Fox News North Thwarted (F*&k yeah!)

The problem with Fox style news is that they have pundits instead of reporters. Any news station that comes out claiming to speak for any one group is suspect in my books.

Thanks Nat.

It's been a bad week for Harper: security council, camp mirage, now this.

Maybe he'll get the point that he's no longer wanted around here.

The only thing that could salvage my respect for Harper is if he took that fucking Ben Mulroney piece of trash with him when he retired to the Hamptons.

Personally, I believe a "right wing" news station would be a good thing for Canada. CBC is so slanted to the left i'm surprised it isn't tipping over.

Don't get me wrong, I hate fox news. I don't want a propaganda machine like that. But I seriously doubt that this new news station would have been anything like it anyways.

A little balance would be nice.

Strange, I view some parts/opinion of CBC as right leaning and I'm originally from Alberta.

There may not be a far right news source, but the NSMB crowd does have point on the center/moderate comments. The bad thing about Fox and others is that they report a pre-formed opinion on an event. Right, left, whatever… political spin on events is simply not journalism. Reporting should be done from the middle.

Out of curiosity, and assuming CBC is on the average moderate, is there any uber-left leaning/spinning news sources in Canada? I don't mean the pamphlets you get from hippies, but serious nationally reaching sources. As mentioned, this whole left-center-right liner view of news is utter BS and is completely relative/subjective. Still a comparison would be interesting.

Let me preface this by saying I am steadfastly opposed to Fox news and everything it puts on the air.

That said, I have a very difficult time celebrating this and I hope the channel is successful in its new bid without special assistance. If the channel is launched without special assistance, same as any other, it deserves its place.

As much as I dislike the idea of this channel, or many religious channels and ethnocentric channels for that matter, I respect their right exist. I am far more paranoid that a majority of people can stop freedom of speech if they don't like the content rather than the content of the speech itself (provided the speech is within the bounds of our laws).

Let me preface this by saying I am steadfastly opposed to Fox news and everything it puts on the air.

That said, I have a very difficult time celebrating this and I hope the channel is successful in its new bid without special assistance. If the channel is launched without special assistance, same as any other, it deserves its place.

As much as I dislike the idea of this channel, or many religious channels and ethnocentric channels for that matter, I respect their right exist. I am far more paranoid that a majority of people can stop freedom of speech if they don't like the content rather than the content of the speech itself (provided the speech is within the bounds of our laws).

no one stopped freedom of speech, they can still pony up their own money to pay for the their own station….but they realized that financial model doesn't work and they tried to get us to pay for their station….big difference

no one stopped freedom of speech, they can still pony up their own money to pay for the their own station….but they realized that financial model doesn't work and they tried to get us to pay for their station….big difference

I agree and I thought I said as much. This channel has every right to exist as a regular Category 2 cable channel in Canada, no special exceptions. However when you look at the petition against this channel the issue of Category 1 and Catgory 2 licenses isn't even mentioned. Only a vague reference to "funded with money from our cable TV fees". So did most people sign this petition because they are concerned about the use of our cable fees, or did they sign it becuase they think Fox news is "hate-filled propaganda". I cannot see how the freedom of Speech issue can be completely removed from this debate.

Again, I hate Fox news, I just respect its right to exist in our society.

Here is the petition Nat referred to: (the bold is not mine)

Prime Minister Harper is trying to push American-style hate media onto our airwaves, and make us all pay for it. His plan is to create a "Fox News North" to mimic the kind of hate-filled propaganda with which Fox News has poisoned U.S. politics. The channel will be run by Harper[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;s former top aide and will be funded with money from our cable TV fees!

One man stands in the way of this nightmare - the Chairman of Canada's Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Konrad von Finckenstein.[HTML_REMOVED]/B[HTML_REMOVED] And now, news reports suggest that Harper may be trying to pressure the CRTC. Sign the petition below to send a wave of support to von Finckenstein and forward this campaign to everyone - we'll publish full page ads in Canadian papers when we reach 100,00

Maybe he'll get the point that he's no longer wanted around here.

The only thing that could salvage my respect for Harper is if he took that fucking Ben Mulroney piece of trash with him when he retired to the Hamptons.

lol

And the wifey.
She ordered a $23,000 ice sculpture (of the Toronto skyline no less) for the Prime Ministers dinner during the G20.

a big fuck yeah! to Nat…and I hadn't even heard of that happening

Anyone who's opinion is different from ours must be prevented from speaking.
We can not let divisive voices be heard.
And anyone who diagrees must be re-educated.
Nat, can we use your basement?
Anyone else have a spare car battery and some jumper cables.
We must nip this freedom of speach thing in the bud.

There is a difference between freedom of speech and freedom from facts.

If a network is going to have NEWS in it's name, it should be subject to independent, non-partisan fact checking and have a system of penalties in place for mis-representing the facts or subjectively editing quotes and playing them without context.

