBC is in venues such as this where the bias of the CBC is hashed out and hopefully the end result will be for the CBC to mend it’s ways.
I had never seen bigcitylib before but as soon as I got a look at it my first thought was oh yea he fits. As he was siting there red faced beakin and off getting 15 seconds of fame I found it quite humorous to watch. What a dork.
QUOTE
“Cbc has backed Heather Malice. It is an opinion piece. Therefore journalistic integrity,common sense,and the golden rule do not apply. I wonder if the cbc would publish the opposing point of view?..
Remark:: If she had said those things about Hillery Clinton her days with the CBC would have ended before her article ever hit the media circuit. In fact she might have been happy to be eating dog food with an Alaskan sled dog the CBC would have black listed, her so badly.
Stupid is as stupid does (maybe the CBC will take the hint). This reported on their own Web site…
Conservative Lead Widens, poll suggests
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/story/2008/09/21/poll-harris.html
Percentage of respondents supporting each party:
Sept. 17-20
Conservative 39
Liberal 23
NDP 17
Green 11
Bloc 8
Source: Canadian Press Harris-Decima polls
. . The Canadian Press has a history of bias against the Conservatives imho. . ..
Posted by: Jimbo at September 21, 2008 4:19 PM
Bingo Jimbo.
Most of the torqued, editorially larded “stories” about the CPC originate in the Canadian Press. They are far worse than any other outlet for anti-CPC bias.
CTV/SlopandPail/CBC usually rework, further spice up, and re-release these stories. The worst of all was the fabricated “native slur” story about the woman in Cannon’s office.
To catch Lib/NDP gaffes you really have to be good with Google.
At the Slop-Mail:
McKay….what a joke… that is hilarious… 400 people, 3 weekend lunches to work overtime in the period of the worst Canadian passport crunch in our country’s history since 9-11… and calling it a scandal and waste of funds… Are these clowns that starved for news…
G&M here’s a thought… go write a real story on what the campaign promises are for each party… how much each party’s promises will cost… how they will fund them… and what the impact will be on Canadians living above the poverty line … and while you’re at it where something like green shift will move the poverty line to…..
Obviously the “reporter” writing the article already had there passport before the USA enforced the change at the border and hasn’t got a clue of the 12 hour plus line ups that existed for over a month in Vancouver with the last minute submissions people that didn’t have passports or renewing were going through…
Guess they didn’t pay attention to the news that month…or read their own damn rag or pay attention to the news their buddys wrote about… http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2006/12/22/bc-passports.html
Watch for the scoop when the Canadian media dig up the long lost video of Stephen Harper running with the scissors in grade four!
Film at eleven!
He scares me!
Hold me.
I’m here, Stan. C’mere, big boy.
No?
Well, in grade five, he got a BB gun.
There, that’s better. The full scandal is on tonight’s National.
Here, put on your Italian frames and try the crusted crab.
The Canadian MSM – with the CBC leading the charge – has been enthusiastically heading down the Road To Yellow Journalism for decades. I travel a lot for my work, and have often heard from others that Canadian media are actually funnier than they are pitiful. What is pitiful is Canadians continuing to pay for and READ/LISTEN/WATCH Canadian media. That’s one of the reasons that Canada is SO FAR BEHIND the rest of the West in wireless telecommunications, for example. Canadians don’t realize how they are being ripped off by providers with Cdn government endorsement because those employed by the Canadian mainstream media seem to live their entire lives within a 500-mile radius of their birthplaces.
There was a time when I felt a degree of pride when I described myself as Canadian. That ended about 20 years ago. Finally, I took out a “second citizenship” with the intention of retiring to a country that doesn’t embarrass me at every turn in the road. The plan hasn’t changed – except that now most of my siblings and other family members have copied my strategy.
Shall we get a fair and balanced brigade going and take on the CBC,CTV, Liberal Rags,Globe & Mail and Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen etc,etc?
