Bring on The Photo Ops, There's an Election Near!
By Ben Meisner
Wednesday, October 05, 2005 03:54 AM
Have you noticed just how many good news stories have been flowing out of City Hall in recent weeks, all from the Mayor's office" Coincidently, he announced earlier that he will seek another term.
Trying to pile some good news on top of the issues that this Mayor can take credit for, has been the move ,and so far it has worked well.
Read a story in the Prince George Citizen and rarely does a day go by where there isn’t a story written by Mark Neilson who should have a by line that reads; Colin Kinsley’s mouth piece.
It’s the new way that the politicians operate; if you might write a story that might be critical of the person in question, simply don’t talk to them. Hand out all those good news stories to the person who you can count on printing them. The practice isn’t by the way preached just by our own Mayor, he probably got some teaching from the provincial Liberals who make it a practice of never handing out a story to someone who might wish to be critical of them.
Call it an attempt to manage what you read or hear, it works, and is being used more and more. Recently my old colleague and friend Rafe Mair said that he is witnessing this type of behavior more and more. Looking to get interviewed? Find someone who will toss soft balls and never ever ask a leading question.
What is so sad is the fact that the reporters who get caught up in this charade will get tossed out with the dish water just the moment the politician is effectively finished with them.
They may think they have the scoop on things, in reality they are being duped by an ever increasing political manipulation.
I’m Meisner and that is one man’s opinion.
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I am very disappointed in the consolidation of the media over the last ten years and feel this is the #1 threat to our democracy. All major media in BC is now controlled from three board rooms who actively manage the news to fit their corporate sponers agenda. The major media is no longer a critic of a corporate controlled government, and it no longer is an accurate reflection of the views of the people it proports to represent.
We see this in the States where all TV and radio and 80% of the newspapers are controlled from the board room by 5 men, all of whom share extreme views on the consolidation of media as a political tool.
I think the only solution is to have a law in BC at least that says no one media company can control any more then 20% of the market in any one form of media including TV, newsprint, and radio. Anything short of providing this kind of competition is asking for our democracy to become a puppet on the strings of propoganda by those who have the money to finance our reality as seen through the media.
In PG I would like to see the Citizen owned by the community possibly steered by a big community based corporation like Brink Forest Products, Lomak Bulk Systems, Pacific Western Brewers, CC Industries, WIC, or even the local Chamber of Commerce.
Time Will Tell