I just read a ‘breaking news’ report regarding Norovirus in BC oysters. Seems two oyster farms were closed when samples tested by the BC Centre for Disease Control and the Provincial Health Department resulted in confirmed Norovirus contamination. Some oyster farms were closed last season as well. Those were on the Sunshine coast as I recall.
The report was datelined: CBC. I read it. It said nothing more than what I wrote in the first sentence and did not give the area where the closure was enacted. So, I read the second report, this time from the Vancouver Sun. Virtually word for word. Exact same information. So, I read the Times Colonist report. Same. Finally, I read CTV News and News 1130. All the same. Even stock photos were the same.
That was five news sources. Five short virtually the same news-release reports. Not one of the news sources even bothered to phone the BCCDC to find out where the closures were or any additional information or, if they had, they added none of it.
A robot could have done those reports.
As a taxpayer, I pay for the CBC do the news. As a newspaper subscriber (in the past) I paid for the Sun and the Province. I would watch the ads on Global and I listened to the 11:30 radio now and then, too. I read the Times Colonist when in Victoria.
Apparently it is all the same guy reporting. At least on the Oyster desk…..
I understand perfectly well that a news release is a news release and they are not going to mess with it very much. But, what if the release has a huge hole in it? Do they even bother to read it? Is it just some flunky intern getting a blurb of crap over the ‘wire’; and immediately printing it – whatever it is?
Seems like it.
Had anyone read that release, they would wonder, “Hmmm…wonder if it’s the same area as last year? Hmm…wonder which farms? Hmm…I better call ’em and find out more about this….people and businesses need to know….”
“Nah. Who cares? I don’t get paid to think. I just print the news that’s fit to print. Right, wrong, who cares so long as I don’t have to work at my reporter’s job.”
No wonder people think the news is fake. It may not be fake but as Noam Chomsky implied, “It is manufactured.”
Our Off the Grid Home 
‘’The Columbia Valley Pioneer” has a story about two oyster farms in Tofino, with an out break of the norovirus reported an hour ago on-line. This story is a wire story from Canadian Press. The issue is reported in some detail in the CP as printed by Columbia Valley Pioneer. Most stories reported as news are ‘off the wire.’ Very little local news is reported and unless there is a freelancer in Tofino then local news is SOL. The misguided thought that a public broadcaster must be defunded because it Is competing with coporate media for a story about the norovirus in Tofino…really! But the Cons cut the mother Corp by over $600 million. Too much competition. To cover the tragedy in Humboldt Sask, crews were flown in from Toronto. So much for local news.
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Crews flown in from Toronto! Amazing! Pathetic. Sad. Very sad.
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The CBC live coverage of the Humboldt tragedy continues nationally.
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Please forgive my heartless cynicism. I am not heartless but my cynicism is. I feel for the village of Humbolt. It is a devastating loss. But I am sickened by the coverage. That kind of news is EASY coverage. Cheap. Touches the heart and not hard to cover. I get that. But to do more than a day or so is over exposure. It is exploitative. It is feeding off their tragedy. I hate that.
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A friend of mine who used to be a journalist for CTV commented 20 years ago……
“The news media in BC are so incestuous , they drink eat others bathwater….”
I cancelled my newspaper subscriptions several years ago….more advertisements than actual “news”
As for the CBC and Global……
Pffffft.
The Economist is pretty good but obviously nothing local.
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The Economist is great!
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I think the Economist is expensive, unkind, azzwipe
imho it has long been a tool of the GCHQ / Biilderberg ilk.
nevermind I did subscribe for ten or more years in another life.
Presentlly imho The Guardian and Mother Jones may,,? be more useful for timely meaningful and honest information.
Re the Kinder Morgan fiasco is insufferable for BC to emasculate Alberta and Sask in this way,
Oh right , we are going to save the planet.
Or will that be left to one of the 639 first nations, none of which to now has fiqured out how come up with a solution to generate safe drinking water.
And on the topic of colonization, all the gazzillions spent today, everywhere on war technology is to either abett the stealing of what is not yours, or somewhat to prevent being stolen from.
So what has changed,,? nothing ,, get over it.
