Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Harper Out Of Control

The message control agenda of the Harper government is reaching Goebbels like proportions:
Stephen Harper's dispute with the Parliamentary Press Gallery escalated yesterday when he reluctantly ceded control over which journalists could ask about his proposed federal accountability act -- and then took questions from just two of them.

The skirmish began when the press gallery stated its intention to set up two microphones at a morning news conference in the House of Commons lobby. That arrangement would have allowed reporters to determine who could ask questions and in what order. Mr. Harper's press assistant has made those choices ever since the Tories took office.

Some members of the media say that if the Prime Minister's Office controls who gets to ask questions, they won't call on reporters whose stories they don't like.

This latest draconian measure is the equivalent of a payoff for government friendly reporters and overt punishment for anyone who dares to criticize. I am glad to see the press refused to follow the Harper rules, although Harper did single out a Canwest reporter for a question, despite the fact he wasn't in line. Harper's measure resembles the Bush pressers, wherein he refuses to call on reporters known to have critical opinions of his Iraq policy.

There is no other way to spin this new policy, it represents selective journalism that detracts from the notion of a free press. Ironic, that on a day when Harper trumpets his new accountability and openness agenda, he also reveals his disdain for open debate. All these measures to limit the press beg the question, what are trying to hide? What is so heinous that the government needs to go to such lengths to censor the press?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I saw the news conference. It was supposed to be about the new accountability act. The first question in French was about UNESCO. The 2nd in English after Julie Van Dusen hollered and proved why the public sees the press gallery as a pack of braying wolves was about Bernard Shapiro.

So - if you were there to address the media so the media could then inform the public would YOU have considered this a fair use of your time.

I think not.

Anonymous said...

Dennis,

In a free and democratic society, the press has to be given the right to obtain and disseminate information to the public without encumberance or control from those who can clearly benefit by placing a muzzle on dissent.

The thin attempt to justify cherry-picking your questions changes news to an infomercial. The credibility is lost, both for the politicians and for the press who pander to this behaviour. Sadly, you would rather play apologist for this government. I wonder if you would be so complacent had Martin done the same thing. And, before you rebut, please note that what harper has done is roll back and deny access that has been tradition for the press for over 30 years.

Steve V said...

dennis

Actually, the circumstance of media asking off-topic questions is a function of limited access. You see the same thing whenever Bush is available to the media. The media is forced to ask off-topic questions because it may be the only occasion to ask, due to the limited access. Your complaint is further proof to argue why there should be unlimited media access.

Lord Kitchener's Own said...

Of course, Dennis, this presupposes that you've bought in to the line that the government should answer questions only about those things that they want to talk about, and not what the press wants them to talk about. That government officials should go before reporters "when they have something to report" and that reporters should dutifully ask questions only about the issue being reported, so that Ministers of the government can safely avoid being questioned about things that make them uncomfortable.

I for one don't want to hear MY government complaining that they should only be asked questions about the topic they called the Press Conference about, and nothing else, and that if the media doesn't play along their doing a disservice.

I'm getting pretty sick of the people who said they were going to be "different" and "accountable" acting pretty much the same as every government that we've ever had, and complaining that they're somehow being held to a higher standard than the government before them. Being held to a higher standard was the TORIES' IDEA!!! and I swear, if I hear another Tory Member of Parliament claim that we should stop worrying about how they're acting, because they're just doing the same sorts of things the Liberals used to do, my head will explode.

And you've gotta love a government that restricts the Press' access to the PM and other government Ministers complaining that the Press is asking questions about things that are off topic. OK, so the Press can no longer speak to Cabinet Ministers, and when they DO finally get someone in front of them, they can't ask any of the questions that the can't get Cabinet Ministers to answer, they must only ask questions relavent to the issue being discussed at the government organized Press Conference. Got it. The government will speak when, where and how they choose, about what THEY want to talk about, through the PMO, and if the Press wants to ask questions about anything else, tough luck. That ought to keep the government accountable. Well, accountable to the PMO anyway.

The role of a free press is to hold the government's feet to the fire, and make them talk about the things that make them uncomfortable. Making the government uncomfortable IS THEIR JOB, and I'm glad to see they still want to do it. Talking about what the government wants to talk about, when the government wants to talk about it is the job of the PM's communications staff, not the Press Gallery, and it's about time the Tories clued in to he fact that the Press doesn't work for them, and won't be dictated too.