Taxes buy civilization
Neoliberalism has brought us extreme concentrations of wealth and power and a society governed by and for the rich. The Guardian reports America’s three wealthiest billionaires—Bezos, Gates and Buffett—have as…
Journalism
Reward the wealthy, fail the needy
In 2011, Canada’s austerity driven federal government suspended, delayed or cancelled numerous Environment Canada programs, including the Action Plan on Clean Water. Stephen Harper’s administration made the choice even though…
They won; we lost
Financial elites have waged a decades-long campaign of self-interest against Canadians. They won; we lost. The most important front has been action to control mass media and reduce the influence…
A Most Worthy Initiative
Although it has almost become a cliche, knowledge is indeed power. It confers upon us the opportunity to think critically; it enables us to make informed choices, freeing us from…
Facts matter
The BC Press Gallery has been a private club, reluctant to admit new members. Emma Gilchrist, co-founder of The Narwhal and Executive Director of its predecessor Desmog Canada, had media…
Tuesday Night Journalistic Masochism
No politician has ever been removed from caucus in the history of Parliamentary politics in Canada. That is what I gather from Canadian media yesterday, The level of near hysteria…
The Leak Came From The PMO (And Other Lies Coming From Canadian Media)
This feels way too convenient to me. Every instinct in my body tells me that the Glenn Joyal leak came from either someone close to Jody Wilson-Raybould – either a…
My Last Post About SNC Lavalin (Also, I Lie Sometimes)
The worst part of this whole SNC-Lavalin faux scandal has been the polarizing effect that it has had on Canadian politics. I have never seen such a disconnect between journalism,…
My Second Podcast Appearance – The View Up Here (And Of Course Some Thoughts On SNC Fakegate)
//percolate.blogtalkradio.com/offsiteplayer?hostId=711695&episodeId=11232575 I sat down for a wide ranging chat with Canada Glen (@canadianglen) about the United We Roll convoy and the SNC Lavalin story, it is actually quite fair, and…
Introducing Political-Potshots.com (And Now For Something Completely Different)
I am so absolutely excited and proud to launch my very own website, Political Potshots! It is less a culmination of a lifelong dream, and more a step into the…
Local media is letting us down
Rule number one in The Elements of Journalism is: “journalism’s first obligation is to the truth.” Number three is “Its essence is a discipline of verification.” Keep those two in…
Breathless
Following Liberal defeat in the Nanaimo byelection, Global TV reporter Sarah MacDonald talked to Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson for the 11pm newscast. Breathlessly, she asked what is probably the worst…
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation And The Astroturf Lawnmower
Astroturfing is the practice of masking the sponsors of a message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from and…
The slow death of media credibility
A story in the recent issue of New Republic opens: “A decade of turmoil has left a weakened press vulnerable to political attacks, forced into ethical compromises, and increasingly outstripped…
Economic illiteracy in Canadian media
The Fraser Institute declares Tax Freedom Day each year. It is an inaccurate trick to further interests of the millionaires and billionaires for whom the “charity” works. Many of those…
Bitter old man
A person shilling for the pension funds management business complained about my recent article revealing extravagant salaries at the BC Investment Management Corporation (BMI). He wrote that I was a…
Good news, bad news
Bill Good is in the news this week. David Ball wrote about this news reader turned political activist in the The Star Vancouver. In years past, Mr. Good was a…
Unreliable narrators
In British Columbia, ethical rules of news gathering are not always followed. Some offences are minor, others are significant…
Postmedia distortions
Postmedia’s Colby Cosh demonstrates the truth of Jefferson’s quote, “The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.”