WhenYou'veGot(Had?)HarryNeufeldVille
Yesterday, we posted-up a critique of a Vancouver Sun editorial that cautioned their readers to ignore their own headlines and simultaneously trust them (and, implicitly, only them) to deliver the goods on what really went down during RailGate.
In addition, the fine folks behind the Sun's pages that (allegedly) count also implored their readers to make like jurors and only come to conclusions on any and all RailGate matters related to the BC Liberal government if, and only if, it is explicitly presented as evidence in court.
But here's the thing....
I know for a fact that Ben Bradlee never wrote an editorial telling the Washington Post's readers to only pay attention to the evidence that was presented in court when the original Watergate burglers went on trial.
And I'm absolutely certain that Mr. Bradlee never told Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to ignore Deep Throat when he told them to "follow the money"....
Then again, I'm also pretty darned sure that Katherine Graham and the Washington Post did not give a big whack of cash to 'CREEP' to help re-elect Richard Nixon in 1972.
On the other hand, the publishers of the Vancouver Sun most definitely did.
Give a big whack of cash to the BC Liberal Party so that campaign co-chair and strategic communication counsel/public policy initiative interpreter for BC Rail, Mr. Patrick Kinsella, could help re-elect premier Gordon Campbell in 2005, I mean.
OK?
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Thanks to Anon-At-The-Top-Of-The-Thread for the reminder.
Oh, and yes, just in case you were wondering, in addition to this, this and this, we have been doing a little more cash following recently, this time as it pertains to all manner of 'lobbying' , 'counseling', 'interpreting' and even 'piloting'....Stay tuned for more.
And finally, just to be absolutely clear.... All of the information found within links to this post is publically available and it was published and/or posted on-line completely separately from any and all Railgate pre-trial proceedings.....Thus, once again, no publication bans have been harmed in the writing of this post....
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5 comments:
You score another direct hit on the setting Sun. I imagine the people there who would be real journalists have gone elsewhere by now and the remainder hang in either ashamed, obliged or in favour of the present direction.
When we see how many parallels there are in the story of All the President's Men to this Railgate scandal, it's unfortunate that our press is tied so tight to the powers that be.
Citizens have an important part to play in what happens next in this whole issue of the BC Rail Political Corruption trial.
When Citizen Journalist from Courtroom 54 (on my blog) mentions that an audible gasp ran through the gallery ... it confirms the double significance of attending this trial whenever we possibly can.
CJ54 went on to report that this audible gasp forced Justice MacKenzie to explain that there was no ... [cough] ... no significance in the encounter between two jurors and the father of a member of the Crown Prosecutor's team.
E.M. reports from Courtroom 54 that andrea MacKay came over to her to introduce herself, etc. Imagine that!
In my opinion, the West Coast daily newspapers' employees have brought their profession down to a very low level. They seem to rejoice in their questionable interpretation of the publication ban as meaning they can say virtually nothing. They keep repeating a few figments, repeat, repeat, until we're sick of searching. Which, i.m.o., is part of the plan. Nobody can accuse these bozos of not reporting the BC Rail Trial ... only, what they do is duplicating, not reporting.
Only the citizens with a genuine concern for telling what they see and hear in Courtroom 54, are providing the news of the BC Rail Trial.
As a result, we find ourselves virtually cheering on the Defence team ... the Accused ... who are accused of messing with the smooth transition of our public railway into the private pockets of Gordo's friends. Or so it seems at this time.
Nobody relying upon the Mainstream Press would believe the bizarro scenes unfolding in Courtroom 54 unless citizens attend and then share their findings.
RossK and Bill Tieleman, and Robin Mathews ... have been tremendous in helping our efforts to understand and, i.m.o., if we do gain an understanding of what happened to BC Rail, we will also see what happened after 2003 with BC Hydro, BC Ferries ... and all.
Pls forgive the rambling. I'm still away from home and won't get back for another few days. But in the meantime, I've watched the Toronto Police Chief, Bill Blair, give an accounting of himself, his police force, and the volatile situation on the streets of the city during the Ultimate Bureaucratic Binge, the G8 and G20 invasion. I kept wondering if others got the same impression I got: that Blair answers any question promptly and fully; he provided additional information as if the public has a perfect right to know ... and he came across as a very good cop with large brain who is on our side. I mean, the contrast with what I'm accustomed to hearing from public officials in BC ... !
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Norman--
I'm not so sure.
I think there are still some very good folks working for the VSun....And I figure that a goodly number of them find their paper's editorial stance somewhat (to put it mildly) perplexing
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Anon--
I think the parallels start to bend towards the asymptote when 'everything' is considered to be a political battle that must be won at all costs using any and all tactics.....Case in point, the infiltration and then the wheeling on the mayors aided by a little good ol' fashioned Segretti-type media monitoring that involved ripping at least one mayor 'a new one'.
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No worries re: rant Mary....Looks like that break is helping to re-charge your batteries.
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I quit buying Vancouver newspapers, quite some time ago. Some of them are biased. There was a journalist, who was so subtle, it took me forever, to see the poison and innuendos in his words. I far prefer bloggers, they are in your face honest. No fuss, no muss, they say it the way it is.
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