CBC radio's Q had a panel with three of Toronto's media personalities, including Toronto Star publisher John Cruickshank gloating about the Rob Ford video.
More interesting is the obsessive hate and sanctimony that has him in in a ridiculous denial of the obvious vendetta his paper has had against Ford for the last 3 years.
My buddy Jon Kay makes some good points on the panel, but I would add to an important observation he made. Jon says, in essence, that there is a crisis in conservative thought reflected in the election of Rob Ford and his like in a single-minded focus on low taxes and reducing government spending.
There is a lot more to it than just that.
Ford is also a reaction to the paternalistic, sanctimonious social engineering foisted by incompetent politicians on a public outraged by a lack of their ability to simply provide competent management.
We have an incompetent provincial government that has wasted, and for all intents and purposes stolen billions in public funds, while imposing radical nanny-state social policies.
Ford has not wasted any public funds and is someone who is genuinely concerned with the wishes of his constituents, in contrast to wanting to impose a "vision" on them.
Yet The Star is, as it has been, primarily concerned with the superficiality of image. Which is why as a media source, they still have little credibility and as Kay astutely notes, Ford may indeed get reelected.
You can watch and hear the panel below:
EYE ON A CRAZY PLANET
Showing posts with label CBC Radio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CBC Radio. Show all posts
Friday, November 1, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
CBC Radio-Canada's anti-Israel bias goes beyond incompetence and becomes propaganda
After 10 rebukes from the CBC's own Ombudsman, they still keep their biased propagandist, Ginnette Lamarche, in place to distort stories from the Middle East.Honest Reporting Canada has more HERE
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
CBC Radio's bias against Israel
For a lot of unthinking leftists, one of their mantras is that they can't be a self respecting self-identified "progressive" without harboring a hatred for Israel.
Most of these people have at best a superficial understanding of the issues involved and little or no historical knowledge of the Israeli/Arab conflict nor any real knowledge of the middle east's geopolitical realities.
But at the CBC, the ability to stare at a camera or speak into a microphone with a smooth voice is a frequent substitute for actual insight and intellect. So the reflexive anti-Israel bias at the CBC against the one truly progressive democracy in a region beset with fanaticism, violence, ethnic conflict and intolerance regularly comes through.
The efforts of Honest Reporting Canada (HRC) have forced the CBC to correct themselves and admit to these biases on innumerable occasions. Their work is so effective that it led David Heap, a pudgy, unkempt organizer of the Sea Hitler Gaza boat to bemoan that CBC reporters had privately told him they would like to do more stories on Palestine, but the focus from HRC had made their editors wary of it.
That assessment is probably more true of CBC television than radio. The Ceeb's radio service must figure that what they broadcast to their small audience goes largely unnoticed. Most of the people who do dial in to CBC Radio 1 probably only half-listen to the tedious, uninformed droning of its hosts.
But on occasion, their bias is so egregious that it does call out for attention and in today's Toronto Sun, HRC's Mike Fegelman wrote a column addressing an outrageous CBC Radio interview that portrayed Israel as a nation of child abusers. The tax-funded state broadcaster's report was so distorted and absent of context it could be held up as a showpiece of propaganda.
You can read Mike Fegelman's response at the HRC website.
Most of these people have at best a superficial understanding of the issues involved and little or no historical knowledge of the Israeli/Arab conflict nor any real knowledge of the middle east's geopolitical realities.
But at the CBC, the ability to stare at a camera or speak into a microphone with a smooth voice is a frequent substitute for actual insight and intellect. So the reflexive anti-Israel bias at the CBC against the one truly progressive democracy in a region beset with fanaticism, violence, ethnic conflict and intolerance regularly comes through.
The efforts of Honest Reporting Canada (HRC) have forced the CBC to correct themselves and admit to these biases on innumerable occasions. Their work is so effective that it led David Heap, a pudgy, unkempt organizer of the Sea Hitler Gaza boat to bemoan that CBC reporters had privately told him they would like to do more stories on Palestine, but the focus from HRC had made their editors wary of it.
