The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the Canadian Media

“We are so cleverly manipulated and influenced by the media and establishments on both the right and left, that the truth has become hopelessly lost in semantics.” Jules Carlysle

Canada has one of the highest concentrations of media ownership in the world.

As corporate mergers and takeovers, that began in the early '90s, increasingly swallowed up smaller news outlets, independent sources have become almost obsolete.

For example, in 1990; 17.3% of daily newspapers were independently owned. By 2005, just 1% were.

In his book Traitors among Us: The Betrayal of Canada, Raymond Samuels states that this began with Brian Mulroney.

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney had dysfunctionally inspired a new generation of greed-driven mercenaries who operate in the mass-media, in the likes of CanWest Global owners (who help fund the Conservative Party), TorStar, Quebecor Sun Media, and other such neo-conservative public relations outlets. Only BellGlobe Media, inclusive of the Globe and Mail, CTV, and CHUM, (as well as in particular, a handful of community and campus media outlets) have maintained any semblance of journalistic integrity, in the present sea of elite-managed propaganda.

However, even this is no longer true, because in 2007, "CTVglobemedia, Astral Media, Quebecor, Canwest Global and Rogers all expanded significantly, through the acquisitions of CHUM Limited, Standard Broadcasting, Osprey Media, Alliance Atlantis and Citytv, respectively." (Wikipedia)

And CTV has joined the Harper family, with the acquisition of Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and Steve Murphy. And the fact that Peter MacKay is now engaged to an executive of CTV, our chances of any of that 'journalistic integrity' are all but gone.

This is very problematic for a country that has never been right-wing, because we are no longer being informed but indoctrinated.

Frances Russel wrote a piece in the Winnipeg Free Press, entitled Right-wing media covering up political scandal. In it she discusses the rightward migration of Canada's news sources.

Lawrence Martin has written several articles about the Canadian media's rightward migration. In a January 2003 column headlined It's not Canadians who've gone to the right, just their media, he quoted an unnamed European diplomat saying "You have a bit of a problem here. Your media are not representative of your people, your values." Too many political commentators are right of centre while the public is in the middle, the diplomat continued. There is a disconnect.

A disconnect indeed.

So as part of my mission to help restore democracy in Canada, I've started calling out some of this country's so-called journalists, while recommending some of the better ones.

They are a huge part of the problem, and not just because they allow Stephen Harper to control them, but because they write crap. And I mean absolute crap. Many of them don't even try anymore. They get the copy from the PMO, they add a bit of a personal touch, publish the photos taken by the PMO, and call it news.

Well that is simply not good enough. We deserve better than this, but we won't get better than this, until we start demanding it.

Lawrence Martin, Don Newman, Murray Dobbin, James Travers, Frances Russell, Antonia Zerbisias, to name a few, are credits to their profession.

Don Martin, most of the time. Anyone else from the National Post, are absolutely ridiculous.

Jane Taber, is usually only interested in the gossip. Angelo Persichilli, Norman Spector and Rex Murphy, don't get me started.

If we are going to get our country back, we have to start being diligent. If you read a story that is pure crap, tell them so. Better yet, tell their editor that you deserve better.

We deserve better, and we will get it dammit.

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Giving Credit Where's It's Due

Another Winner James Travers. But ... but ... but ...

Thank You Ralph Surettes For Proving There Are a Few Good Journalists Left

James Travers Hits the Nail on the Head: Harper's Speech Was Rhetorical Hokum

Calling Out the Culprits

Dear Mr. Spector. It Was Childish Manouvers That Got Him Into This Mess

Update on Norman Spector's Admiration for Childish Manouvers

Canadian Soldiers Should Not be Dragged Into This Jane Taber. You Should be Ashamed.

Angelo Persichilli Really is the Quintessential Lazy Columnist

To All Media Out There Trying to Spin the Tax Issue: A Pox on Your Houses!

Stephen Harper Lives Like a King While Peter Zimonjic Becomes Another Court Jester

Sorry David Akin But Again You are Dead Wrong