From: schuck@fraser.sfu.ca (Bruce Jonathan Schuck)
Subject: Re: Senate Interrogation
Reply-To: Bruce_Schuck@sfu.ca
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Distribution: can
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 17:26:44 GMT

labach@acs.ucalgary.ca (Terence Michael Labach) writes:

>In article <schuck.721521140@sfu.ca> schuck@fraser.sfu.ca (Bruce
>Jonathan Schuck) writes: 
>   The G & M has about 20 pages in it's News section of the 'National'
>   edition. Of those 20 pages, about half is ad space. That leaves 10
>   pages. Of those 10 pages, 1 page is devoted to letters to the editor,
>   where people can respond, where they applaud or chastise the views of
>   columnists and editorialist and news stories.

>   Thats 10% of the news pages dedicated every day it publishes.

>Since they bill themselves as Canada's business newspaper, I think it's
>inaccurate to leave out their business section in your page totals.
>...

Since 90% of the business section is ads or stock market listings I
hardly count that as 'news'. Besides, in adding up the 'news' on the
CBC I left out all the entertainment programs too. I didn't add in the
Travel section from the Weekend G & M either. But thats not 'news'.

>   The CBC Ombudsman report has come out many months after the show was
>   broadcast, unlike a letter to the G & M which would show up within
>   days.

>Of course, the Ombudsman had to study the issue, whereas the G & M has
>no obligation, and probably little interest, in examining the veracity
>of the letters they receive.

Newspapers *usually* respond to factual errors by publishing
a correction or writing an addendum to the letters saying something like
"we stand by the story as written."

But, the important thing is that the letters are published in the page
across from the editorial page, going to the same number of readers as
the original news story. The forum is important. Of course the print
is smaller and the letters aren't always written, but its an immense
improvement on the forum for people to respond to the CBC - none.

>  The two situations are completely
>different and only your apparent contempt for the CBC is offered as
>evidence that they are similar.  

The situtations are identical, except the CBC does not broadcast it's
viewers criticism, while newspapers do -- if it's reasonable.

>Like the senators, I fear that you are
>using this issue to bash the NFB and CBC, with no real concern as to the
>truth of the documentary.

I am using it both ways. A responsible network would offer rebuttal
time for controversial stories that 'rewrite' history. They can
broadcast stuff like the V & H, but they should have had a forum with
vets on it to state their side. The CBC doesn't like it because they
have divine faith that they are right.

>I did find that some overstatement occurred in the V & H, but to be
>honest, if you had actual film footage of "Bomber" Harris sodomizing
>choirboys, our chums in the Senate would say it's a plot to defame the
>memory of a great man.  

You really think so. I see where you are coming from now.

>They've no interest in the truth.  Those pompous
>old farts talk a lot about the freedoms they fought for, but they
>certainly don't have much time for free speech,

Free speech? If McKenna is right, his interpretation will stand up to
Senate criticism and historical review. Denying the right of veterans
groups and the Senate to rebut McKenna is denying *them* the right to
free speech. Of course, veterans groups don't get CBC funding to tell
their side.

> especially if it shows
>that their sainted heroes were (gasp!) only humans, like the rest of us.

I think that their criticism had more to do with the claims that
"Bomber" Harris was a war criminal and that Canadian bomber crews were
unwitting dupes.

Mistakes were made. Mistakes are *not* war crimes.
-- 
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"We've got to get bigger guns" -- Dick Durkin                  schuck@sfu.ca
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Newsgroups: can.politics