(Update: CBC is messing with the links. See National Newswatch. Story now found under 'Arts & Entertainment'. Ain't that the truth...)
Considering how much the Liberals discounted this, things could get interesting.
Check out MDL link - Mike Duffy Live: Scott Reid and Tim Powers on the allegation that the Liberals allowed a media outlet to write their questions.
Listen to Scott Reid deny, deny, deny.
Stephen Taylor has the whole story here.
Also see Steve Janke.
Canwest has picked it up - Alleged CBC-Liberal collusion triggers Tory complaint.
Now the Star. H/T Wudrick Blog.
The Canadian Press story here discusses the outrage in the conservative blogosphere towards the end of the report.
* * * *
Saturday Update: National Post - CBC looks into allegations over Mulroney questioning.
Paul Wells - Don't Tell Doug Finley...
Sandy has a great post on this at Jack's Newswatch. Are reporters supposed to have 'Parliamentary Privilege'?
Dr. Roy - MSM reports on CBC misdeeds. (Comment from 'Ron' nails it, as far as I'm concerned.)
Saturday Update: National Post - CBC looks into allegations over Mulroney questioning.
Paul Wells - Don't Tell Doug Finley...
Sandy has a great post on this at Jack's Newswatch. Are reporters supposed to have 'Parliamentary Privilege'?
Dr. Roy - MSM reports on CBC misdeeds. (Comment from 'Ron' nails it, as far as I'm concerned.)
28 comments:
I can't find the exact quote, but didn't Mulroney say yesterday that the CBC had a vendetta against him. I think there's more to this story to be heard yet.
Ruth, I found this from the Macleans Liveblog:
11:18:27 - Mulroney going after the media - CBC and The Globe, I assume - for its role in perpetuating this "hoax." Mulroney does his best Schreiber impersonation - sadly, he doesn't try for the accent - and quotes a National Post teaser that ran before Schreiber's testimony in which he admitted that he didn't know whether Mulroney had done anything wrong. I have to say that if he's ever hard up for cash again, Mulroney would make one hell of a book on tape reader.
Yes, this is a very convoluted mess with certain people looking out for their best interests; certainly not Canada's.
The truth about what Brian did with the money, he bought beer and popcorn.
How can the liberals try to make this out that the conservatives made the accusation re who wrote the questions. It was a former Liberal MP. That seems to go over their head, and a liberal verified it.
The Fifth Estate has been on this story like stink on sh** for a long time. Even when told that there was no story they doggedly continued. Brian Mulroney mentioned a journalist was behind these trumped up charges dating back 15 yrs. I think this is why BM wants a full inquiry, he wants a few CBC journalists on the stand under oath. Also the new Accountability Act opens the CBC to access to information requests. How much have they spent on this vendetta?
There is only one scandal and that is Brian Mulroney and the Tories that are trying their best to defend him.
300K (or is it 225K because thats all he reported 6 years later!!!!)
100K taken while still an MP.
6 Year delay in reporting his taxes (hey can I do that too???)
Can`t wait for Stevie Cameron`s testimony or Elmer Mackay`s!!
No whore like an old whore!!!
Oh anonymous thank you so much for setting the record straight. Your insights are welcomed and duly appreciated. Now please go to your room and permit the grownups to talk about something totalyy unrelated to your rant. I believe you confused this blog with a little blog. Please go to www.weareuseless.com to express yourself.
However, if you bother to read the heading on this blog ( you are old enough to read aren't you?) then please offer your opinion and we will respect it.
"300K (or is it 225K because thats all he reported 6 years later!!!!)"
Anony....how about you tell us where the 40 mil in brown paper bags went?
Pot calling Kettle???
So, Pablo shows up for the first time at the Ethics Committee, and is given time to question Mulroney by a fellow Liberal. Next he preceeds with questions about "wireless" which have nothing to do with Mulroney/Schreiber, the Conservatives call for and end to that line of questioning, the Liberal Chair, allows it. In the second round of questioning, Pablo starts in again, the Conservatives call for a vote, Mulroney tries to read from a letter stating the range of questions he was there to answer, the Liberal Chair shuts him down. And allows the questioning to continue for a second time.
WHY?
Then we hear about the CBC writing that line of questioning, therefore gaining Parliamentary access to Mulroney through the Liberal Party.
This stinks. A fine example of our taxpayers money being used to exploit power.
Off topic but in a way it does relate. Remember the Liberal outrage over this?
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=eb2277f7-7048-48bc-b913-0e186bb9917c
And here is a comment from another blog at the time of this incident with a poster who drops in here sometimes:
"jeff davidson said,
September 13, 2007 at 12:11 pm
chin is correct. the right wing nutjobs at CH clearly staged this event. they should have their license to broadcast revoked."
Here's a news clip from the time. Note CHCH never "staged" the questions, just put a mic on the guy. Someone ask McGuinty about the CBC's behavior on this and see what he says.