Good riddance Sun News, there is no place for you in Canadian politics. You would do nothing other than create the same poisonous, partisan bickering that has deadlocked the American political system. Spinning news to support a political agenda, left or right, only serves to create a My-news-is-better-than-your-news dialog which only further dumbs down an already dumbed down populous.

My-news-is-better-than-your-news dialog witch only further dumbs down an already dumbed down populous.

BURN THE WITCH!!!

Kn.

Let me preface this by saying I am steadfastly opposed to Fox news and everything it puts on the air.

Before I go on a racist screed, let me just preface that screed by saying some of my best friends are black…

That said, I have a very difficult time celebrating this and I hope the channel is successful in its new bid without special assistance. If the channel is launched without special assistance, same as any other, it deserves its place.

"Special assistance" is a nice turn of phrase. You missed the whole point of this, which is the DIRECT interference of the PMO in attempting to squeeze out the head of the CRTC, and setting his former Chief of Staff up as the HEAD of this whole thing. Now, all these supposed free-market evangelists are crying foul - SunTV admitted that this was NOT a commercially viable proposition, and it was an attempt to force a propaganda channel on the Canadian public. The petition and the action taken to stop it was directed at the request for "must carry." The application was not approved on this basis, which I believe is the correct decision to make. That's some pretty "special assistance" they were looking for.

Secondly, you have every right to pay for this channel; to get your friends to pay for this channel - heck, start a petition. I knew that if the decision was made against "must carry," that the "free market" voices would spin this like sore losers. The Quebecor head actually said he'd "renounce" the must carry part of their license application LOL. He'd have been happy to have it, but since he lost fairly, he plays to the base by "renouncing" it.

As much as I dislike the idea of this channel, or many religious channels and ethnocentric channels for that matter, I respect their right exist. I am far more paranoid that a majority of people can stop freedom of speech if they don't like the content rather than the content of the speech itself (provided the speech is within the bounds of our laws).

Huh? Are you kidding me? Neo-cons sure are sore losers when the fight is fair. How about free speech at the G20? Where were you speaking out for the right to people to assemble freely on public property? When police were making up laws to detain people? Harper and Day had no qualms about walking over the Charter there. To be clear - at NO point is this about stopping content I or anyone else finds objectionable. If there is a MARKET for it, then by all means.

I love how welfare isn't a bad thing if it's directed at corporations or conservative interests.

BURN THE WITCH!!!

Kn.

I am not a which….. wait…

"Special assistance" is a nice turn of phrase. You missed the whole point of this, which is the DIRECT interference of the PMO in attempting to squeeze out the head of the CRTC, and setting his former Chief of Staff up as the HEAD of this whole thing. Now, all these supposed free-market evangelists are crying foul - SunTV admitted that this was NOT a commercially viable proposition, and it was an attempt to force a propaganda channel on the Canadian public. The petition and the action taken to stop it was directed at the request for "must carry." The application was not approved on this basis, which I believe is the correct decision to make. That's some pretty "special assistance" they were looking for.

I did not miss the whole point of this at all. "Special assistance" was a spin on the term "special help" from the article you referenced.

I understand the interference by the PMO. I clearly state in my second post that this channel has the right to exist as a Category 2 channel.

"This channel has every right to exist as a regular Category 2 cable channel in Canada, no special exceptions."

I also believe the refusal of a "must-carry" was the correct decision. My point being that I think a lot of the anger directed at the channel is based on the content it plans to carry. APTN, CBC news, CTV News and others are currently "must carry" and the majority of people aren't angry about that.

Huh? Are you kidding me? Neo-cons sure are sore losers when the fight is fair. How about free speech at the G20? Where we you speaking out for the right to people to assemble freely on public property? When police were making up laws to detain people? Harper and Day had no qualms about walking over the Charter there. To be clear - at NO point is this about stopping content I or anyone else finds objectionable. If there is a MARKET for it, then by all means.

I love how welfare isn't a bad thing if it's directed at corporations or conservative interests.

I think you have made the incorrect assumption I support Harper or that I am a Neo-Con. I think in your eagerness to look for an argument you have missed the fact that I agree with you here on just about every point. The only thing we seem divided on is the role of the content with regards to the passion people seem to have to prevent this channel and signing the petition. I think content was relavent.

If this is not about stopping the content, why does the petition reference it? Why is there no mention of Category 1, Category 2 "must-carry" and basic Category 2 in the petition?

This quote from the petition has nothing to do with content?
"His plan is to create a "Fox News North" to mimic the kind of hate-filled propaganda with which Fox News has poisoned U.S. politics."

I understand your argument, hell I agree with it, but lets call a spade a spade. If this was a must-carry channel for anything else it wouldn't be receiving this level of petitioning and media attention. The content is a major part of the debate. I can't believe that you could honestly say with a straightface that your hatred of Neo-Cons, Fox news and the PMO have nothing to do with you celebrating this.

Before I go on a racist screed, let me just preface that screed by saying some of my best friends are black…
.

Finally comparing anything I wrote to a "racist screed" is extremely insulting, sarcastic or otherwise.