We see this every day in the news, or, ahem, “news,” but it is getting increasingly brazen now, this Justin Trudeau face-licking. There’s even a hashtag for it now: #JustinJourno (or #JustinJournos) — and it’s a pretty popular hashtag. So I’m not the only one.
The featured headline in Today’s Toronto Star takes the cake.
“Don’t blame Justin Trudeau. It’s about time world leaders made fun of Donald Trump”
Here’s your first clue that this is not appropriate: it’s an opinion article, not a news article. Reminder that this is a newspaper. The Star’s main goal today, and on most every day, is not to dutifully report the news, but to guide your thinking on a matter of importance to them, to attempt to get you to align your thinking to their way of thinking. Just reporting the news straight up won’t do that for them. Facts lie! They need to therefore change the news, flavor it, filter it, or otherwise contort it so that it sways you the way they want it to. Sells you on a line of thought. An attitude. An impression of somebody or something. And today it’s attempted by a #JustinJourno, Susan Delacourt.
A side note here: I saw this tweet today which just about floored me because it was so apropos what I’m writing now:
Because, you see, journalists are not simply to report the news without fear or favor. Their mission instead is to convince the public that the president should be impeached and removed. Good lord. https://t.co/Wal1ekBY6Y
— Brit Hume (@brithume) December 5, 2019
Love President Trump or hate him, Prime Minister Trudeau made a stupid gaffe at the NATO conference. I agree it’s not the end of the world, but it is something that so obviously cannot in good conscience be endorsed for any reason whatsoever. But endorse Delacourt did. It made her look dumb, sycophantic, suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, and it’s plain mockworthy. (Irony.)
Delacourt is the one who moderated the leaders’ debate. Let that sink in. And the Toronto Star is one of the news media outlets that is to receive millions in federal (taxpayer) news media bailout funding. For this sort of news reporting.
These people have every right to their opinion as they are a private outfit (well, with taxpayer funding, sort of private, in a China kind of way). But how about if they are really mostly just engaged in opinion or propaganda, as the Toronto Star is, they don’t qualify for my tax dollars? Hmm? And they don’t moderate debates. Mkay? To do otherwise is to make a laughing stock of Canada.
When a newspaper which allows readers to believe it is impartial and objective and puts itself out there as an honest purveyor of news, fronts their daily edition with partisan political opinion in such a blatant and derogatory way (and so illogically), it is no longer to be taken seriously.
When this is repeated over and over, it’s not accidental, it’s not an editing problem; this is then propaganda. Taxpayer-subsidized propaganda.
Apparently they don’t care. And a huge percentage of Canadians don’t care either. They voted for this guy and his grand plans, and they read the Star.
The only laughing stock that is factually evident and newsworthy is theirs: their Toronto Star, and Justin Trudeau.
Global News article, March, 2019:
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
Contact Mr. Johannesen about this article using this form. Please refer to article's title.
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