Oooh, the fearmongering has started. Fox News North is coming! Batten down your remotes! If Liberal and NDP politicians are to be believed, Canadian airwaves are about to be flooded with right-wing propaganda, leaving hapless viewers at the mercy of pundits like Ezra Levant, who is rumoured to be courted to host a show on the new, as yet unnamed channel.
Funny, but when the decidedly left-wing Al Jazeera English (AJE) got regulatory approval last month for broadcast in Canada, nary a peep was heard from Parliament Hill, and its arrival was welcomed by media organizations such as Canadian Journalists for Free Expression. (Ironically, their news release contained no mention of the lack of freedom of expression in Qatar, where AJE’s openly anti-Semitic parent network Al Jazeera Arabic is based). But this reaction should not be too surprising. Fairness seems to be a relative concept in Canadian broadcasting – what’s left is fair, and what’s right is fair game for suspicion.
[More]
A simple word of advice to those who oppose a new channel – if you don’t like it, change the channel. There is no law in this country forcing you to watch a television station you do not like.
My goodness the hyperbole on this subject from the MSM – you would think the CBC head office in Toronto was about to be sold and their employees forced on the dole, collecting EI like the little people. Can’t have other opinions or ideas – no, no, no, that is a freedom of speech/thought too far. Cheers.
The more, the merrier. Its what a democracy is all about.
I remember when the Al Jazeera English discussions took place – according to many on “the right” Al Jazeera was unwanted and unnecessary and would flood the airwaves with unwelcome and undemocratic pro-Muslim, pro-terrorist, anti-Israel, anti-American propaganda to corrupt the minds of the young and innocent…. it was, if you believed what you read in some quarters, a veritable beginning of the end of western society and values and the Islamification of Canada.
Obviously that didn’t happen but I think that it is worth bringing up during the current discussions because once again it’s the opinions and rhetoric of hyper-partisan alarmists that is getting the attention and not what normal folks (who are the majority) think.
The CBC has a web poll up that shows 73% of people who participated would watch the new news channel – and that’s a site supposedly polluted with “leftists”.
It’s different stage – “we” are doing it now.
I think you are partially right Stageleft but at the time Al Jazeera was allowed into Canada Fox was banned so it seemed that our government masters were tipping the playing field in a specific direction.
Pinch me!! I’m dreaming. Something from the Right of the Spectrum rather than the Chavez/Fidel loving left. The very left that hasn’t met a terrorist they didn’t like or a Jew they didn’t dislike. GREAT NEWS. This will probably put the nail in the coffin of the CBC. Once the stats are in about who is watching what, there will be very little need for Mother Corp TV, radio yes, TV NO.
@Cy: Ain’t that always the way for all hyper-partisans…..
@Pat: I love it when people like like you generalize about “the left” – I bet you’re also the sort who takes great AND ALL CAPS OFFENCE if someone generalizes about “the right“. Personally I can’t say I’ve ever met a terrorist and I was quite shocked to hear that I actually dislike my Jewish friends… should I flail myself as penance or simply burn my vast left-wing conspiracy card and go into hiding until the next general election?
Narrow-minded leftists are going crazy at the thought of a different point of view, that demonstrates that they know their ideas are fragile and ideologically driven.
It seems the righties are more interested in antagonizing their “foes” than they are in what value this channel will add. More telling evidence of why most normal people couldn’t care less about politics.
“Why are people so afraid……….”
http://freedomnation.blogspot.com/2010/06/why-are-people-so-afraid-of.html
http://redensign.wordpress.com/2010/06/12/don-newwwwwwman-on-fox-news-north/
A new channel that will give us some facts – as Ezra will – would be a breath of fresh air in this news constipated pinko msm. Sooner the better. I agree with what Pat said @ 12:56
It seems the lefties are more interested in antagonizing their “foes” than they are in what value this channel will add
There fixed it for you.
Isn’t it amazing how one’s view depends on whose ox is being gored?
Stageleft: Glad that you liked it. I’ve been listening to leftist bull$hit for years that has generalized as a main course. Annoying isn’t it. Well, get out the clicker, put a block on the offensive channel and be happy. Or on the other hand, hang out on a right of center site and be offended. The joy of Canada, unlike most leftist countries, is you can’t do that. There is no opposition, it’s not allowed.