CTV's coverage of the recent parliamentary crisis was unbelievably one-sided and egregiously partisan. Mike Duffy was particularly subjective - one broadcast of Mike Duffy Live I watched on December 3rd consisted of interviews with Tories who opposed the coalition and the two Grits interviewed, Stephen LeDrew and a former Toronto MP were also opposed to the coalition while Duffy himself couldn't contain his own opposition using questionable and loaded words like "coup" to describe the arrangement, referring to it as the "separatist coalition" and repeating as fact the Tory talking point that the BQ was a coalition partner. An objective broadcast would have included an equal number of pro and anti-coalition talking heads but evidently Mike couldn't find a single coalition supporter to talk to. And what sort of interviews did he conduct? Watch this chat with Premier Brad Wall in which Duffy rolls his eyes when he first refers to the "event" of the coalition. Rather than challenging Wall (which is what one would expect in an interview, even if you're just playing Devil's Advocate) Duffy agrees with him throughout and adds to his objections calling the coalition at 3:38 claiming that the NDP is agreeing to be in bed with separatists.
Personally, I'm glad Duffy was appointed not because he will add anything to Parliament but because it will get him off the air.
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Well there is not much between the 5th estate and the short arm of govt. Duffy got his reward and he will ensure that whatever Harper says, he repeats ad nausea.
It is a very safe place for an ageing Humpty Dumpty. The first time I tuned into him was when I followed a link to his fat cat play on the Stephan Dion interview. Quite the prankster, I thought. Surely there was a linguist to call in to inform us about how confusing that question was with all those mixed tenses.And how Mr.Dion showed that he had a much better grasp of the Queen's English than did that Halifax interviewer. Harper apparently turned his plane round at this news and got to Ottawa to pounce on the occasion. And probably get another look at the clip which Duffy already played for Canadians 3 times. "Come on, the guy can't even understand a question or answer it"said every Canadian plumber and working man friend enjoying a beer together after work. So, yeah, that little clip was the tip of the melting iceberg and that is how Mr. Duffy got his Harper reward. A ticket to the Senate. Duffy did try a put down of Elizabeth May in a buddying up with Peter Mackay.She will NEVER get elected says Duffy and she's all mixed up about NAFTA. But nobody messes with Miz May and she didn't budge one inch. Right on the air she called him on his journalistic integrity. Duffy sputtered and blustered and Lizzie rebutted making Humpty Dumpty almost fall off the wall, so he went off air.Men of the media can do that. Cut. We didnot get to hear Elizabeth finish her sentence.Stephen liked this too! Gotta' hand it to you Duff.
All I'm going to say about this is that one supposes the truth hurts.
You can object to Mike Duffy's classification of the Coalition as a separatist coalition if you like. Ken Dryden very recently counted the Bloc Quebecois' seats in with the Coalition's total.
Considering that the Bloc's support is necessary for the Coalition to even be viable, and that the Bloc pledged their support in the very same agreement in which the Liberals and NDP formalized their Coalition.
Furthermore, other recent editions of Mike Duffy Live featured Liberal and NDP MPs selling the coalition in the absense of any Conservative members.
Duffy's show has hardly been as one-sidedly partisan as you'd like to insist. He's read emails on the air from Conservatives telling him that his "red Liberal party membership card is showing".
In other words, Duffy tends to infuriate the most intense partisans from either side of the aisle in this country.
There are a few people out there who think the National Post is too left wing. That doesn't make that newspaper an example of good journalism.
I didn't watch Mike Duffy Live regularly but the episode I did watch, the one that occured immediately after the coalition deal was announced, was the most one sided piece of "journalism" I've ever seen and I'm not even a supporter of the coalition.
In regards to the "separatist coalition" (and you overlooked his use of the word "coup") the point is not whether or not the BQ should be considered part of the coalition but that there was a disagreement about that characterization - Tories were using it, Liberals, NDPers and BQers were not, and by using it without qualification Duffy clearly let his opinion shine through.
Maybe Duffy's replacement could ask Brad Wall how he feels about having Pamela Wallin "represent" his province in the Senate. When was the last time she actually lived in that province? When was the last time that Duffy lived in PEI (which he is supposed to be representing)?