That assessment is probably more true of CBC television than radio. The Ceeb's radio service must figure that what they broadcast to their small audience goes largely unnoticed. Most of the people who do dial in to CBC Radio 1 probably only half-listen to the tedious, uninformed droning of its hosts.
But on occasion, their bias is so egregious that it does call out for attention and in today's Toronto Sun, HRC's Mike Fegelman wrote a column addressing an outrageous CBC Radio interview that portrayed Israel as a nation of child abusers. The tax-funded state broadcaster's report was so distorted and absent of context it could be held up as a showpiece of propaganda.
You can read Mike Fegelman's response at the HRC website.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
This is why CBC is actually useful on occasion
Today, April 24, on CBC radio's webstream, it all Gordon Lightfoot day.Hook up the big speakers to your computer and enjoy a day of tunes from Canada's best singer/songwriter.
(If the link doesn't take you right there, go into the web radio stations tab, click genre streams, and it's right on top today)
Monday, August 1, 2011
The CBC finally gets something right
CBC Radio 2 describes itself as "Canada's national music network."
The flagship show on that tax-funded radio network is Radio 2 Morning and for years now, it has been painful for me to have to listen to their morning music program. It seems like until the last week, its producers forgot the word "music" in the network's description. Radio 2 Morning, and its predecessor which was called Stereo Morning, had hosts Tom Allen and Bob Mackowyz, who would seemingly treat us to every inane, tiresome thought that popped into their head, whether it was related to music, or asinine allusions to politics or their bicycle ride to work, or their local pick-up hockey game, or their lunch menu the previous day..well you get the point.
Listening to a boring radio host's verbal diarrhea or repeatedly being told one of the worst songs ever recorded is "great" and having it played over and over made very appealing the prospect of another CBC strike which resulted in a period with no hosts at all.
However credit where credit's due. CBC 2's Radio 2 Morning finally has the perfect weekday and weekend pairing of hosts in Tom Power and Molly Johnson. Power is extremely knowledgeable about music and he talks about music, and not incessantly, letting the media speak for itself, as a good host should.
Molly Johnson has been around for years as a performer and her anecdotes are actually relevant. She also is has a charming, endearing personality and does not overdo the talk.
As long as this pair remains, I won't have to rapidly spin my dial away from CBC once I hear a host start talking.
The scary aspect to this is that the Radio 2 Morning website says Tom Power will be a guest host through the summer. If that doesn't become permanent, I dread what may come.
The flagship show on that tax-funded radio network is Radio 2 Morning and for years now, it has been painful for me to have to listen to their morning music program. It seems like until the last week, its producers forgot the word "music" in the network's description. Radio 2 Morning, and its predecessor which was called Stereo Morning, had hosts Tom Allen and Bob Mackowyz, who would seemingly treat us to every inane, tiresome thought that popped into their head, whether it was related to music, or asinine allusions to politics or their bicycle ride to work, or their local pick-up hockey game, or their lunch menu the previous day..well you get the point.
Listening to a boring radio host's verbal diarrhea or repeatedly being told one of the worst songs ever recorded is "great" and having it played over and over made very appealing the prospect of another CBC strike which resulted in a period with no hosts at all.
However credit where credit's due. CBC 2's Radio 2 Morning finally has the perfect weekday and weekend pairing of hosts in Tom Power and Molly Johnson. Power is extremely knowledgeable about music and he talks about music, and not incessantly, letting the media speak for itself, as a good host should.
Molly Johnson has been around for years as a performer and her anecdotes are actually relevant. She also is has a charming, endearing personality and does not overdo the talk.
As long as this pair remains, I won't have to rapidly spin my dial away from CBC once I hear a host start talking.
The scary aspect to this is that the Radio 2 Morning website says Tom Power will be a guest host through the summer. If that doesn't become permanent, I dread what may come.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Sunday Musings: Don't panic about low voter turnout
Some musings for a Sunday before election day.
