Media puffery aside, Gov.-Gen.’s post is on hard times
We never forgot the day Roland Michener came down Main Street. He was the first celebrity to visit Fernie, then a shabby coal mining town in British Columbia’s Elk Valley. We were Brylcreamed and made to stand at attention in the schoolyard. Michener arrived in a big Cadillac and stepped out beaming, with his snowy […]
Best, worst headlines, letters and more in 37th Parliament
Fresh moments of triumph and outrage await journalists at the 38th Parliament. The convening of a new, minority House is like Christmas in October for news copy. We have but one regret, that the most profound and bizarre media moments of the lame-duck 37th will soon fade from memory. Let’s recall the best and worst […]
Cities have somehow persuaded journalists that the lack of federal aid is the reason they’re in trouble
Some of the nation’s biggest scoundrels rate amongst its most successful mayors. Winnipeg boss Steve Juba grew so prosperous through nine terms as mayor he collected Cadillacs. “I like Cadillacs,” Juba explained. Edmonton legend Bill Hawrelak was ousted as mayor in 1959 in a bribery and zoning scandal “I erred,” he said only […]
Gomery Inquiry is a powder keg outside Parliament, whether commentators find it tedious or not
It looms outside the House of Commons like a Ryder truck packed with diesel and fertilizer. It’s the only issue the 38th Parliament will be remembered for. Not health care. Not federal aid for cities. Not the “democratic deficit” or Adrienne Clarkson’s expense account. It’s the Gomery Inquiry, the explosive probe that may determine if […]
Remembering Mulroney’s legacy, eh?
Media tributes to Brian Mulroney read like entries in the old Soviet Encyclopedia. Unpleasant truths are erased. We’re left to wonder, was it all a dream? Did it really happen? The Soviets book of knowledge once identified Kaliningrad as an “ice-free port.” In truth the city was 50 kilometres from the sea and froze every […]
Everybody loves a yahoo
Let’s celebrate Carolyn Parrish. The caucus’ pain is media’s gain. The Ontario backbencher with the barroom vocabulary was called a “blabbermouth” by the Sun, but that doesn’t do Parrish justice. The quick, pained expression on the Prime Minister’s face at the mention of her name is the true testament to Parrish’s talents. If it’s a […]
What media conspiracy?
Is there a media conspiracy? You might wonder after reading remarks by Stockwell Day to the Canadian Jewish News. Day said, as a friend of Israel, he’d “taken heat” from hostile media that withheld the truth from the public. That’s some charge. The Jewish News quoted Day as saying he is “discouraged by how little […]
Dief’s record has been badly distorted
Who was the last prime minister to denounce the influence of “special interests” on Parliament Hill? Not Pierre Trudeau. Which leader advocated prisoners’ rights and created the National Parole Board? Not Tommy Douglas. Who abolished a White Canada immigration policy that discriminated against blacks and Asians? Not Lester Pearson. John Diefenbaker did all these things. […]
When journalists go gaga over celebrities
My first boss used to bark at the rookie reporters, “There are no slow news days, only slow newsmen.” He later quit journalism to become a ballpark announcer, thus proving the point. I was reminded of the slow-news theory by media treatment of Bill Clinton’s appearance at a Toronto bookstore to sell his memoirs. A […]
Are we becoming safer as a nation?
There are great journalists and great detectives. But when journalists play detective the results are, well, not great. Media coverage of the latest national crime report left the public understandably confused. CBC’s The National reported “Crime Is Up!” while CTV’s National News maintained “Violent Crime Is Stable.” The Victoria Times Colonist told readers that “Crime […]
