This is aardvarking unbelievable.
The online webpage of Toronto newspaper the Star is running a free 4-minute promo-piece/campaign ad for Justin Trudeau that auto-plays when you click on the link to what appears to be a newspaper article.
The blatant campaign ad – because that’s what it is – is titled “Justin Trudeau’s intimate conversation with Susan Delacourt”. It’s a curious title, because Delacourt is not seen or heard once in the entire four minute promo piece, which has on-screen chapter headings, brief moments showing Trudeau reading from his own memoir, and a video-scrapbook of lovingly presented images, processed with the Ken Burns effect, set to Trudeau’s practiced, pandering voiceover.
This raises some serious questions.
How much did the Star pay for the production of this very professional looking, thinly-veiled campaign ad masquerading as an adjunct to an article about Trudeau’s memoir? Does the Star have its own paid highly professional video/film production team on standby capable of making such a polished piece, or did they pay an outside production company to make it?
One would have to assume for the unknowing moment that the Liberal Party didn’t produce or pay for it, or for any part of it, and that the Star didn’t use or consult with even one single member of Trudeau’s team to help write or craft or produce the video. But the Star broadcast it on the internet for free, with no trace of any reportage, or any commentary other than Trudeau’s, under the guise of a “News / Insight” article. In doing so, is the Star acting as a journalistic organization, or as a member of Trudeau’s election team?
If a news organization broadcasta over the internet a fawning, hagiographic puff-piece-slash-campaign ad, with a cloying, saccharine, daytime TV- music soundtrack, what does it say about the impartiality and quality of the rest of their “news” reporting?
Welcome to the Media Party Consortium’s current modus operandi: Networks collude behind-the-scenes to try to keep paid Conservative ads off the airwaves if the ads use even one second of footage of Justin Trudeau. Almost simultaneously, scores of pundits, many of them from the print divisions of those same broadcast organizations, decry and vilify Conservative attempts to solidify long-standing legal precedents of fair usage of such footage. Now, a national newspaper broadcasts over the internet, and almost certainly produces and pays for, a clip that gives every appearance of being little more than an extended Justin Trudeau ad.
Anyone see a pattern here?
[Correction: an earlier version of the post had the ads also appearing in other newspapers. This was based on a glance at online search results, and appears to be incorrect. I apologize for the error.]
Keyboard issues and changed batteries. my comment should have read, ‘driving 60 km with my wife to the city almost daily to see my mom for six months…’
Gabby, well said and I agree. Although to be honest, my blood pressure levels are only able to watch or read limited amounts of blatant media Liberal bias.
For those of you who might have missed this, Ezra has a series of videos on the Sun News Network about the CBC led ‘consortium’ of TV networks to block political ads that they don’t like (i.e. those that quote Justin saying stupid stuff!). The top news executives from the networks foolishly signed a document to agree to this – Ezra has a copy.
Not surprisingly, the media weasels aren’t reporting on raiding the chicken coop.
It appears to be an absolutely clear cut violation of the Competition Act. Penalty – up to 14 years in the slammer and a fine to $25 million, or both.
If only six Canadians sign a complaint, the Competition Bureau must start an investigation. This will get interesting!
Does anyone know how quickly the Competition Bureau will be forced to move on an investigation?
The Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick lost because:
Most importantly they sold out NB’ers by giving away provincial forests to the Irvings.(Eerily similar to what the Liberals did just 4 short years ago)PC’s stayed home in disgust.
The Liberal leader was Acadian so the 30% French pop voted Liberal en masse. Big surprise.
Alward was not inspiring to say the least.
With Irving owning all the media, the CBC is the only other option. See what NB’ers are up against?(There’s lots more)
At least NB’ers were smart enough to not elect any NDP.
And were smart enough enough to elect one Green MLA. Now people are seeing their baloney first hand.
If there are no good political options, change them fast and often.
We need recall, referendum etc.I guess those kinds of real reform are beyond PM Harper. He seems content to leave a legacy that will be easily obliterated by The Light One. Sad.
Frankly, I’m tired of the political games being played by all political parties, the media are not much help in giving us just the facts as they come from each party and their leaders. We know all political parties have different views, we also have our views and can make our own decisions as to which we think best for the country at this given time.
As for Trudeau’s autobiography, it’s really not something we need to help make our decision. His life to this point is of no concern, we know enough, it’s what he’s presenting to us right now, he’s projecting as a person not up to the job he’s seeking, a stark contrast to the very capable hands we are now in with Stephen Harper steering the ship.
Watch it. I succumbed and just finished viewing it.
Have a barf bag, but do listen to it.
To believe that any of this prepares him to be anything other than a teacher (of very young children) is ludicrous.
Joe; I am having trouble isolating a new project to have the ordinary Taxpayer pay, for what appears to me to be a background Librano Party political programme. Has anyone been requested to participate in an effort to force the Canadian Federal Government to specifically establish a Poverty Elimination Policy?
The theme is “all the other Governments have a Policy; Why don’t we have one?”
Ignoring the obvious use of Churches to petition/force the government to setup another “take care of the Unfortunate Poor” Ministry of Government is bordering on Theocracy development. It is ironic the Progressives, represented by the “Natural Governing Liberal Party of Canada/Ontario for decades and is the political group which aggressively diminished the role of the Church in providing care and support to the poor, is now reaching out for a theological base as a new base for political agitation.
It appears the Church of the comfortable pew is now involved in having the hardworking taxpayer, not the One Percenter, not the Ten Percenter, not even the taxpayer who is able to donate to a charity to avoid the top Tax Bracket. It is all of the taxpayers who are expected to fund this new demand on providing free Gubbermint $$$. Cheers;
Has a “Chew on this” Campaign attempted to have your church, not fund raise; not reach in to your own pocket to help; but to under take the really difficult task of sending a petition to the Gubbermint.
Why am I thinking this is just one of the “ground swell” efforts of the Politico Progs to generate a 2015 mantra about the “bad boy” Conservatives.
” How does someone write a memoir when they have not actually done anything?”
Same way one gets a Nobel Prize for nothing.
Bingo!
Please tell me there was a scene of him in the LOTUS position, and a red dot on his forehead, chanting umma gumma….
Otherwise it’s incomplete.
Horny Toad and Lemon:
While I understand the sentiment, wishing for the deaths of political opponents in a democracy is counterproductive and ultimately futile. The real opponent isn’t a person, it’s an idea. Ideas are a lot harder to kill.
The idea of communism is particularly hard to kill, in part because it is seductive to those who are immature or weak of character.