Seemingly, it doesn't matter where you look in the mainstream media these days, but in most stories there's a twist, a lean to the liberal left. It's especially apparent in the Globe & Mail or the official organ of the Liberal Party of Canada, The Toronto Star. But it is even showing up now in the most innocuous of straight news stories.
I have spent much of the first month of this year flying hither and yon, spending interminable hours waiting at airports, reading a variety of local papers. And I started seeing this trend where it never used to be and in stories you never used to see it.
In today's National Post, there was a news brief about a police raid on a home in Etobicoke, in east Toronto. Police seized a sawed-off Ruger Mini 14, a clip which holds 19 rounds and 132 rounds of ammunition. The gun had been previously stolen. A father and son, both justice system frequent flyers, were arrested. All good.
But, to end the brief, some hand-wringing social engineer who toils away in some CanWest news room added this: The arrests came as Toronto Mayor David Miller called for a total ban on handgun ownership in the city.
What in the world does that have to do with the salient story? Absolutely nothing. And why any self-respecting professional news editor would let that run probably speaks volumes.
In the first place the Mini 14 is a long-barelled weapon. Or at least it was in this case before it got sawed-off. And in the second place it was stolen.
This is simply the writer of the brief taking the opportunity to put Miller's idiocy out there one more time to give it credibility.
Miller is a fool in this with his knee-jerk pronouncement, but I object to the media treating it as though it makes sense and then espousing it again and again in the vain hope that readers will suddenly become as foolish as the Mayor of Toronto.
Fortunately, readers are smarter than that. Well, except for the voters in Toronto who elected David Miller.
Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com
- Leo Knight on Blackberry
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Media manipulation
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6 comments:
But Leo the people in your industry go on and on with the war on marijuana-year after year with the same lies and same confluting...media manipulation seems to be OK if it's the conservatives doing it.It's just like 1984(the book).
The media has always put its spin on the news. People who are 'critical thinkers' may come to realize that Toronto's mayor is quite ignorant to the facts.
1) Statistically, there is a direct relation between gun laws and gun crime. The less guns on the street make it safer for the criminals with guns, and they know that.
2) A ban on hand guns would have no effect on preventing a long-gun from becoming stolen.
3) The media can suck my left nut when it comes to providing Canada with a reliable unfiltered news source.
I am saddened about the persecution of journalist ezra levant by human rights. As Canadians, why are we not to have diverse opinions? I understand not promoting hatred. Everyone is human and needs respect as such. But for a journalist to be harrassed, what does this say to other journalists. It says "I better be quiet".
How can we expect fair, truthful journalism if the media is censored?
Are we now communist China?
I've read the post dated Jan 18, 2008 and the one from Margaret dated Jan 24/2008.
You two have missed the point of this blog thread completely.
The point is NOT media censorship BUT how the media lies, omits, exaggerates, and 'sexes' up the news to make the almighty dollar.
"If it bleeds, it leads" has replaced "who, what, when, and where" as the new code of conduct.
So it doesn't matter if the topic is the war on drugs, the RCMP, or human rights issues.
What MATTERS is that these issues are reporting clearly, fairly, and in an unbiased format so that the public can make informed decisions in order to make changes in those issues listed above.
Its amazing how many people come to me when I am working and state they know all about "the man" and how "the man" won't fool them because they watch Global TV and read Joey Thompson's editorials.
God save us all.
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Leo,
I think it's a tragic error to reduce everything to Left/Right, Left/Right.
It's amusing (also sad) that anyone showing sympathy is automatically a Leftie, anyone barking orders is a Neo-Con.
It stops every discussion in its tracks, whenever someone shouts Right-Wing or Commie or whatever.
Can't we all together pool our wits to understand the issues, find solutions?
Because surely, Leo, you don't mean to suggest that if Neo-Con/Righties win the discussion or the election, the Lefties will be left with nothing?
Aren't we all in this together from start to finish?
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Au contraire, I never said any such thing. And people get me very wrong with this sort of statement. I am not about right and left. I am all about right and wrong. There is a very big difference.
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