Jan. 22, 2007: Bud Talkinghorn

Friends of Canadian Broadcasting's Ian Morrison took issue because Bud labelled his lobby group the Friends of the CBC (Jan. 20, 2007: Bud Talkinghorn - comment). Bud has responded:

I am sorry if I mislabelled your organization. Perhaps it is because almost all prime time broadcasting, excepting CBC's, gives us American fare. Still, your Friends of Canadian Broadcasting must be appalled at this CBC effort at comedy, "The Little Mosque on the Prairie". If you had read my blog on the first episode, you would understand the absurdity of its vicious stereotyping of rural westerners. Everybody except the minister was only a step away from donning their KKK outfits. All the program did was re-enforce the growing paranoia in the Muslim audience, while offending nearly every other Canadian, although some on the fringes of the left probably felt it vindicated their twisted anti-western, anti-democratic viewpoints. As for the Muslim audience, you are dealing with a religious group where, after it was a proven fact who committed 9/11, the majority of Canadian imams still refused to believe Islam was involved. Conspiracy theories about Mossad committing it, or Bush/Cheney involvement continued to circulate. All the "Little Mosque" says to them is "see we are hated and under attack."

I notice there was no rebuttal to the critique about the NB local CBC six o'clock "news". That news is reportedly inept and patronizing--"School Zone" hogging perhaps several of the twenty-two minutes. As for The National, it is blatantly anti-conservative / anti-Conservative federal government, anti-PM Harper and anti-American. Even Carol MacNeil understands that bias, and once said to Even Solomon on "CBC Sunday Morning" that those complaints should be examined by them in a future program. Solomon gave her a look that could turn her to stone. He didn't even respond. No siree, CBC is not opening that can of worms.

In closing, I must admit that occasionally CBC does it right. The programming for the kids and country folk is admirable. The original "DaVinci's Inquest" was well done drama. "This is Wonderland" showed great promise in its first year, fell back on the "crazies" in the second, and was slowly getting back in form by the third year. Then CBC cancelled it. Presently, "Intelligence" is intriguing. However "The Little Mosque on the Prairie" has hit a new low. Even John Doyle of The Globe and Mail could only (and this in the spirit of multiculturalism) muster, "It was sweetly hokey". Fort Dork, as Doyle is wont to call CBC, had better get with a more balanced picture, if it wants tax dollar support.

© Bud Talkinghorn



And from the distaff side:

Mr. Morrison, whatever the exact name of your group of supporters for CBC / Canadian Broadcasting ... if they are not the same, perhaps you could look further into this. Canadian broadcasting's general lack of investigative reporting and balanced analyses is doing Canadians a disservice. What follows is one small example of how media hide or de-emphasize news which might reflect negatively on any Liberal government, while going on ad infinitum about any negative they may find, or manufacture, concerning the present government. A goodly number of Canadians want freedom from government-funded and government-controlled media. First, if you want to contribute to Canada, help to get rid of the CRTC and its regulations which simply advance the interests of a pool of the acceptable business(es) and language group(s) Canadians are forced to support with tax dollars.

This is just one story where the Canadian mainstream media have been remiss.

Memory Lane: Re: Jean Chretien's government , Paul Cochrane , Natives , Sakeeg First Nations, Robert Nault , Andy Scott , Corruption

Frost Hits the Rhubarb, Mar. 6 - 12, 2005

frosthitsthe
rhubarb.blogspot.com/
2005_03_06_frosthitstherhubarb_archive.html

Search: Mar. 12, 2005

The Shotgun: Kevin Steele-Former Health Canada Asst. Deputy Minister Paul Cochrane Pleading Guilty-Huge Scandal-Millions-Native Treatment Centre

The mainstream media have been 'conveniently' remiss, I think, in order to maintain the status quo; thus they downplay news like this to protect those who don't want this information to roam too far into the minds of the electorate -- who might demand more transparency and accountability -- the kind of thing ex-Liberal Minister Robert Nault wanted to bring about. For his troubles, where is he today? Did he get a patronage position?