"Meanwhile, the Liberals questioned the journalistic ethics of CHCH-TV for placing a microphone on Quattrociocchi before he confronted the premier. Party spokesperson Ben Chin accused the TV station of "staging the news" and also promoting it on the noon news before the premier's afternoon visit. He complained to CHCH's parent firm CanWestGlobal and admitted he told CHCH executive producer John McKenna he would recommend the TV station be denied future access to the premier, but said it was an empty threat because McGuinty would never go along with that.
McKenna said the TV station did nothing wrong and was surprised by Chin's complaint. He said it was covered by a videographer and to enable him to better cover the event, he placed a microphone on the developer. He said the station knew Quattrociocchi was going to be at the event because he had been interviewed earlier in the day by a CH reporter and that segment was shown on the noon news.
"We didn't coach him, we didn't tell him what to do, but we knew he was going to be there and he wanted to talk to the premier," McKenna added."
And hey, where are all the posters who said this was no big deal? Apparently even CBC thinks it is.
Interesting times indeed.The libs hide Dion for the last couple of weeks.The real behind the scenes leader Iggy gets to snarl indignantly on QP but votes with the dreaded cons & the children such as little 'Pablo the CBC Monkey'proves that in the quest for regaining power that nothing has changed with the party of thieves.
The comments about Szabo and his handling of this line of questioning during the committee meeting is bang on -- I watched the proceedings and was surprised he allowed this line of questioning - up to then he was relatively within bounds in his chairing of the committee but that ruling was way out to lunch. I want to know if he was aware of it in advance; did he know the source; who instructed him to allow the question. I hope the Conservatives come back with questions about Liberal actions and behaviour. Mulroney may not have evidence or direct knowledge but neither did Schriber - just lay out a few suspicions, inuendoes, and broad quesions on what may have happened to the 40 million missing in the sponsorship matter. Since Szabo is so free with the range of questioning, I am sure there will be no problem with this line of questioning.
I want to know if he was aware of it in advance; did he know the source; who instructed him to allow the question. I hope the Conservatives come back with questions about Liberal actions and behaviour.
Ron, that is an excellent question. He did allow his fellow Liberal MP's a whole lot more latitude in their questioning; especially on this issue.
I wonder if any of the other opposition parties were in on it as well. Joe Comartin just seemed to shrug about it and say that everyone does it; that CTV suggested questions to him. However, the salient issue is just how the questions came. Were they casually asked outside the committee room, or were they fed over the phone in a covert operation? Also, the CBC is a public broadcaster - not private - funded by you and I and every other Canadian in this country. It should be at arm's length from any party or political bias. (I know. I'm dreaming.)
I really don't understand this chair thing anyway. How could a partisan chair possibly hope to remain objective and fair? I think they need someone from right outside of Parliament to be in that function. It's a dog & pony show anyway.
That question from Pablo should have been throw out as soon as he started to open his mouth. Mulroney wasn't there to answers questions about anything that happened in 2007. He tried to tell the panel that he was invited to answer questions about the $300,000 payment. In the end, it's nothing more than a bad business deal between two friends.
I said it before and I'll say it again, Harper's no stooge. Johnston is no stooge.
If the inquiry goes ahead look for it to cast a very wide net..including the CBC and Liberals.
Re: Szabo - really bad chair whose partisan nature was very transparent.
Again - Mulroney connection.
Jean Lapierre works for TVA. TVA is owned by Quebecor. Mulroney is on the board of directors of Quebecor.
This is happening far too often - the Mulroney connections.
Enough already.
By the way - other journlists relay suggested questions.
Big doo doo about nothing for partisan reasons again.
More important issues out there.
Anonymous I totally agree! Why would anyone possibly look into this supposed bias, its like shawinigate and all the other scandals under the liberals. No one REALLY wants to know what is going on.
Like you said "More important issues out there."
Hey Anon, even the CBC thinks that this was wrong.
CBC News says the reporter, who it did not name, "may have been in pursuit of a journalistically legitimate story."
But the broadcaster says it was an "inappropriate way of going about it and as such inconsistent with our journalistic policies and practices."
Journalists should not have or use the almost unlimited power of a HOC Committee to ask their questions.
typical liberal comeback is to react to their guilt by pointing fingers, while looking at themselves in the mirror.
This stinks big time and the sooner we get proof of the CBC/Liberal lovefest the better....as if we needed it.
Let's uncover the truth about the partisan nature of the CBC once and for all.
I am not a friend or supporter of Brian Mulroney but he is a very well known and connected businessman. Of course he is going to have connections in and out of the media. That is not the concern being raised here.
My concern is that a "Publicly Funded" entity (The CBC) is biased either towards or against any one political party or philosophy. I would be saying that if the CBC were to be against the NDP, Liberals, BQ, or the Conservatives. Government tax dollars are supporting the CBC and they should be neutral in any discussion. If they want to be partisan, stop taking tax dollars and vie for support with CTV, Global and all the rest.