Too much of the stuff they’re reporting amounts to tinkering with the facts, giving one version of stories when the truth lies in the facts they’re hiding to protect their Liberals in too many cases.
Two recent examples being the Ritz gotcha where he did not say it for public consumption and the Cannon gotcha where his Aide said nothing wrong given the circumstances.
They’re also spending much of their time trolling for supposed gaffes to feed their Gotcha game instead of reporting just the facts and the platform announcements.
Surely we have a right to honesty in reporting during an election in a Democracy. We don’t have that at this point because too much of our media is an accessory of the Liberal Party. This is what we’d expect to find in a Third world countries.
This was the opening day out of the gates first mistake by Dion.
http://thestar.blogs.com/decoder/2008/09/dion-errs-in-gr.html?cid=129784328#comments
Strange how the old Green Shift worked out on opening day . I have serious concerns about what is really going to happen after a Liberal Victory if it were to happen. Remember always how the CBC presents marginalization of why Tories offered some Nation Building political platforms which were ridiculed by CBC and the win at all cost liberals. I listed some examples on the link that should bring back some bitter memories and make us aware of how Liberals sell one story before election and then change the format after the election. The Green Shift is one such example and I am quite aware that it will become the Green Shaft after the Election with a Liberal Victory. Thus I will be voting Conservative though I have a personal friend running for the Liberals here.
BTW , I think you will enjoy the poker face remark against Harper in the link and my answer to it. Anyone with a memory for Politics will get a chuckle out of it.
International Traveler, there was also a time when we afforded the utmost respect for our Prime Ministers regardless of Political Party they represented.
Now the media in this country tear down and criticize the Prime Minister because he’s Conservative. Proliferating the Liberal’s Gotcha game and telling only half the story in many cases, hiding the parts that tell true facts, it’s distortion of the truth. Is that not Third World tactics?
Our present Prime Minister is well respected abroad where our media have no say and can’t interfere with facts.
Yeah, Liz, it’s this interference in our democracy that really pi**es me off. It’s tantamount to tampering with the election process and there really ought to be some kind of law to regulate this kind of skanky election coverage.
It’s outrageous and the members of the MSM who are piling on the CPC, who are deliberately spinning the news to cover up what’s happening in their political Party of choice (all Librano, all the time), while they constantly highlight (rather minor) gaffes in, and slag, the political Party they’d like to see bite the dust should be having their leashes being pulled very tight–by Elections Canada.
Canada = Deranged Dominion = Banana Republic = Dumbed-down Country = Disgrace.
Our only hope is a CPC majority, so that principled grownups can again run this country, in the place of infantile, me-first, me-only, thugs who’ve been doing a great job of pulling Canada down into the ranks of countries run by tinpot dictators (do Chretien and his puppet masters come to anybody else’s mind?).
ENOUGH IS REALLY ENOUGH. The MSM needs to lay off the spin and report to Canadians what is happening in all of the parties. As it is, they’re driving the nails further into their own coffin, as most principled Canadians aren’t buying their lies and propaganda.
It’s almost criminal that we have to search for the truth from the TV news broadcasts and print media in this democracy. It’s really quite serious.
It’s gotten to the point where many of us are relying on blogs to get to the truth. It’s the comments and information from people who are paying attention.
I for one am so sick of looking at and listening to the likes of Mansbridge and his crew of news skewers and CTV’s cabal of talking heads and outright twits like Jane Taber, passing themselves off as journalists presenting the facts. It’s the facts as they see them, their opinions have become the facts well skewed to manipulate opinion.
Thanks for all your great comments, batb, your definitely a leader in the truth seeking Brigade.
Liz: Thanks for your thanks! And thanks for your contribution to this truth in the news issue, so important to a vibrant democracy. At the moment, Canada’s just limping along.
Until the blogs came along, keeping an eye on–and asking for accountability from–the CBC has been a lonely and thankless task. The reward was simply calling them on their biases and leaving a paper trail so that in some misty future no one could say “No one said anything.”
