Don’t listen to spin, university graduates don’t necessarily make better MPs
There appears a new rule in national life: Only university graduates need apply. Proponents are outspoken on this. They would judge books by their covers, though very many pretty books have empty pages. The Public Policy Forum, an Ottawa think-tank, published a report last week detailing deficiencies of the 40th Parliament. It noted ethnic diversity […]
Mass media revel in a catastrophe, eh?
Fear is the cheapest commodity media peddle. Scavengers find it anywhere, just lying on the street, and bundle it up as newsworthy. It costs little, and carries no consequence. As the wry Windsor Star once put it, “Nothing’s more refreshing than a catastrophe.” Any scare will do. The Vancouver Sun last year warned readers to […]
Mass media revel in a catastrophe, eh?
Fear is the cheapest commodity media peddle. Scavengers find it anywhere, just lying on the street, and bundle it up as newsworthy. It costs little, and carries no consequence. As the wry Windsor Star once put it, “Nothing’s more refreshing than a catastrophe.” Any scare will do. The Vancouver Sun last year warned readers to […]
How urban Canada turned into Anytown, U.S.A.
OTTAWA—How did urban Canada turn into Anytown, U.S.A.? It happened through little municipal dramas, like the kind played out last week in Ottawa. City councillors debated whether to build a mall on one of the nation’s last surviving downtown fairgrounds, 19th century Lansdowne Park. In its 134 years the park has hosted bicycle races and […]
Pundits say Canada needs a leader who can explain big picture reassuringly, but how?
What this recession needs is a good photo op. Don’t think the Prime Minister’s Office isn’t working overtime on this. No PMO produced more amateur theatricals than Stephen Harper’s. Here comes Steve in a hard hat. There goes Steve patting small children. Oh, here’s Steve striding purposefully towards a podium flanked by rippling flags. The […]
Progressives need to forget about issues and focus on own emotions
ATLANTA, GEORGIA—Progressive politicians, such as the U.S. Democrats who now control Congress and the presidency in the United States, are slowly and belatedly realizing that while issues—be it the economy, the Iraq War, energy, immigration, or health care—play a major role in elections, what makes politicians successful are their personal stories, their principles, their ways […]
CBC praised as ‘important,’ and ‘much loved,’ yet data tell a story network doesn’t
It’s time once again for a rip-snortin’ review of public broadcasting. Adjust all hearing aids. Has anybody seen my glasses? If you want to clear the room of people under 45, wheel in the Ovaltine and muse, “Whither the CBC.” Word of 799 job cuts and closure of small news bureaus by the Canadian Broadcasting […]
It’s popular to pin tail on economists, but most media don’t help either…
It is popular to pin the tail on economists. Presumably they’re to blame for failing to warn Canadians we could not go on buying things we don’t need to fill houses we can’t afford. “If you can’t find an economist, ask an astrologer,” quipped CTV’s Craig Oliver. It is funnier to scapegoat others than dwell […]
Can media expose anti-Semitism without frightening the public?
The headlines were frightening. “Threats, Assaults Rising,” “Jews Face Hate Crime Increase,” and “Community Faces Death Threats, Assaults, Intimidation.” CBC’s Peter Mansbridge said, “Canada may not be as tolerant as we think.” Did headlines tell the whole story? The scare followed the release a year ago of the B’nai Brith Audit of Antisemitic Incidents. An […]
When it comes to China, ‘don’t be afraid of unpleasantness and public airing of differences’
Coming soon to cable is the ultimate cop show: Police State TV. Saddened by its “image problem,” the Communist Party of China proposes to launch a 24-hour, English-language TV service similar to Al Jazeera. “A group of the biggest state-controlled media organizations in China is planning to spend billions to expand overseas as part of […]
