Pollsters, pundits missed Ford landslide
Reporters are naturally curious. Yet few seem inquisitive in pressing an interesting question: Why were voters fed misleading coverage of the nation’s mayoralty races? “It wasn’t the finest hour,” said pollster Frank Graves, speaking from his Ottawa office. In three cities, in three separate campaigns, media tilted coverage with the same result. They got the […]
Was Flaherty telepathic? Or is the government making it up?
Deficit spenders, like problem gamblers, like to boast of their winnings no matter how improbable the math. Spenders at the Department of Finance claim $47-billion in “stimulus” saved or created 200,000 jobs. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty last year put the target at 190,000 jobs—an uncanny forecast. Was Flaherty telepathic? Or is the government making it […]
It’s a political myth that Liberals abolished race-based immigration
It is a political myth that, unchecked, has been cited by MPs and journalists and even worked its way into the record. Liberal MP Martha Hall Findlay, writing in October’s Policy Options magazine, mentioned it on page 55. “From 1963 to 1968, a great deal was accomplished through cooperation between the Liberal government under Lester […]
Flick of a director’s switch would smarten Parliamentary coverage
The flick of a director’s switch would smarten Parliamentary coverage. Yet politicians and pundits instead propose a range of dubious remedies to cure what headlines condemn as the Commons’ “boorishness,” (The Toronto Star); a “gong show,” (The Globe and Mail) where “MPs act like children,” (The Ottawa Citizen) and Question Period is “dumb,” (The Edmonton […]
Does Prime Minister Harper’s office run a media blacklist?
Does Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office run a media blacklist? “Oh, God, I don’t know if we have that,” said PMO press secretary Andrew MacDougall, when asked for names of Parliamentary Press Gallery members denied multiple interview requests since Harper took office in February, 2006. After checking, MacDougall emailed, “I won’t be able to help […]
Does Canada face an epidemic of obesity, or merely an outbreak of sensational reporting over health data?
Does Canada face an epidemic of obesity—or merely an outbreak of sensational reporting over health data? Recent coverage of the nation’s weight reaffirmed the newsroom caution statistics are typically the weakest link in any story. They are wildly subjective and ripe for torquing. As an old proverb goes, statistics are employed like a drunk uses […]
Casualties are unambiguous, it’s why government hides or distorts them
In these last months of war, will they say we couldn’t even count? The mission in Afghanistan is so caked in half-truths and concealment the government now lies to itself. The official Department of National Defence weekly The Maple Leaf recently reported “the 143rd casualty of the Afghan conflict was repatriated.” In fact casualties—the dead, […]
Conservatives seem to be following Political Management in Canada’s media playbook, no?
I’ve uncovered the Conservatives’ media playbook—and you can too! The strategies are so precise it is possible to predict the future: (a) the government will make a surprising TV announcement within the next 10 days; (b) Parliament will adjourn before long; (c) Stockwell Day will not be holding any more news conferences; (d) caucus has […]
Parliament Hill not conducive to moments of reflection
The Parliamentary Press Gallery, in preparation for its annual dinner, is assembling a tribute to members who died since the last meeting. Well, “died” does news copy no credit. “Passed away” was how the gallery put it. Newspapers used to report the dead “answered the call” or “met their reward” or “crossed the river.” When […]
Johnston’s Love Story connection sounds more like a cocktail-party anecdote
Governor General-designate David Johnston says his “passion” as a hockey star at Harvard in 1963 inspired a character in Love Story. Media broadcast the claim and even embellished it. The Monarchist League enthused it was Johnston’s “principal claim to fame” among Canadians. But is it true? Johnston told his hometown Sault Star at university nearly […]
