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.
" nope, I don't have much faith in their abilities at all"
Course you don't. That's what I said. You have contempt for the electorate, unless they vote the "correct" way.
hurt feelings? not at all. You have contempt for everyone else, why should I be any different :)
@Tim Johnston:
"You don't even watch Fox News, how would you know? You know because people tell you that there are inaccuracies, the same people who spend their time watching for them, without realising that all networks and news sources make exactly the same errors;"
1st of all, I have watched Fox News -- pretty presumptious of you, no?
2ndly, it's not the "errors" I'm talking about, it's the outright misinformation, and bias of Fox to which I am referring. If you don't think Fox has an obvious right-wing axe to grind, there's really no intelligent dialogue poosible, I'm afraid.
""skewing mainstream opinion to the right"? you're kidding. You don't have much faith in people's abilities do you? Most are capable of forming their own opinions - that is what you have a problem with I suspect!"
The millions of people who voted for George Bush a second time; the 24% of the electorate in Canada who just voted for Harper; nope, I don't have much faith in their abilities at all. Nor do I yours, after your comments. Does that hurt your feelings? don't really care.....
It is not a question of faith in other people's abilities. It is that the range of opinion and facts are already so narrow and skewed that the SUN Network only makes it worse.
Unfortunately some of us have had to watch FOX News because it is foisted on us. FOX News was piped into the lunchroom of my last workplace and it was truly nauseating. Some people started finding other places to eat while for others it was in the background, helping to sustain the false assuptions of our culture.
"Contgrats on Media Watch! I've been hoping something like MMFA or FAIR would get going in Canada. Some of the comments to this article prove just how effective the right wing media has been in skewing mainstream opinion to the right. It's like jpineda84, Tim Johnston, and dandmb50 above have never heard of Fox News, or just how far from the facts these right-wingnuts actually go. Does anyone know where that study last year came from that showed that regular Fox News viewers had a huge list of basic facts wrong? eg., Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11, a large percentage of climate scientists doubted human-caused climate change; and a whole bunch of others. It was pretty pathetic."
You don't even watch Fox News, how would you know? You know because people tell you that there are inaccuracies, the same people who spend their time watching for them, without realising that all networks and news sources make exactly the same errors; the only difference is, nobody cares unless it's Fox.
"skewing mainstream opinion to the right"? you're kidding. You don't have much faith in people's abilities do you? Most are capable of forming their own opinions - that is what you have a problem with I suspect!
I'm sure they are pleased that their target demographic is satisfied with their programming. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for all the feedback! In depth coverage will begin shortly. In the meantime, feel free to "like" our new Facebook page! http://on.fb.me/MediaWatchCanada
I watched 5 minutes of Ezra (show #2). He lied. He said (about the Liberal attack ad which quoted Harper about the Canada Health Act) that they used an unsourced quote. He had to have known that the quote was sourced: the Globe and Mail and Macleans. The Globe subsequently retracted the quote. But the Liberals did not use it unsourced.
Contgrats on Media Watch! I've been hoping something like MMFA or FAIR would get going in Canada. Some of the comments to this article prove just how effective the right wing media has been in skewing mainstream opinion to the right. It's like jpineda84, Tim Johnston, and dandmb50 above have never heard of Fox News, or just how far from the facts these right-wingnuts actually go. Does anyone know where that study last year came from that showed that regular Fox News viewers had a huge list of basic facts wrong? eg., Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11, a large percentage of climate scientists doubted human-caused climate change; and a whole bunch of others. It was pretty pathetic.
All the best....
Which particiluar issue have they covered that is not covered by the other networks? An example please.
What is with the camera moves? Are these robot-cams gone amuck?
In your face? Like vomit if you have fallen down drunk on the sidewalk?
The other networks were already conservative in their assumptions; this just turns everything farther.
Everybody is watching them? 45 years? Can Quebecor bleed that long?
I've watched several hours of Sun TV over the last two days - It's obvious to me that many issues not covered in the regular media are getting merciless and unvarnished coverage.
it's not polished, it's restless and uncomfortable sometimes - but it's huge and right in your face.
Gotta like that.
@dandmb50 - I don't understand the big deal. Just change the channel, and move on. They have a point of view and isn't that what we all want. I don't agree with everything Sun News say, nor do I agree with everything the far left says, but they have the right to say it, and I have the right to change the channel or not even watch it, what a concept.
I didn't even know the people here, were liberals, but I guess if liberals lie, it's a different story. We disagree with them, so shut em down, even before they start.
