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Last week I wrote a post about the fraught fund-raising letter sent out by Conservative Party director of political operations Fred DeLorey. The letter stressed the need to build a substantial war chest because a cabal of leftist media (essentially all of them - media concentration at its worst, eh?) is preventing the regime from getting out its message of good, sober, and responsible government.
In today's Globe and Mail, Lawrence Martin, one of the few journalists left at the once mighty paper worth his salt, offers his perspective on this extraordinary and ludicrous claim:
The point about concentrated media power will raise eyebrows. Is Mr. Harper looking to break them up?
And the notion that media conglomerates are doing the bidding of the liberal left? That would be news to the likes of Postmedia, Sun Media, Shaw Communications, Rogers and Bell: Their headquarters aren’t exactly overrun by Noam Chomsky disciples. And more than 90 per cent of Canadian newspapers endorsed the Conservatives in the last election.
But like a growing number of our system’s institutional checks and balances, the fourth estate is on Mr. Harper’s hit list. The CBC has been there a long time; it would be gone if the PM had his druthers. If he wins the next election, it very well might be, as the fundraising letter’s line of questioning suggests.
While Harper's hatred for the CBC is well-known, representing as it does central Canadian liberalism, elitism and big-government values, the fact that our mad prime minister has turned his sights on the broader media suggests someone who has lost both his balance and his perspective (if he indeed was ever in possession of such), blaming everyone except himself for his spate of recent misfortunes:
When it comes to coverage, Mr. Harper has, in fact, been getting a rough media going over in recent months. He might wish to consider that perhaps the Senate scandal, the elections bill blundering and the Supreme Court debacle have something to with it.
The Prime Minister isn’t trending well with journalists. Years ago, there were a few scribes who took exception to his excessive controls and billy-club style of democracy. Now the majority of pundits are of that view – left, right and centre.
Martin concludes his column on an ominous note, reminding me once again of the disturbing Nixonian rage and paranoia that seem to define Mr. Harper's mental state:
We’ve seen how Mr. Harper reacts when challenged. Going forward, we can probably expect more than just fundraising letters.
Lorne, when was the last time that his majesty Harper gave a press conference. He is becoming more and more secretive.
ReplyDeleteIf he can do it he would rather fund Sun T.V News and close CBC. Cut in CBC funding has resulted in laying off many CBC employees. It is a sad situation. I hope public will remember come 2015 elections.
His secretiveness, LD, is yet another indicator of his Nixonian mindset where he sees enemies everywhere. One can only hope that in 2015 people choose a mentally and philosophically healthier person to lead the country.
DeleteHow long have I been advocating the breakup of the corporate media cartel as a fundamental need to re-establish an informed electorate, the essential ingredient in the restoration of Canadian democracy? It's that obvious. Yet we don't hear Trudeau or Mulcair even mention the restoration of a free press in Canada which pretty much tells you all you need to know about those two. They sing in the same choir as SHPM. Elizabeth May stands alone on this critical issue. I went Green to park my vote out of dissent. This single policy alone was enough to win me over for good.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that mainstream media seem to be playing less and less a role in keeping people informed may in fact be an indication of how poorly they are serving the country's needs, Mound. Unfortunately, unless one knows what to look for, alternative sources are not always reliable either. But i do find it rich that Harper sees enemies in a corporate media that have traditionally been more 'for' than 'agin' his regressive policies.
DeleteIt's called meglomania, Lorne. There are lots of examples. We now have our own.
ReplyDeleteHistory is indeed strewn with them, isn't it, Owen?
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