As America's middle class battles for its survival on the Wisconsin barricades -- against various Koch Oil surrogates and the corporate toadies at Fox News -- fans of enlightenment, democracy and justice can take comfort from a significant victory north of Wisconsin border. Fox News will not be moving into Canada after all! The reason: Canada regulators today announced they would reject efforts by Canada's right wing Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, to repeal a law that forbids lying on broadcast news.
Canada' Radio Act requires that "a licenser may not broadcast....any false or misleading news." The provision has kept Fox News and right wing talk radio out of Canada and helped make Canada a model for liberal democracy and freedom. As a result of that law, Canadians enjoy high quality news coverage including the kind of foreign affairs and investigative journalism that flourished in this country before Ronald Reagan abolished the "Fairness Doctrine" in 1988. Political dialogue in Canada is marked by civility, modesty, honesty, collegiality, and idealism that have pretty much disappeared on the U.S. airwaves. When Stephen Harper moved to abolish anti-lying provision of the Radio Act, Canadians rose up to oppose him fearing that their tradition of honest non partisan news would be replaced by the toxic, overtly partisan, biased and dishonest news coverage familiar to American citizens who listen to Fox News and talk radio. Harper's proposal was timed to facilitate the launch of a new right wing network, "Sun TV News" which Canadians call "Fox News North."
Harper, often referred to as "George W. Bush's Mini Me," is known for having mounted a Bush like war on government scientists, data collectors, transparency, and enlightenment in general. He is a wizard of all the familiar tools of demagoguery; false patriotism, bigotry, fear, selfishness and belligerent religiosity.
Harper's attempts to make lying legal on Canadian television is a stark admission that right wing political ideology can only dominate national debate through dishonest propaganda.
Public Comments were solicited on the proposal and included:
"I strongly oppose the amendment on the grounds that this will allow for a culture of misleading news in Canada, similar to the one that exists in the USA," one person writes. "This amendment will make our news broadcasting a farce, since newsmakers will more easily be able to broadcast with the intent of misleading the public for political or other gains." Another comment suggests the level of broadcast news has "fallen far enough already without allowing broadcasters to knowingly transmit falsehoods."
"If we wish to watch fiction, there are already plenty of dramas and comedies available," it adds. "We don't need to get it from our news as well."
As an American, I applaud their action to protect honest news and find it notable that foreign sources are becoming the go-to to find factual reporting, leaving our MSM in the dust. I agree that they have become merely the 'sock puppets of billionaires and corporate robber barons and the masters of propaganda and distortion' on the public airwaves.
God forbid anyone would expect any major news organization to be accountable to the truth. Although apparently Americans have been willing to tolerate it. It's like the Jack Nicholson line in "A Few Good Men" --- "You can't handle the truth!" I think I'll pass a new rule at home that let's all of us off the hook for being truthful. We'll see how that works.
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