Don’t be blinded by SunTV: follow rabble.ca’s (Sun) Media Watch rabble.ca introduces a new media watch blog, and media consumer driven Twitter feed: #sunwatch
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts ~ Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Back in September of 2010, I wrote an exposé entitled Ezra Levant vs Reality – A Prelude To Fox News North in which I thoroughly challenged Levant’s characterization of George Soros.
My intention was to shed light on the type of “journalism” Levant ascribes to while providing readers with detailed information countering Levant’s claims; creating a layout of the facts versus what Levant purported to be true.
It’s well known that in the world of politics, any lie which goes uncorrected soon becomes the truth.
So, while I’d hoped to correct the record before Levant’s propaganda metastasized beyond control, I couldn’t have predicted my piece would elicit such an overwhelming response, including Soros filing suit against Levant and Sun Media, resulting in a full retraction and apology printed in The Toronto Sun‘s editorial section 13 short days after Levant’s original column ran.
The swiftness in which these events occurred was made possible by Media Matters For America (MMFA), an organization dedicated entirely to “comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media.”
You see, not only is Levant a purveyor of propaganda, but he’s a lazy one at that. Having followed MMFA for a number of years, I quickly recognized the accusations against Soros, the same ones regurgitated on a daily basis by Fox News’ Glenn Beck, had constituted much of Levant’s column.
So, exposing the misinformation imported by Levant was simply a matter of correcting the record, point by point, with the well documented, irrefutable, facts compiled through MMFA.
The idea of a comprehensive media accountability, similar to that provided by MMFA, is one which has been contemplated by many Canadian progressives throughout the years. So, with the official launch of Sun TV News — featuring none other than Levant himself — there has never been a better time to establish just this kind of service.
Welcome to rabble.ca’s newest initiative — (Sun) Media Watch.
Born out of necessity, driven by a passion for accuracy, fueled by a dedication to facts, (Sun) Media Watch is committed to dispelling myths perpetrated by ideologically driven reporters and sensationalist media; to correcting the misinformation presented as fact in their effort to further a particular agenda.
Though we’re starting off small, rabble.ca’s Media Watch aims to cover a wide range of media, from uninformed editorials to inaccurate reporting. At Media Watch, our team of dedicated spin decoders and lie detectors won’t just point out misinformation, but will provide you with links to, and information about, the sources from which we cite the accurate information.
Be it scientific data, peer reviewed research, documented fact or expert analysis, we’ll give you the tools you need to further investigate the issue, should you so desire. And we invite you to share with us the inaccuracies you encounter; which you’d like to see corrected — either by tweeting using #sunwatch hastag, or via email to sunwatch [@] rabble.ca
They say you should never stare directly into The Sun — such wise advice, which Media Watch enthusiastically endorses. After all, unchecked political propaganda leads to ideological blindness.
Support rabble today!
We’re so glad you stopped by! Thanks for consuming rabble content this year.
rabble.ca is 100% reader and donor funded, so as an avid reader of our content, we hope you will consider gifting rabble with a donation during our summer fundraiser today.
Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet.
Become a rabble rouser — donate to rabble.ca today.
Nick Seebruch, editor