The other reward: My being able to look myself in the mirror every morning knowing that I had spoken out–and knowing that I was doing it for my children’s future.
btw, the CBC did NOT shoot the “dramatic chase-down” of Gerry Ritz. That was done by a Canadian Press reporter.
The opening premise in your post is wrong. The hard-working journos at CP would likely appreciate a clarification.
where o where is the intelligent debate amongst individuals who are vying to lead our country?
we will all lose in this election
Would the Canadian Press origin of the footage shown on the CBC of the “chase-down” of Agriculture Minister Ritz be apparent to a viewer of the CBC news?
I rather doubt it.
The problem with this footage is how often it was shown; obviously, an editorial decision was made by the news team at the CBC to show it repeatedly. You’d think Mr. Ritz was some kind of criminal.
CBC for the inquiring minds or is it for the easily swayed minds that they waste our tax payer dollars as they roll out the Liberal Bandwagon. What are the odds that Justin Trudeau will be getting more positive air time towards the end of the campaign in the hopes of setting him up as a future Prime Minister, as the good ship Dion sinks into Green Oblivion.
Oh, now I get it!
The reason the media had to keep the Ritz “gaffe” going all last week, over the weekend, and into today–and the CBC did a great job keeping it in front of viewers–is because the Librano$ needed the issue to be “alive” so that their ad, out today, on Ritz and the “standing by” CPC and PMSH would seem topical.
The ad, actually, is really weak and the “news” is stale, stale, stale. As Rick Anderson pointed out this afternoon, the public isn’t as fascinated by what the Agriculture Minister has to say as are the party insiders and members of the MSM.
A wasted effort, a wasted expense, and nobody’s listening anymore.
It’s gotten to the point where many of us are relying on blogs to get to the truth.
Posted by: Liz J at September 22, 2008 10:53 AM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Liz, I think you’re onto something here. It’s my own personal perception, but I’m seeing 2008 as a watershed year where a tipping point has been reached. The MSM and their handlers are losing control of the “message” — whatever the message may be.
More and more people are seeking information on the internet and blogs either exclusively, or as follow up to stories they read and hear in the MSM.
This loss of control is manifesting itself in the ever more shrill and hateful attacks from the left, on both sides of the border but particularly in the U.S. I hope I’m right … I foresee the MSM/LeftWing political-media complex entering a vicious spiral. The more the lose control, the more shrill they get. The more shrill they get, the more they lose control.
Gods, I hope so. It will look good on ’em. I’m a Canadian conservative who came of age in the early 90s — as such, I’ve been in the political wilderness a long time.
Neat admission last night by Warren Davis of the Ottawa Citizen. Heather Mallik is claiming that she is a victim because emails are coming in from people noting their disgust and shame that she wrote such a vulgar article about Palin. He summed it up quite well. He did note that our Main Stream Media is leaning far left and also that those media persons can’t handle the back lash when they are taken to task for articles written in bad taste. Reason he noted was that they actually got away with it for so long that they can not understand the realty that their left wing rhetoric isn’t making them many friends because their views are so far left that people are going to be upset when they write as Heather Mallik did. He also admitted in another interview (Sept/22/2008) with Greta Van Susteren that the main stream media on both sides of the border is bias towards the left. Yah THink!!!!!!!!!!
It was Canadian Press, not CBC, you moron.
Who are you calling A Fool, Kaplin?? Maybe you should do a bit of research.
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/18/columnists-labeling-palin-backers-white-trash-spurs-review-at-canadian-tv/
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is reviewing complaints from both Americans and Canadians about a Web site columnist who recently described Sarah Palin’s supporters as “white trash,” compared the vice presidential candidate to a “porn actress” and called her daughter’s boyfriend a “redneck” and “ratboy.”
The incendiary column by Toronto-based writer Heather Mallick appeared on the CBC News site on Sept. 5, after the close of the Republican National Convention.
The CBC is an acronym for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Hope I was helpful.