Sunday, November 9, 2008

Proof of Canadian media's willingness to suppress news at Harper's behest


.....just like the media have suppressed the news that Harper's tax leakage argument is an utter lie.

What a La Presse columnist writes about the Afghanistan abduction

Michèle Ouimet : Negotiate with the enemy?


All the big media in English Canada, without exception, knew about the kidnapping from the beginning. All, chose to remain silent.
Would they have shown the same solidarity with a humanitarian worker of some obscure NGO? Several news organizations published the name of the Canadian journalist kidnapped in Somalia on August 23. Why? Because she was a freelance journalist and did not have the CBC machine to protect her? She is still being held hostage and no one is upset.
Mellissa Fung was kidnapped on October 12, that is to say two days before the Canadian election. During the election campaign, Stephen Harper was able to avoid the Afghanistan issue.
And if news of Ms. Fung’s kidnapping of had fallen like a bomb in the home stretch of the campaign? How would voters have reacted upon learning that the government negotiates with the Taliban or with criminals?
Would this story have influenced their vote? Perhaps. But that was for Canadians, not the media—who, with CBC in the lead, embargoed the story--to decide.
The journalists are the first to raise the public’s right to know, but they become super-sensitive when one of their own is threatened.
Canada is at war, its soldiers are dying. A war that costs billions of dollars. However, with the silence and complicity of the media the Harper government negotiated with the enemy to save a life. With no public discussion.

Editor's note about the author: *Michèle Ouimet, La Presse, Montreal,
2008 National Newspaper Award winner in the category of Investigations for stories on Canada's mission in Afghanistan and what has happened to aid sent there.

6 comments:

Dr Mike said...

I hate kidnappers---just a lousy bunch of terrorists with an angle.

They will trade for money or for prisoners.

What did they get in this case---Harper says no money changed hands.

Maybe , if you can believe a guy who does not normally tell the truth.

Dr Mike Popovich.

Anonymous said...

Where's the link to the article in La Presse?

Anonymous said...

How not disclosing Mellissa Fung's kidnapping played directly into Harper's election communications strategy





We are told that Mellissa Fung was kidnapped on October 12, 2008. Meanwhile here’s Harper’s “relationship” with the media, circa the point in time of Mellissa’a kidnapping:

Harper’s handlers warn he may no longer take questions from media

STEVEN CHASE

Globe and Mail Update
October 11, 2008

LONGUEUIL, QUE. — Stephen Harper appears to be bunkering down to avoid last-minute mishaps in the final days of the campaign: His staff are warning it’s likely that the Conservative Leader won’t take any more questions from journalists accompanying his tour until election day. They handed out a schedule for Sunday that has no time set aside for talking to the approximately 20 reporters who are accompanying Mr. Harper on his campaign.

Fillibluster said...

Anonymous asked:

Where's the link to the article in La Presse?

The La presse article is in French. here's the translation:


http://members.shaw.ca/nspector4

Anonymous said...

According to a Globe and Mail correspondant in Afghanistan being interviewed on CTV's QP today - he suggested the black out.

Reason - terrorists like to take hostages and behead them during elections, etc. to get attention.

I just don't care why it was kept quiet - I just care that she was freed and that's all we should care about.

Anonymous said...

Everything you need to know about Harper's involvement in suppressing this information from Canadians back on October 12, 2008 was avaailable from the first news accounts of this story. EG:

Blackout on Canadian reporter's kidnapping posed dilemma for media
The Canadian Press

November 8, 2008

"But both the CBC and the Prime Minister's Office asked Canadian news organizations to hold off reporting the story, saying any publicity would jeopardize chances of a safe and speedy resolution."

Brent Fullard