If you watched Mike Duffy regularly it was plain to see he was a conservative. I have to wonder about Mike Duffy’s journalistic ethics in using his position in the media to obtain a senate seat.
I would have to agree with Democracy Watch that appointing a political journalist raises question about the independence of the media. How long has Mike been vying for a senate seat and using his position to influence the Canadian public in the conservatives favor? Is this legal? Who will be the next political journalist to be courted for a seat on the senate? I guess we can only wait and see.
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Well there is not much between the 5th estate and the short arm of govt. Duffy got his reward and he will ensure that whatever Harper says, he repeats ad nausea.
It is a very safe place for an ageing Humpty Dumpty.
The first time I tuned into him was when I followed a link to his fat cat play on the Stephan Dion interview. Quite the prankster, I thought. Surely there was a linguist to call in to inform us about how confusing that question was with all those mixed tenses.And how Mr.Dion showed that he had a much better grasp of the Queen's English than did that Halifax interviewer.
Harper apparently turned his plane round at this news and got to Ottawa to pounce on the occasion. And probably get another look at the clip which Duffy already played for Canadians 3 times.
"Come on, the guy can't even understand a question or answer it"said every Canadian plumber and working man friend enjoying a beer together after work.
So, yeah, that little clip was the tip of the melting iceberg and that is how Mr. Duffy got his Harper reward. A ticket to the Senate.
Duffy did try a put down of Elizabeth May in a buddying up with Peter Mackay.She will NEVER get elected says Duffy and she's all mixed up about NAFTA.
But nobody messes with Miz May and she didn't budge one inch. Right on the air she called him on his journalistic integrity. Duffy sputtered and blustered and Lizzie rebutted making Humpty Dumpty almost fall off the wall, so he went off air.Men of the media can do that. Cut. We didnot get to hear Elizabeth finish her sentence.Stephen liked this too!
Gotta' hand it to you Duff.
All I'm going to say about this is that one supposes the truth hurts.
You can object to Mike Duffy's classification of the Coalition as a separatist coalition if you like. Ken Dryden very recently counted the Bloc Quebecois' seats in with the Coalition's total.
Considering that the Bloc's support is necessary for the Coalition to even be viable, and that the Bloc pledged their support in the very same agreement in which the Liberals and NDP formalized their Coalition.
Furthermore, other recent editions of Mike Duffy Live featured Liberal and NDP MPs selling the coalition in the absense of any Conservative members.
Duffy's show has hardly been as one-sidedly partisan as you'd like to insist. He's read emails on the air from Conservatives telling him that his "red Liberal party membership card is showing".
In other words, Duffy tends to infuriate the most intense partisans from either side of the aisle in this country.
Typically, that's the mark of a good journalist.
There are a few people out there who think the National Post is too left wing. That doesn't make that newspaper an example of good journalism.
I didn't watch Mike Duffy Live regularly but the episode I did watch, the one that occured immediately after the coalition deal was announced, was the most one sided piece of "journalism" I've ever seen and I'm not even a supporter of the coalition.
In regards to the "separatist coalition" (and you overlooked his use of the word "coup") the point is not whether or not the BQ should be considered part of the coalition but that there was a disagreement about that characterization - Tories were using it, Liberals, NDPers and BQers were not, and by using it without qualification Duffy clearly let his opinion shine through.
Maybe Duffy's replacement could ask Brad Wall how he feels about having Pamela Wallin "represent" his province in the Senate. When was the last time she actually lived in that province? When was the last time that Duffy lived in PEI (which he is supposed to be representing)?
If you watched Mike Duffy regularly it was plain to see he was a conservative. I have to wonder about Mike Duffy’s journalistic ethics in using his position in the media to obtain a senate seat.
I would have to agree with Democracy Watch that appointing a political journalist raises question about the independence of the media. How long has Mike been vying for a senate seat and using his position to influence the Canadian public in the conservatives favor? Is this legal? Who will be the next political journalist to be courted for a seat on the senate? I guess we can only wait and see.
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