Plenty of settler colonizers worked themselves to death, they too were pawns in the overall evolution/devolution of humankind
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Fair enough.
I just like the Economist because it has a British and European mindset.
And they know their “audience” is world wide unlike most rags and tv.
Not “all North America all the time” like the rest of the media in the “Game of Throne$”.
That being said I take it with a grain of salt.
Reading the “Letters to the Editor” at the beginning of each edition has some pretty good zingers flung AT the magazine.
And every once in a while they have to print a retraction.
My favourite editorial apology in The Economist was a full page grovelling apology to the Saudi Royal family a few years back
I’m sure the reporter that filed THAT particular libelous article was on the bread line the next day.
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Attaboy, Aldo. Vent that spleen. And, in some ways, I agree. First Nations leading the way in so many areas and yet not being able to keep their own backyard clean. Hypocrisy. Fair comment. But that does not make them wrong on Kinder Morgan. Or on other issues entirely.
And BC is not emasculating anyone. This is just NIMBY, plain and simple. Ya wanna play dirty for the sake of money? Do it in your own backyard. BC has beauty and nature. They threaten that. No more complicated than that. And answer me this? In a world commodity market, the US pays less for gas, beef, cars, milk, cheese, eggs, houses and mfg’d goods. But all those goods are made in Canada. I pay almost twice for gas what I paid in Arizona. Canadian made goods are more expensive in Canada. What the hell! How does owning the second largest country in the world benefit me? How does Kinder Morgan benefit me? You think they are in the please Canada business? Or the please their shareholders business?
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On your dislike of Humboldt coverage, our public broadcaster had no choice but to be there. The story is carried on TSN, BBC, many, many networks. Sports talk radio. International reporters are flying to Humboldt to report. People are placing hockey sticks on their porches are mini gestures of respect #put your sticks out. Humboldt Broncos strong. A heartfelt response from many places. People are really hurting.
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People are hurting and, if we were human, we’d report that and move on. If we wanna make a buck, we’ll stay there and exploit it. I see it as the latter. Sorry….but I see it that way.
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Broadcasting a mutifaith service for the dead and to comfort the survivors, is exploitation?
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Yes. To me it is. One report, maybe two, is respectful. More than that is exploitative. I could be alone in this…..but I wouldn’t want my grief to be a spectacle. I wouldn’t want my tragedy to be a CBC special. It always feels like that to me….anything more than respect paid once, maybe twice, feels wrong to me.
To me
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Total agreement.
The News media are modern day ghouls.
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I clearly see you point and understand it.
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is my puter broke again, the blog had two missives within hours and now were going into day 4 with nuttin, someone call the coast guard!!
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Oh, Aldo. You flatterer. Honestly, I think nobody actually reads me. You do. A few others. But the numbers just aren’t there. One has to face the truth.
Khloe Kardashian gives birth, her husband boinks a twinkie and the readership over that is in the millions. It’s defeating. Especially since my own emotional spleen is inclined to politics…..and Dave’s politics just doesn’t pull. Sad.
Trump-the-twit gets billions on his madness….and I get that. Fascinating to watch a train wreck in slow mo. But, other than ravens, I got nuffink. Ok….prawns…..
I may do something on painting Sally’s bottom….her boats bottom….that’s kinda interesting at a prawn and raven level.
Book #3 is almost done. Wanna hear about that? It’s interesting to me……
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Yes I hear you, some blogs like Richard Hughes get one comment every six entry’s then Garth turner with the same nauseous self promoting message 6 days a week gets 200 comments each day.
cannot always be fun, just the same it must be useful for keeping your humour honed,
Have you read The many lives ofBertrand Sinclair Pender Harbour Cowboy, ?.thinking you likely are familiar with the title, would surely resonate
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No. Not heard of Bert. Will read. Thanks.
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And the news is shared and shared and shared. Saw two exact same stories with the same video feeds on the news last one on one channel, then again tonight on another network. – Margy
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I could do a great rant on that but it’s a rant. Trying to cut down, ya know? But, seriously, who the hell cares what happens in a Kardashian day? Unless they find a cure for lard buttitus, keep them out of sight. Puleez.
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