I hadn't even planned on watching the SNN but because of all the fuss this has caused I thought I better check it out since so many people are bashing it, maybe it deserves a closer look. Thanks for all the attention you have brought to SNN, if you had said nothing, I probably never would have watched it, and never would have found out, it's not that bad. It's a different viewpoint, and as a regular guy, I like it.
It seems everybody is watching them, I'll give them 45 years.
Daniel .. Toronto
UPDATE - After watching a few of their shows, I don't like it, but at least I watched it and drew my own conclusions. I suggest everyone do the same, rather than dissing something you haven't watched. I find that Ezra to be very much like Glenn Beck, it's ineresting at first, occasionally, but after a while it's just nauseating and just plain bad.
The reason we hate the idea of a Sun TV network is that we knew full well who they would have (eg Ezra Levant). The point made previously about Pile-a-dough's lobbying to get away with false news is most telling and cannot be repeated enough. It was a central concern of Sun TV's owner that he wanted to be able to get away with knowingly broadcasting false news - that says it all. That the other media only mentioned this in passing shows they are not really all that willing to go hard after a supposed competitor. That one of their biggest stars, Ezra Levant, is a nauseating, smug, deceitful, bigoted, fatuous slimeball who gets loads of media with little substance is a real indictment. So is a big bouquet from Peter Worthington, a longtime blowhard bigot of note.
Oh there are other reasons to hate this network. Like that they are big on promoting models as bingo-callers (Krista Erickson was the paper's photo girl or whatever they call that odious feature they have), they give free reign to religious bigots but all their papers feature ads for strip clubs. Yet none of Canada's religious conservatives call them on that (so much for their commitment to their own beliefs).
Yes we hated the Sun TV network before it actually started broadcasting because those of us familiar with the Sun chain knew what was coming and unfortunately we were correct and they are ever so far to the Right.
Well, why then did they try to get the removal of the rule that forbids TV networks to broadcast "news" which they know is false?
Péladeau spent 3 hours behing closed doors with Harper about Sun TV (I am not making this up) whereas some heads of state only get 1 hour appointments. I do believe there is cause for concern, especially with the decidely right-wing and anti-union stance Péladeau has (personnally).
May I humbly suggest people who think this is premature read up on the topic?
The simple fact Ezra Levant is there is cause for major concern. This fellow is an attack dog. He is rabidly islamophobic, among other things.
http://pushedleft.blogspot.com/2010/09/ezra-levant-george-soros-and-fox-...
http://pushedleft.blogspot.com/2011/02/ezra-levant-reminds-us-of-wonderf...
(The person who has this blog is very well documented. She is a former Progressive-Conservative.)
Little bit by little bit, I'm feeling comforted as a result of the fightback I'm seeing against the ('disturbing' doesn't describe it) fascism we've slid into. First 'Canadians For Tax Fairness'. Now this. Good job folks!
Mr. Johnston, the reason you're seeing the Liberal ads on Sun TV is not because they want to run them but because they have to. It's a requirement of all broadcasters that they cannot refuse to air election ads.
By me having to point this out to you only confirms why we need a watchdog group that is familiar with laws and regulations and is willing to take the time to educate the uninformed public.
Note that the Sun Media's full retraction and apology is no longer available for free:
"The article "Retraction and apology to George Soros" is no more avaible for free!
If you want to read it, you can buy it from Toronto Sun's."
The emergence of a 'watchdog' that actually precedes the launch of a particular TV station is itself quite disturbing, but what is more so is the assumption that whatever is to be shown on that station is de facto incorrect and worthy of scorn by virtue of its stated conservative viewpoint. Such an outright and irrational hatred of an opposing viewpoint is unbecoming of any media organisation.
I would add that, while watching Sun today, I viewed several Liberal Party campaign adverts, which illustrates that Sun was true to its word when it stated that it wanted to represent all the voices of Canada.
Whether you agree or disagree with opinion, there is no reason to loath others for not sharing yours. Media opinion should always have a factual foundation, but I think as Canadians, we should give a little benefit of the doubt to our fellow neighbours that they are not actually out there to deceive and commit fraud, but express sincere and genuine beliefs. The hatred and vitriol lobbied against a news network that has not been on for 24 hours is concerning.
I called Vidéotron (another Péladeau co. that makes money like it's printing it) and asked them to make a note in my file that I NEVER want Sun BS.
And he can stick his hockey arena in Quebec City you know where. This is basically a panem and circenses strategy, plus convergence.
Great addition; thanks again. So badly needed.
So great to see this. I will NEVER watch that shit, but unfortunately, many heads in their asses Canadians will. At least this site will refute the garbage being spewed on a minute by minute basis by this new "news" station.