Media Bias: Does it exist? Part VI
Previous “Media Bias” articles: Part I; Part II; Part III; Part IV; Part V
This is one of the most detailed documentaries of media bias to date. For months the Opposition and the media attacked the Prime Minister for holding a hard line on our commitment to Afghanistan. Suddenly, at the end of the spring parliamentary session, they completely reversed themselves and instead attacked him for seeking a consensus in Parliament so that the troops wouldn’t feel “undercut” here at home.
They told Canadians that Stephen Harper is a “waffler” and he is about to “cut and run” from the Afghanistan commitment. Unfortunately for them, Mr. Harper was on record at least a dozen times since May 2006 stating that extensions to the Afghan mission would be put to a vote. When the media ignores the obvious to make the Prime Minister into a villain, that is the definition of media bias. Read the full story here.
The media is giving the current government an extremely gentle ride compared to recent history.
Are you not old enough to remember the way the LIberal gov’t towards the end of its mandate was covered?
I have seen stories buried in the back pages and not even on broadcast news that would have been lead items in earlier times, particularly ones where recent information acquired through access to information has indicated that “Canada’s New Government” is using more untendered contracts, more polling contracts to friendly firms and appointing relatively higher numbers of its partisans to government positions.
When back in the day Sheila Copps’ (ugh) assistant gets a near entire front page of the Shitizen for charging expensive lunches, one can only imagine how the above story would have played had the shoe been on the other foot.
In your eyes, through your blue coloured glasses, however, nothing less than absolute obeisance to the party line will suffice, and any new in any way critical of your little PM will be seen as treachery, because you see him as infallible. That is not the real world, and perhaps a little time in government might get you and your little team more used to some occasional dispassionate commentary that might bew construed as critical of you hero.
Comment by canadian_2 — September 1, 2007 @ 8:13 am
Congratulations on a job well done.
I hope that you will continue to document the not-so-hidden agenda of most of the Press and other media. Ordinary citizens like myself can try individually to point out the bias in various forums like call-in shows or letters to the editor, but sustained well-documented evidence is far more effective.
I would like to see a similar well-documented list of Dion’s claims he would NOT be going negative, with proof to the contrary. How many times has Dion said something similar to this?:
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2007/02/27/3673426-cp.html
“TORONTO (CP) - About 750 Liberal supporters turned out in Toronto Wednesday night to hear party Leader Stephane Dion attack Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a *short-sighted hypocrite.*”
Unfortunately, I did not keep a very accurate list of Dion’s “not going negative” …
Comment by Gabby in QC — September 1, 2007 @ 10:06 am