Chris from Winnipeg
Paul Wells doesn't think much of this "scandal".
http://forums.macleans.ca/advansis/?mod=for&act=dip&pid=94859&tid=94859&eid=43&so=1&ps=0&sb=1
Don't tell Doug Finley...
Paul Wells | December 15, 2007 | 06:19:02 | Permalink
paul.wells@macleans.rogers.com
...but reporters have been planting questions with MPs at committee hearings since the dawn of time. I don't know whether I ever did it with Reform, Alliance or NDP MPs when the Liberals were in government, but I know it got done and if I had a story I needed advancing, I'd have done it in a second. "Hey, you might want to ask about..."
I know this will come as a shock to people who think the state broadcaster must be barred from embarrassing the government. Guys like this (links to Stephen Taylor).
Joe Comartin of NDP said on Duffy that all MSM have relayed questions to political parties that they'd like asked including CTV - amazing how sheepish Duffy got then.
Jean Lapierre works for TVA which is owned by Quebecor. Brian Mulroney is on the board of directors of Quebecor.
...this is beginning to smell like a smear campaign on the CBC.
...this is beginning to smell like a smear campaign on the CBC.
Ah, the counter-conspiracy theory...
And who says politics is boring?
BTW, if that were true, why would a Liberal MP be that stupid to leak this to Jean Lapierre?
BTW, if that were true, why would a Liberal MP be that stupid to leak this to Jean Lapierre?
Maybe, because it wasn't a leak. If, as Wells suggests, this is common among all networks and all parties, the person who told Lapierre probably didn't think it was a big deal.
"Maybe, because it wasn't a leak. If, as Wells suggests, this is common among all networks and all parties, the person who told Lapierre probably didn't think it was a big deal."
Lappierre was an MP for 16 years. I'm pretty sure he would know if it's as common as wells says it is. I'm sure the media does inquire seeking information. But this was about a journalist getting a sitting MP on a Parliamentary committee to ask a question of a witness.
Hey, here's a crazy idea. If the journalist really was investigating then he/she should have had the kahunas to walk up to Mulroney face to face and ask him. You know, that's why they walk around with mic's and notpads.
"Maybe, because it wasn't a leak. If, as Wells suggests, this is common among all networks and all parties, the person who told Lapierre probably didn't think it was a big deal."
So how to explain Pablo Rodriguez vehemently denying it on Duffy and saying it never happened. From there he went to they gave me suggestions for questions, but I wrote the questions myself. Next, we find the CBC saying it was inappropriate and goes against their policies and practices.
So Greg, why would he not say, ya, they helped me with the question, it goes on all the time. It's no big deal? Why has the CBC not said its no big deal, we do it all the time.
Do tell Greg.
recently sent to:
ombudsman@cbc.ca
As I am sure you are aware, it is being reported one of your journalists was directing questions to members of the Liberal Party of Canada during the ethics committee questiong of former PM Brian Mulroney. I want to make you aware of my complete disgust, both with the journalist(s) behavior, and also with the CBC and the Liberal Party of Canada. As a taxpayer funded media source, I would expect that you and the employees should be in the business of reporting the news to Canadians, not trying to create it into a story you can torque the headlines with to create the desired effect.
How are I and other Canadian's going to know if your journalists also colluded withe the Liberal party in regards to questions posed to Mr. Karlheinz Schreiber, or to take it further colluded with Mr. Schreiber in the answers he gave in his testimony. I would expect you and the CBC to make full disclosure of who was involved with this, including the name of the journalist(s) in question, as well as the names of any members of the Liberal Party of Canada who were involved in this shameful affair. As a taxpayer I expect nothing less.
Paul xxxx
"Maybe, because it wasn't a leak. If, as Wells suggests, this is common among all networks and all parties, the person who told Lapierre probably didn't think it was a big deal."
So how to explain Pablo Rodriguez vehemently denying it on Duffy and saying it never happened. From there he went to they gave me suggestions for questions, but I wrote the questions myself. Next, we find the CBC saying it was inappropriate and goes against their policies and practices.
So Greg, why would he not say, ya, they helped me with the question, it goes on all the time. It's no big deal? Why has the CBC not said its no big deal, we do it all the time.
If it was done, then in all likelihood, it is against the CBC's procedures, but what is in the rules and what is done in practice are two different things.
Also, it could be that Lapierre is talking out of his anal orifice. God knows he has done so in the past.
Finally, if this is a common practice among all parties and all news organizations (and Wells is not cub reporter,so why would he lie?), I think we should get that clarification from all of them, right? I would hate to think this kind of thing is bad for the CBC and good for everyone else. If we condemn the CBC and the Liberals, we have to be prepared to throw stones in all directions. Otherwise this looks like it is just another chapter in the boring saga of the Tories' genetic hatred for our public broadcaster.
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