What Sean Said.

IfIzzyStoneFlewInToday
MrHolmanWouldMostDefintelyNotSendALimoAnywayVille*


For quite awhile now I've been making a point of getting up early on Sunday mornings.

But this weekend, after tossing and turning my way through the hottest night of the year, I slept-in a little.

So I only caught the tail end of Sean Holman's radio show 'Public Eye'.

And I was a little surprised when he cut off the last segment with the Rabble-Rousers a wee bit early.

But that was nothing...

Because I was flummoxed by what came next.

He's done.

And he's leaving.

****

Now.

I won't be disingenuous here.

Because, truth be told, I figured something has been up with Mr. Holman for awhile now.

After all, after he shut down his website (where the archives are still worth way, way more than money, including $6,000 times 49, by the way), you had to reckon a guy with his drive had at least a few irons in the fire.

Me, I figured it would be a documentary (which he'd hinted at) and/or maybe a book about making a go of it as a truly independent journalist who did nothing but follow his nose and dig and dig and dig.

And in the process do all British Columbians everywhere, from the Heartland to the Lotusland, a huge service.

****

Just so you know, I've had a few direct contacts with young Mr. Holman over the years.

And two of those were most memorable. The first was kind of tongue-in-cheek; the second was more serious.

And both involved something that Sean himself constructs often - timelines.

Regarding the first... I had kinda/sorta figured out that Sean was an undergraduate at UVIC at a certain time with a certain group of young liberals and wondered, out loud, if he might have had some contact with them. To his great credit he good naturedly mentioned, in the comments, that not only did he know them, but that he may also have gotten a little buzzed, maybe for the first time, with one of them in his parent's basement  (and no, you can't read that exchange because, in it's great wisdom and spite, the old Haloscream disappeared it forever in the the year of Gord the Third, 2009).

Regarding the second....Following a number of leads, mostly gathered by my dear friend BC Mary, I worked out a timeline, based on letters, records of meetings, and public pronouncements which demonstrated, in my opinion at least, that the government of Gordon Campbell, and I will be very blunt here based on the evidence, deliberately and repeatedly lied in its statements to the public about when it decided to privatize BC Rail. It was a long, involved post that I took a considerable time and effort to put together just before the Railgate trial was shut down for good. In lieu of commenting, Mr. Holman sent the tersest of Emails that meant the world to me.

The subject line went like this:

"Very interesting post..."

And the body of message went like this:

"...kudos."

And that was all he said.

****

Anyway, after Sean's announcement jarred me fully awake yesterday morning, I immediately jumped on the Twittmachine and asked him, half tongue-in-cheek and half serious, if I should file an FOI request to find out why he was leaving.

And this is what he sent, by way of, what else...

The comments:

For your information and interest, here's what you missed :)

FOR THE PAST NINE YEARS, I’VE HAD PLEASURE OF BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR REPORTING ON PROVINCIAL POLITICS IN THIS PROVINCE

AND, FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS, I’VE ALSO BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR HOSTING THIS SHOW

I SAY RESPONSIBLE BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT JOURNALISM IS

A RESPONSIBILITY

IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO HOLD INSTITUTIONS AND OFFICIALS TO ACCOUNT

ON BEHALF OF YOU – THE PUBLIC

IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO HOLD A MIRROR UP TO THE PUBLIC

REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE

EVERYTHING ELSE IS SUPERFLUOUS

THIS IS WHAT I TELL MY JOURNALISM STUDENTS

AND I HOPE I PRACTICE WHAT I TEACH

ALL THIS IS PRELUDE TO ADVISE YOU THIS IS MY FINAL SHOW ON CFAX

THIS MONTH, I’LL BE LEAVING BRITISH COLUMBIA TO JOIN MOUNT ROYAL UNIVERSITY IN CALGARY AS AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF JOURNALISM

FROM THERE, I’LL CONTINUE HOLDING PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND OFFICIALS TO ACCOUNT

FROM THERE, I’LL CONTINUE HOLDING A MIRROR UP TO THE PUBLIC

BY HELPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF JOURNALISTS TAKE ON THAT RESPONSIBILITY

BUT BEFORE I SIGN OFF, I’D LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE WHO MADE THIS SHOW POSSIBLE

FIRST, MY PAST AND PRESENT PANNELISTS – DON ANDERSON, DAVID CUBBERLEY, ELEANOR GREGORY, JOHN HEANEY, ANDREW MACLEOD, DAVE OBEE, TREVOR ORAM, SHEILA ORR, BOB RUSSELL, BERNARD VON SCHULMANN, ROB SHAW, TROY SEBASTIAN, CHARLIE SMITH, ALEX TSAKUMIS, ALLAN WARNKE AND BRAD ZUBYK

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INVALUABLE INSIGHT AND GIVING UP COUNTLESS SUNDAY MORNINGS TO PROVIDE IT

SECOND, I’D LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE AT CFAX

ESPECIALLY MY TECHNICAL PRODUCERS

AS WELL AS TERRY SPENCE, WHO GAVE ME THIS TIME SLOT

AND NEWS DIRECTOR MURRAY LANGDON, WHO HAS BEEN AN UNFAILING FAN AND SUPPORTER OF PUBLIC EYE RADIO

THIRD, I’D LIKE TO THANK MY BIGGEST FANS – MY WIFE AND MY PARENTS – FOR THEIR EQUALLY UNFAILING SUPPORT

AND FINALLY YOU, MY LISTENERS

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THIS SHOW

AND THE STATE OF PROVINCIAL POLITICS

BECAUSE IF YOU WEREN’T LISTENING – AND WILLING TO BE PART OF BRITISH COLUMBIA’S CIVIL SOCIETY

NONE OF THIS WOULD MATTER


Then, a little while later, this comment came in, from one of Mr. Holman's most faithful of rabble rousers, Eleanor Gregory:

Sean has cut and pasted and sent you his opening editorial from his "sked" as he calls it, typed as is his want in his characteristic all caps. Before every Sunday show Sean would circulate the portion of his sked with the topics for discussion to his rabble rousers. On the Saturday night before each Sunday when I did the show, I would do Sean's homework assignment while listening to Randy's Vinyl Tap on CBC.

And now that is a memory...


Gosh.

If I'd known, I would have called Sean and Eleanor up and told them to have a drink on me during the 'Hot and Cold' songs that made up this weekend's Vinyl Tap that littler e. and I listened to on the way back from Iona Point with a sandy, wet whackadoodle in the back seat and a real big, most golden of Golden Eraesque, full moons rising up right in front of us.

Heckfire.

We're gonna miss the guy.

But we know that all the kids that work with him will get the real deal.

And I have a hunch that he'll punch a whole lot of windows in that bloody ivory tower to let a little more light in.

Now.

As for the book.

I sure hope it's coming....

Because I, for one, want to know the real reason why he left the VSun.

And, if it turns out that it actually was because he 'isn't a very fast writer', I really will file that damnable FOIR.

OK?



______
*Because I'm convinced he would be there to pick Mr. Stone up himself.
Written on BC Day, 2012 to the sounds of another true independent, Mr. Hansard, and friends, in Breminale from earlier this year.

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