Cornwall ON – I just received a phone call from Tim Hudak’s media guy; Jason Lietaer phoned me up. What is it with Conservatives and threatening me with legal action? Mr. Hudak is visiting Cornwall this afternoon, and is the only leader to demand accreditation for events. So I called and not only asked for accreditation, but a one on one.
Jason was upset over my opinion pieces about the $10K tax credit. He suggested I’d broken the law by using imagery that connotated Mr. Hudak and his local candidate’s position with racism. We still though; at least until Mr. Harper’s new crime bill passes; live in a free country where journalists are allegedly free.
I was shocked at his allegations and frankly think this was just an excuse. I guess we’ve been hitting some nerves with our Mr. McFuddle references to the local PC candidate, Mayor Jim McDonell of South Glengarry.
Mayor McFuddle story: 300% Water Tax increase and Quebec CAO while crying foul about the $10K Tax Credit.
But deep at the roots of this is fear and Democracy. A man, Tim Hudak, who wants to be premier of Ontario is banning a lone independent journalist who has been fair and open. Have I written some tough opinion pieces on him? Sure, so has WarrenKinsella and countless other journalists. Are they going to be banned too? Here in this part of Eastern Ontario the media are very much biased towards a Conservative slant.
Does the public get serviced when the message is controlled? When does it go from news to Propaganda? For anyone to bar a journalist from covering a simple event for this sort of rhetoric is a very frightening attack against Democracy and Freedom of the Press. It’s a dark stain on a very proud province and country.
As someone without a criminal record; who’s never caused an incident at any public event, and has even treated Mr. Hudak and his team fairly (including publishing his 911 message this past week) this goes beyond the realm of partisan politics. It goes to the root of what makes us free and Canadian.
Jason Lietaer, Tim Hudak, and people like him have to learn and understand that the media is not here just to shout out propaganda slogans. This isn’t Nazi Germany. And just because someone says something you don’t like is not grounds from keeping them from protecting society by reporting actual events as they happen.
Jason in action with other media:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6k-kFOwWLw
From forcing me to stop shooting video to now banning me from covering their events this is not how good governments are created and maybe, just maybe, that’s why Mr. Hudak’s numbers in the polls are sprialing into the nether regions faster than you can say…..Tim Hudak.
Jamie Gilcig
Editor – The Cornwall Free News
Tim Hudak WILL NOT be getting a vote from me. He seems to be too much of a lil “BITCH”
“Afraid” is right, Jamie. Insecure people react this way. Just like their federal cousins, who trumpet militarism and tough-on-crime propaganda, and generally act like bullies as cover for their fearfulness and insecurity.
Typically, why are such people at bottom fearful and insecure? And why do they resort to bullying? Good questions. Very likely because they are trying to con you in some way that they are what they are not, and are afraid of being found out.
In contrast, people who are secure in their principles and goals welcome allcomers, including potential critics. Why? Because they recognize that no one is perfect, and a healthy dose of criticism may help them to do better.
The French have a great way of putting it: si l’on se sent bien dans sa peau, on n’a peur de rien.
Is he kidding!!! My father fought in the Second World War so that you…I…and others can have and maintain freedom of speech.
I agree CV. If you don’t respect Democracy, Freedom of the Press, and what your father and many others fathers and grand-father’s fought for in all of our wars you sure has heck shouldn’t be running for public office in this country or province. Tim Hudak is not the man I want leading my province.
Jamie, don’t waste your time trying to get an interview with Hudak, unless you’ve bought a PC membership.
Maybe you should lend your video equipment to Tammy or even the preacher. He might talk to them, but he sure as hell will never talk to you.
Does Tim Hudak have to give an interview to someone that he deems biased or feels that he won’t get a fair shake from? No. Does it make him look really, really bad to shut the doors to all but media yes-men? Absolutely.
I think it’s a matter of balance. There are vexatious reporters that hound any campaign. I don’t believe Jamie G is one of them. If Hudak bothered to read his articles and not just the opinion pieces, I think he’d have reconsidered. His loss.
