Are City Council Using Ad Dollars as Weapon of Control in Cornwall Ontario by Jamie Gilcig – MARCH 2, 2015

council 2015CFN – Is your council using ad dollars as a tool to control media in Cornwall?   It’s a valid question.    For three years now City Council and its tentacles have boycotted this newspaper.  CFN has the largest audience in the city and are the only media outlet to consistently (if at all) publish real live raw numbers.

The City in 2014 refused to disclose how much they spent with The Freeholder and its parent company and the Seaway News and its parent company.

That could be why you didn’t see a headline story about Gilles Latour allegedly ripping off his own mom or the nature of coverage of the Chem Tanks.

This is where it gets blurry and fuzzy and it becomes hard to see the lines.

Since this election only 4 out of 11 elected officials in Cornwall have responded professionally to CFN.   While some may have issues with me personally, like Councilor Brock Frost making wild allegations about me making a pass at him and worse, there simply is no reason for Council to not answer questions related to issues like the budget.

They are paid by tax dollars and the public has a right to have answers to questions.    Is this the Kilger mess all over again?  Shouldn’t any company have the right to compete equally for any service or product and be based on merit and value?  In this case we have a larger audience and clearly offer more bang for the dollar than either the Seaway News or Freeholder.

Here are a list of questions that were sent to the Mayor and Council over the last few months.

February 28th

Hi Everyone,

If you can spare a few moments via phone this afternoon or Sunday we are doing a piece on the budget and seeking feedback and comment.
CFN is the largest newspaper in your community and our viewers would like some answers to some questions.
Please email a time that we can discuss budget issues.
Thanks,
Jamie
February 8th

Hi  Everyone,

I am working on a budget piece for the largest newspaper in your city, yes, CFN.
If any of you are available via phone or on camera for today, Sunday, or Monday, please email back or you can phone me at 1 855 444 1133
Cheers and thanks
January 5th

Hi,

Do any of you have a comment for publication after the black eye our city received by your giving the orders to send city trucks to the Vincent Family today?
I’m doing a major piece tomorrow.   If any of you wish to have that comment published I would need it before 10 AM please.
Thanks,
December 19th, 2014

Hi Mayor O’Shaughnessy, Council, and Norm,

I’m hoping that the City of Cornwall and you individually will be greeting our audience with your Christmas Wishes!
We will be running special Christmas features next week.
Would the City purchase a full page greeting which can include messages from all of you as well as any from staff on CFN?  We are offering this at a 50% discount of our regular full page rate of $399+HST –   $199+HST.
If any of you would wish to have any individual banner greetings we will only be charging you $49+HST.
For those of you wish who purchase an ad we can arrange for you to do a video Christmas greeting as well at no additional charge!
If at least 10 of the elected officials purchase an ad we will donate 50% to a local charity.
Merry Christmas to all and here’s hoping to a much more productive and happy 2015!
Good health!
Jamie
These are not necessarily sit down on camera interviews.   Simple polite statements are all that are needed for some of them.
Carilyne Hebert, David Murphy, and Bernadette Clement have not responded to a single query to date this year.
A few others have replied at least once.   A few other more often.
This comes down to what could feel like fiscal extortion?    If a media outlet isn’t friendly no ads nor professional responses to key issues like the budget.  It also gives a very unfair advantage if certain info is leaked to certain outlets or not given to all.
Is this how you build a city and community?  Is this the reflection of top down how our community works?
It’s your call CFN viewers.   You can post your comments below and to reach your council here is the link to the city page with their contact info.    LINK

7 Comments

  1. Mayor O’Shaughnessy is now one of Cornwall ,s biggest bully,s ,Must be something in the water at city hall,I thought what a f*n hippocrite when I saw him in a pink shirt.Bet you have since regretted helping getting him elected CFN

  2. {MODERATED} for being an active member of the hate/boycott group. Please play in your own sandbox.

  3. I agree with the intent of the article. But I know myself if I don’t feel like talking to someone I don’t talk to them. Perhaps the unresponsive members of city council do not see CFN as a newspaper. Or they can’t be bothered to answer. There are so many possibilities. This surely does not surprise you that this is happening.

  4. Mary Bray you are right all the way what you said and I wish that Jamie would open his eyes and harden his heart (which is something hard for Jamie to do because he is too nice of a person) but he cannot keep being taken advantage of. Since BOB left the administration I have seen something in a video the night that Leslie was elected and I think about this a lot and now I do not trust Leslie one bit after I saw this. As far as council is concerned not one do I trust anymore and I mean not one. Cornwall is mighty strange indeed and yes there is a lot that I blame in the water. When my husband first came to Canada those were some of the first words out of his mouth was that something was wrong in the water for the people to be so stupid and backward. Only certain people are awake and the others have gone completely out of their minds. I would never ever move back to Cornwall at all and if I wanted a small town I would go elsewhere. I said it before that Cornwall will never ever change and I meant those words and will always mean them. Jamie I said it before in print on here on CFN where we put in our feedback and I said that you were too good for Cornwall and I don’t know how many times that I have to say the same thing like a broken record but I mean that.

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  6. BY THEIR DEEDS YOU SHALL KNOW THEM and Leslie is showing just who he really is. If it were not for Jamie Gilcig Leslie would not be sitting in the cat bird seat singing his tune and pulling the fleece over peoples eyes. I trust in none of them at all. It is only changing the bird cage liner and putting in another. All these people do is to look to THE MOCKING BIRD PRESS WITH THEIR PRESTITUTES and they don’t know real news if it hit them in the face. CFN is the only real paper out there. Leslie and his gang are just one of the “old boys club” but just a different name but the same old song and dance.

  7. Politicians….you can change the names or parties in power. But in the end most politicians act the same way….disgusting.

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