FoxyMedia

CBC = propaganda, whines the National Post

More evidence that the Right can dish it but they just can't take it.

Found in today's National Post's Comment section:

"We interrupt this propaganda"

It is only a matter of time before the CBC interrupts its regularly scheduled programming to present Noam Chomsky's views on Canada's federal election campagin. Yesterday, the public network featured as two of its top five "news" items on its online morning digest dire warnings about a Stephen Harper government from two representatives of the loony left in the United States: Michael Moore and Ralph Nader. First this shock news: "U.S. filmmaker Michael Moore sounded off Wednesday on Canada's election, warning votes not to elect a Conservative government." And then it followed up with another breaking story: "Following on the heels of filmmaker Michael Moore, U.S. presidential hopeful Ralph Nader is asking Canadians not to support the Conservatives, saying a right-wing government would undermine the country's social safety net." It's the kind of paternalistic propaganda from the U.S. left that you might expect to see in organs like the Georgia Straight of Toronto's Now magazine, or any campus rag across the country. Instead, it is given serious news treatment by our publicly funded broadcaster. Imagine CBC's response had the U.S. intervention been from say, Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh. Mother Corp would either have lined up a chorus of hand-wringing nationalists lamenting this assault on Canada's sovereignty, or studiously ignored the story. So where are you Maude Barlow, when we really need you?

I would give you a link but the Post doesn't like to give things away for free. You have to pay to read their propaganda, er, I mean news coverage. I shouldn't trash Canada's right-wing newspaper, there was a time when I wrote for them—in the sports section, but come on.

Izzy Asper, (former owner of CanWest which owns the Post) once went on CBC television about a year before his death. He told his interviewee, somewhat bitterly, that the CBC was pro-Palestinian and should not side with anyone on the Middle East issue because it is a publicly funded media agency. And yet he was known for his long zionist editorials and to this day, his newspaper is still criticized for jumping at every opportunity to call any Muslim a terrorist.

So my question for the National Post is: just because you're privately funded, does that mean your propganda is labelled news and all opposing views that may or may not be publicly funded, are called propganda?

Links:
National Post
CBC

The definition of propaganda?

By now you must know that today is the official release date of Fahrenheit 9/11. Media outlets are littered with dicussion of the latest and most controversial Michael Moore film to date. There are numerous articles from all sides of the political spectrum, all discussing some element of the film. I'd like to focus on the question of what defines propaganda? Or, more specifically, why some people argue that Moore's film is propaganda while "news" agencies like CNN, FoxNews, CBS, are well, "news" and not biased information sources?

I feel like the word "propaganda" has lost its meaning. Moore is certainly not hiding his bias while these news sources claim to be "balanced." So what is propaganda? Is it when someone is so obviously biased that it's clear that they stand on a certain side of an argument? Is it still propaganda when television news uses its own editing techniques and sneaky biases to put together its version of news? Or when journalists or all media fail to properly report on important government activity (or inactivity)? Is this website propaganda because I said the news networks have "sneaky" biases?

According to Merriam-Webster:

prä-p&-'gan-d&, "prO- Function: noun 1 capitalized : a congregation of the Roman curia having jurisdiction over missionary territories and related institutions, 2 : the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person, 3 : ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause; also : a public action having such an effect

During his interview on CBS's The Early Show, Moore defended his film and attacked American television networks for producing their own propaganda:

As for his film being propaganda, he says, “No. I consider the CBS Evening News propaganda. Why don’t we talk about the news on this and the other networks that didn’t do the job they should have done at the beginning of this war, demanded the evidence, asked the hard questions.

“We may not have even gone into this war, had these networks done their job. I mean, it was a great disservice to the American people because we depend on people who work here and the other networks to go after those in power and say, ‘Hey, wait a minute. You want to send our kids off to war? We want to know where the weapons of mass destruction are. Let’s see the proof. Let’s see the proof Saddam Hussein had something to do with Sept. 11.' There was no proof and everybody got embedded and everybody rolled over and everybody knows that now,” he says.

Links:
"Moore Takes Aim at Bush, Networks"
Fahrenheit 9/11 Official Site
Michael Moore's Offical Site

Salon interview with Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton speaks to Salon.com's Joe Conason. The interview doesn't offer anything really surprising, but he discusses his opinions on Iraqi links to al-Quaida, apologizes for not acting in Rwanda and offers advice to John Kerry.

With his recent book tour to promote My Life and the sliding popularity of George W. Bush, it seems Clinton's name pops up more and more and with that, his own popularity and sway in American politics is also on the rise. This makes me wonder what the political landscape would look like if Clinton were to run for presidency again...

Media is sexy

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