Well, if anyone does get to talk to Hudak and ask questions perhaps they could broach this for me. I wanted to know if Tim Hudak use to smoke marijuana alone or did he traffic it with friends? I wanted to know if he grew it himself or did he buy it from dealers or growers? Under Harper’s crime bill does he think that his youthful counterparts today should be arrested and given criminal records? Did he turn in his old smoking partners? Does he think the regulations governing marijuana should be moved from the police to Agriculture Canada?
I don’t think whodat has the smarts to answer your questions Racoon… So many well put questions could confuse the guy more than he is…
By the way Jamie, you can put up all the cartoons you want making fun of the politicians and their shenanigans, and there’s absolutely nothing they can do about it. They’ll try to threaten you, but they’ll lose in superior court.. This is true otherwise all the other media outlets that put out cartoons making fun of politicians would be paying their way’s out of the legal holes they dug themselves into.. You don’t see that happening do you? You see the cartoons every day in the media right? I’d tell whodats spokesman to go eat some sausage or take you to court if they feel that it has standing to hold up.. He’s just going on with his pushy and undemocratic way, probably learned from working in the “we sell you death, tax you to hell for it, and hopefully government won’t have to pay your pension when you die” tobacco/government industry.. its a vicious circle.. Funny, smoking is such a burden on the health system, but government won’t make it illegal, and in fact government hopeful’s hire tobacco spokespeople to do their speaking for them??? what’s wrong with this picture?
Whodat is running a typical Harper campaign. No questions from the floor, definitely not from reporters who usually ask the tough ones. Their media events are tightly organized, orchestrated events. For me, that’s a sign of insecurity and not something that is desirable in a leader. Keep up the good work Jamie !
Thanks everyone. We had a massive amount of traffic on the site since the story. Mr. Hudak may have helped us and hurt himself more than any story I could’ve written about an event at the Ramada with less people present than Mark MacDonald’s office opening. What was more upsetting was Elaine MacDonald and Mr. McFuddle, Mayor McDonell supporting Mr. Hudak’s position. That’s disturbing.
Jamie don’t acted surprised! You trash these people and then are shocked that you are denied an interview by their leader? I understand your position but you can not through daggers and then wonder why people get hurt! This is the outcome of your actions and you truly must of expected this reaction! You are too smart to expected otherwise!
For All You MCFIBBER lovers! When is you leader visiting Cornwal?
PS – You are still my all time favourite local newspersonality! Although, I really enjoy Claude McIntosh as well!
I guess the question here is what if the media responsibility in reporting events. Is it to play nice with your friends and only report warm fuzzy things or is it to inform the public about the good and bad points of issues and candidates?
Is it not the responsibility of the media to hold politicians feet to the fire when obvious conflicts of interests become evident? Cornwall media has a history of convservativeness and ignoring the dirty little secrets of local politicians and personalities. It’s time for a change and CFN is bring that about.
Mike Bedard, Please do yourself a favour and learn to distinguish between ‘trashing’ and ‘criticism’ in a political and social context.
‘Trashing’ is attacking and smearing an opponent with the aim of destroying. It is the default mode of the Tea Party, the extreme right, and frequently the Harper Conservatives (example: questioning Jack Layton’s patriotism by branding him “Taliban Jack” because he proposed trying to open peace talks in Afghanistan).
‘Criticism’ is challenging the position of an opponent with the aim of exposing the truth. It is essential to democracy and a free society.
People who are afraid of the truth often resort to trashing.
100% agree with Reg’s comment. Time the old boys clubs disappear and we start taking this country back by the cojones. We need to team together as the citizens of this country and put it on the right track. Putting it on the right track will involve a lot, and lots of enemies will be made because some don’t want it on the right track. Namely those trying to spread all the warm fuzzy stuff and misinformation instead of the real truth going on out there. Else, we’re on a dire path with just about any decision we make right now. This election is a mockery, and unfortunately, I only see one candidate/party that is treating this with grace and seriousness. I wish that candidate luck and they probably know who they are, but I won’t mention it here.