I love Molly Johnson, yes I do. Sure, as a singer, but I'm thinking mainly as the host of CBC Radio 2's weekend morning show. She has a soothing voice and her comments sound warm and heartfelt rather than the inane, tiresome prattling by other radio hosts on a certain tax-funded network that takes time away from the music I'd rather be hearing. But I wish Molly (and anyone else who does it) didn't pontificate about how people should go out and vote no matter what.
George Jonas wrote a piece the other day about low-voter turnout being healthy for democracy. He suggested it shows that people are generally happy and high voter turnout is a sign of unease. I don't agree necessarily with his opinion on the desirability of low voter turnout, but on the other hand, it's also nothing to panic about. In a society where every citizen has the right to vote, then people who are interested and informed will generally choose to. The idea that people should go out and vote, no matter what, whether or not they know or care about the issues is facile. Mandatory voting is a position put forward by parties that have policies that appeal most to people who are ill-informed. When people say "you should vote" what they usually really mean is "you should vote the way I want you to vote."
The idea that everyone should vote whether they want to or not also stifles a political statement. There were elections I chose not to exercise my franchise because I didn't want to waste the time of formally picking the least offensive of a bunch of poor choices. Sometimes not voting is a statement that the political parties all need to do better. And I don't want to have to stand in line at a polling station to spoil a ballot. Not voting on election day can be a sign of apathy, but it is also a right and a choice and no one should tell you otherwise.
Molly said "women don't have the right to vote in Saudi Arabia, so make sure you vote for them tomorrow." Well gee, Molly, women don't have the right to drive in Saudi Arabia, so maybe we should drive to the polling station for them. And they aren't allowed to drink there either, so I guess I'll be drinking and driving for them. And they get stoned to death if they commit adultery, so give me a call if you..well..you see where I'm going with all of this.
The point is that we have the right to vote and that the critical cornerstone of democracy. But you are compelled to exercise a right, it's no longer a right, it's a burden.
Yes, everyone should vote. But because you're interested in voting, not because Molly or I or anyone else tells you that you should. And if you don't, that's your right too.
I love Molly Johnson, yes I do. Sure, as a singer, but I'm thinking mainly as the host of CBC Radio 2's weekend morning show. She has a soothing voice and her comments sound warm and heartfelt rather than the inane, tiresome prattling by other radio hosts on a certain tax-funded network that takes time away from the music I'd rather be hearing. But I wish Molly (and anyone else who does it) didn't pontificate about how people should go out and vote no matter what.
George Jonas wrote a piece the other day about low-voter turnout being healthy for democracy. He suggested it shows that people are generally happy and high voter turnout is a sign of unease. I don't agree necessarily with his opinion on the desirability of low voter turnout, but on the other hand, it's also nothing to panic about. In a society where every citizen has the right to vote, then people who are interested and informed will generally choose to. The idea that people should go out and vote, no matter what, whether or not they know or care about the issues is facile. Mandatory voting is a position put forward by parties that have policies that appeal most to people who are ill-informed. When people say "you should vote" what they usually really mean is "you should vote the way I want you to vote."
The idea that everyone should vote whether they want to or not also stifles a political statement. There were elections I chose not to exercise my franchise because I didn't want to waste the time of formally picking the least offensive of a bunch of poor choices. Sometimes not voting is a statement that the political parties all need to do better. And I don't want to have to stand in line at a polling station to spoil a ballot. Not voting on election day can be a sign of apathy, but it is also a right and a choice and no one should tell you otherwise.
Molly said "women don't have the right to vote in Saudi Arabia, so make sure you vote for them tomorrow." Well gee, Molly, women don't have the right to drive in Saudi Arabia, so maybe we should drive to the polling station for them. And they aren't allowed to drink there either, so I guess I'll be drinking and driving for them. And they get stoned to death if they commit adultery, so give me a call if you..well..you see where I'm going with all of this.
The point is that we have the right to vote and that the critical cornerstone of democracy. But you are compelled to exercise a right, it's no longer a right, it's a burden.
Yes, everyone should vote. But because you're interested in voting, not because Molly or I or anyone else tells you that you should. And if you don't, that's your right too.
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