Julian Assange's extradition hearings are frankly terrifying, and if you care about the free press, you should be worried, irrespective of whether you like Assange or Wikileaks. As the old saying goes, "Hard cases make bad law." 1/ pic.twitter.com/MLPwtW7hVr — Cory Doctorow #BLM (@doctorow) September 20, 2020 And read how
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Accidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Thomas Christopher Lange studies (PDF) the costs and effects of two dental care options, and concludes Canada would be best served with a universal dental care system. And Colleen Floyd and Jane Philpott highlight how increased reliance on private payments would do
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: The Stalinist trial of Julian Assange
Videoconference with Julian Assange at the Digital Culture Forum, organized by Argentina’s National Ministry of Culture, October 15, 2015. Photo by Romina Santarelli/Wikimedia Commons. Having reported the long, epic ordeal of Julian Assange, John Pilger gave this address outside the Central Criminal Court in London on September 7 as the
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: And justice for none
Listen to the words of an honest journalist – a rare creature in these Orwellian times: “When I first met Julian Assange more than ten years ago, I asked him why he had started WikiLeaks. He replied: “Transparency and accountability are moral issues that must be the essence of public
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Facebook Is Not News. Time For The Exodus From Big Tech To Increase From A Steady Torrent To A Flood
42% of people globally use Facebook as their news source. That should be a chilling fact to anyone who still has some functioning grey matter. “Google” it, has become synonymous with doing a web search. That too, for those who know how Google operates, should chill us to the bone.
Continue readingExcited Delirium: Covid Journal, Sept 2, 2020
A New Brunswick outbreak of Covid has people looking for someone to point their finger at. And ruin. Doug Ford’s power grab. Other stories.
Continue readingScripturient: The Hermeneutics of Suspicion
The title is a phrase I encountered while reading Mark Thompson’s excellent book on political rhetoric, Enough Said: What’s Wrong With the Language of Politics? Thompson’s book is both about the current and historic use of political rhetoric (from Aristotle forward), but also about the role of journalists in covering
Continue readingScripturient: Lessons from History
It is common practice to look back and conflate the events of the past with those of the present, seeking parallels, resonance, and answers from previous events that help explain today’s. We learn from others, from their experiences, and we like to find commonalities in our shared experiences, even from
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: “Conspiracy Theory”
Remember what Chomsky said, summing it up perfectly: “The term “conspiracy theory” is used to poo-poo institutional analysis.” Exactly. And what does that mean? It means the phrase was coined by the FBI in the 1960’s to discredit the theory that the Deep State, the military industrial
Continue readingAlberta Politics: If Press Gallery membership for the Rebel is so important, why are Postmedia reporters still in the gallery in Ottawa?
What are we to make of the peculiar fact that Postmedia reporters still occupy their comfortable chairs in the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery in Ottawa? A quick scroll through the national Press Gallery’s comparatively informative website reveals at least 10 journalists employed by Postmedia Network Canada Corp. are members of
Continue readingAlberta Politics: With a questionable claim to the moral high ground, Postmedia rolls over for the Rebel
Canada’s largest newspaper chain has just rolled over for the Rebel. Last night the National Post published an editorial demanding that the Alberta Legislature Press Gallery admit employees of Rebel News Network Ltd. to its ranks. Retired journalist Heather Boyd, author of a report that could have saved the Press
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Shocking coffee mug has conservatives clutching their pearls, political Alberta all atwitter
Now that right-wing snowflakes have officially made “cancel culture” a thing, let’s talk about that controversial coffee mug they’d like to cancel that rudely mentions Jason Kenney, shall we? Tout le monde political Alberta was abuzz yesterday, with many conservatives bemoaning the sorry state of political discourse in Wild Rose
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Justin Ling discusses the dangers of the U.S.’ fever swamp conspiracy theories as they get shared – and warped – for Canadian marks. Ryan Cooper writes about the conservative victimhood complex which has made it impossible for the U.S. to be governed in
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Don Pittis writes about the emptiness of any discussion of energy options which doesn’t account for the importance of averting a climate breakdown. – Somini Sengupta discusses the deadly effects of unprecedented wildfires in the Arctic region, while Nadine Achoui-Lesage and Frank Jordans
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Good TV?!
Favourite tv shows, anyone? Post your favourites below. I do hate tv, but I love documentaries and history shows, and I make an exception for certain things, like Star Trek, hockey playoffs, world cup soccer, the Olympics… In no particular order, I’d say my favourite tv shows (originals only; most
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Duncan Cameron makes the case for a transition to a more fair and democratic economy. And Paris Marx proposes the development of publicly-owned options – including the increased use of passenger trains along with more accessible transit – as part of an improved
Continue readingAlberta Politics: It’s not up to the premier’s staff to decide who’s a journalist — except when it is
Responding yesterday to criticism for letting Alberta Premier Jason Kenney take a question from a reporter for a controversial right-wing news site during Tuesday’s virtual COVID-19 update, Press Secretary Christine Myatt tweeted defensively that “I don’t think anybody wants the government deciding who is or is not a journalist.” Taken
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Yaryna Serkez highlights how COVID-19 has both exploited and exacerbated the U.S.’ existing inequalities. And Alexander Panetta writes about the perpetuation of racial inequality in the U.S. for upwards of five decades after civil rights legislation was supposed to establish a nominally
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: The Lethal Violence of Corporate Media Journalism
In the aftermath of the Second World War the Allies put a number of pro-Nazi propagandists and journalists on trial for such offences as “crimes against peace” and “crimes against humanity.” Among those executed was publisher Julius Streicher for “crimes against humanity.” William Joyce, the main voice of the propaganda
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Americans Riot For Equality
ICE T sums it up for people who don’t understand the looting: People are saying.. They should protest like this or demonstrate like that… We tried Taking a Knee… A RIOT is a RIOT.. It happens when the people can no longer take the BS.. — ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) May
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