Once he leaves government, will the minister in charge of native affaurs and reserves, the [then] Minister, Andy Scott, get a patronage position for failing to insist on further investigation of the information about drugs coming into the Labrador Innu communities -- the communities that already have alcoholism and glue sniffing, along with other problems. He did manage to get a treaty agreement with at least one Innu chief who had previously been unhappy with the government. How was that accomplished in one publicized meeting?

The Shotgun: Kevin Steele Mar. 11, 05 -- Conspiracy of delusion ...

I'm having a little trouble finding a link to a Winnipeg Free Press story this morning about former Health Canada assistant deputy minister Paul Cochrane pleading guilty in a huge scandal--millions of dollars in funds--involving a Native treatment centre on the Sagkeeng First Nation. You would think a story about a scandal this size might make it onto our country's newswire service...

[....] And here is the story about Cochrane in full: [....]

A major story ... and how was it handled by your "Canadian Broadcasting" ... or was it dropped like a hot potato? How are drugs, along with copious amounts of booze, making their way into northern reserves? Who benefit? Why would then Min. Scott make a deal with at least one group of natives--with the chief, actually--outside parliamentary scrutiny ... by regulation? Not worth investigating by your precious Canadian media? What is the purpose of the Friends? To keep media jobs for members of the media group? To support what has been, not to improve it?

You might consider asking why there the other investigative pieces which have not been done on Canadian taxpayer-supported Foundations, after the Auditor General reported that money was hidden and its disbursement was not transparent, nor were foundations accountable to those whose money they were using. What investigation has your Canadian media done to find out where the money went? The same investigative reporting could be used on other taxpayer-funded agencies, NGO's, councils, etc. or is your group simply a lobbying group to keep the same sham news organization(s) in place? We want better. FHTR



The Canadian Skating Championship coverage--Popping their jumps

The television coverage of this championship is becoming unbearable. Don Black and Tracy Wilson carry on their gab fests throughout the performers' routines. They mute it only for the top two point-holders. Comic irony comes to the fore everytime Wilson sums up the performance with, "They didn't seem to co-ordinate with their music." Really, Tracy? How would we know, as you and Black blabbered all the way through it. The musical component was entirely destroyed for the viewer. Even more irritating was when they stopped talking for a few seconds, and we did catch the music. We wanted to hear the rest. Well, forget that nonsense, because Wilson feels obliged to mention that the couple overcame many hurdles to get here. Can't they keep this "backgrounder" until afterward?

There are other problems in this telecast. No matter how fabulous the performance of a fifth place or above contestant is, Wilson always mentions that "they have potential". Damned by faint praise division. While I can't blame the commentators for the perceived judging favouritism to certain skaters, e.g. Emmanual Sandhu, true announcers should state that fact. This point-stacking for favourites was the bane of the old system, but I feel that it is still working. Maybe Lauzon and Dubreuil should have won the dance; however, not with that large a score. Their skill and creativity is superb, but they didn't do that much better than Moir and Virtue. That being said, the naked frauds of the past, where every judge appeared to be marking by some secret system of their own, is thankfully long gone. [One of the male skaters, Scott Hamilton I think, said it is now just hidden so people cannot know which judges are colluding or being crooked playing favourites in their marking. FHTR]

Finally, grant the viewers some intelligence. We can see the obvious falls and twisted-up twizzles. The commentators must think they are narrating for the blind. I realize that there is an audience out there who demand constant noise, and would get fidgety if forced to watch and listen to a full three minutes of uninterrupted movement/musical fusion. They are the same people who demand that movies now all have muffling music soundtracks behind the actors' dialogue -- or have a 50 minute TV drama with five subplots for that matter. What is happening is a dumbing down of sport's programming. We used to shout at Dick Buttons and his inane moutermouthing through skating performances; now we have our own Canadian counterparts at whom we may shout "Quiet, Tracy".

© Bud Talkinghorn--The place for component critiquing is in the clips after the performance is over, or to fill space before the commercials.