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Journalism in Hope Reaches an All New Low Standard
These days both print and visual media have little regard for objectivity, neutrality, or the facts. Rather than report on the news as a series of factual occurrences, the contemporary journalist often relies on selective, sensationalist commentary.
Some times, the political blowback is what the journalist is interested in regardless of who it hurts or how it puts certain people at risk. Such efforts serve to manufacture the news, not report the news.
When it comes to reporting on elections, two things offset the potential for journalism to be motivated by a transparent political partisanship. First, the Royal Commission Inquiry of 1992 led to electoral reform in many of the Provinces and The Canada Elections Act. In this regard, Elections Canada distributed a memo <Click Here >to all media about this year’s federal election. In addition, all of the media have signed an agreement about the proper use of polling data and reports. They have all agreed to following the provisions of the Canada Elections Act in accordance with the above-noted memo.
As readers of the media, we need to critically
deconstruct what journalists tell us. Often, by doing so, we can
identify underlying biases in what appears to be neutral. Compare the coverage of candidates in the Standard and elsewhere on this website, with a previous article. In her questioningly objective front page article in the Hope Standard, October 22, 2008, <Click Here> Simone Rolph essentially publishes the ongoing results of a straw poll carried out by a local coffee vendor with a history of ties to both the Chamber of Commerce and the Council. This report would probably violate the Canada Elections Act, if this were a Federal Election; nevertheless, I believe it violates the all-media agreement about the basic level of professionalism in reporting political polls during election campaigns. The violation would come from not reporting on the background methodology required by law and the all-media agreement:
• who sponsored the survey
• who conducted the poll
• when the poll was conducted
• the population from which the survey was drawn
• how many persons were contacted
• the survey’s margin of error
• if the survey was not conducted using recognized statistical methods
The reason for the law and for the all-media agreement is that people can be affected in their voting behaviour by such reports and, if they are not written properly, they can improperly and illegally impact the election. The report might suggest that said coffee vendor makes no claim to have followed appropriate scientific methodologies; however, it is mandatory that the media make factual reports. It may be a fact that the straw poll was conducted; but, the narrow political interests of a partisan coffee vendor should not be construed and reported as if these were 'the facts' of the local election. To do so, implies the worst kind of biased reporting under the guise of ‘Freedom of the Press.’
The front page article serves as free advertising for said coffee vendor, a fairly one-sided report by editor Simone Rolph, who seems more committed to influencing the election results than providing factual information to voters so they can make more informed choices on their ballots. Biased journalism is not a new phenomenon; however, the depths of naked partisanship, lack of intellectual luster, and only partial reporting of the facts in this small community newspaper seem unparalleled . It reminds one of the Bishop in Brecht’s play who, by refusing to look into Galileo’s telescope, thinks he can avoid the fact that the Earth is not at the centre of the Universe.
I love my home, my town, and my community. It is a shame that we must rely on such a low level of journalism for our partial accounts of the truth. The media, like the Council must maintain objectivity and show a sensitivity to alternate versions of 'what it is.' It is up to us, the general public and members of the Community, to hold the government and the media accountable to us. It is only in this way that we can increase the standard of both.
If elected, you can count on me to work at keeping both Council and the local newspaper accountable to us, the Community.
Please help support me in my efforts.
Vote for Dr. Brian D. MacLean on November 15!
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