Les Miserables

This makes one wonder what would have happened if Canada's Parliamentary Press Gallery had decided, together, not to take any nonsense about limiting our access to politicians.

For those who can't click on the link, or understand French, it is a story about how the political reporters in Paris rebelled when the French government erected a simple rope cordon around meetings of the Conseil des ministres. Here in Canada, we've been banned from the entire floor where cabinet meetings are held and we are not told when they're happening. Vive les journalistes libre.

Comments

[Richard]

Maybe if journalists wrote about the secrecy of cabinet meetings and other such behaviour of this government from the perspective of Canadians and their right to be informed, as opposed to what a professional inconvenience it is for your Press Gallery friends, people might pay more attention to issues like these. This is a legitimate cause for concern. Yet its coverage only ever reflects the habits, desires and routine of reporters, instead of the democratic rights of their audience.

Why not write about what happens at such meetings and why such secrecy is bad for democracy, instead of how they're covered and why that's part of a journalist's routine.

Just a thought.

[curious]

"makes one wonder what would have happened if Canada's Parliamentary Press Gallery had decided, together, not to take any nonsense about limiting our access to politicians."

Gosh Susan, a lot of us ordinary citizens have been wondering the same thing all along...

[bob]

Canadians wonder why reporters played the role of press release repeaters during the Liberal years to keep them in power and opposition during the Conservative years to get them out of power.

Could it be that you have a hidden agenda?

Naw, yer just Liberals.

[Mike DiCola]

You're lamenting to the wrong audience. Ask, instead, Tonda MacCharles and Mike Duffy why they went behind those now-infamous closed doors even after they realized the doors were closed to several of their colleagues stuck in the hallway. And ask their lords and masters (No, not the Tory spin machine, but the people that issue their cheques) why they then aired / printed the stories that came from that "private briefing". The only way to ensure it doesn't happen again is to nip in the bud its having ever happened in the first place. Until Canada's ink-stained pack can agree not to be so blatantly managed, the managers will keep right on doing what they do.

[Dean P]

Of course, Bob. It's always the Liberals' fault. The Tories will be a serious government when they learn to stop making as their defence to everything "but the Liberals/Adscam/Gomery!!!1!!!!"

By way of example, Martha HF's first question in QP had to do with the manufacturing industry in Ontario. The response, "Well the Liberals neglected the bridges that cross the border."

[MJH]

The media has no god given "right" to impose themselves on any meeting they choose or to get unfettered acccess to any politician. All political parties can and do decide who their friends are and who isn't.
If you continually kick your neighbours in the shins you won't likely get an invitation to their Christmas party.

Media need to become fair, balanced, and non partisan and stop dividing into politically biased camps. Such biased behaviour adds to the enormous skepticism prevailing amongst the public at large. Unvarnished non political "truth" is very slippery!!

[M Bouchard]

Since god doesn't give rights we will stand by the charter on this one. The media does have a "right" and a duty to impose themselves. If this government that campaigned on TRANSPARENCY and ACCOUNTABILITY want to hide all their actions and then use the adage "but the previous government(insert activity here)" then they are hardly taking responsibility or letting us see what the gov is up to.

Ask the average, hell ask someone who reads the paper everyday, "What do you know about the SPP" You will get a sea of blank stares. Why has the media sat on it's hands playing footsie with the political class for so long should be the question. Start reporting what is going on. If we knew a quarter as much on real news as we do on celebrity stupidity, we as a people would be much better off.

[wascally wabbit]

While I sympathize with you and your colleagues Ms. Delacourt, it occurs to me that in normal news business - exclusivity and making deadlines are usually the criteria that get reporters a pat on the back from editors (if they EVER give pats that is!).
For political analysts, the exclusivity of the source, a heck of a lot background research and the synthesis of all the facts into a perceptive speculative piece seems to be the order of the day e.g. WPO / Woodward and Bernstein / Deep Throat.
You are as likely to get a quotable sound bite in a media scrum on the hill as the Official Opposition is likely to get the Government Front Benches to ever respond point by point to their very pointed questions in Oral Question Period.
What someone on some blog somewhere (hint hint) might want to do is to record daily the most fatuous or most deliberately oblique or byzantine quotes of the day from a elected official - from any sources - and I would suspect your readership would go up - and may be the embarassment factor and quality and availibility of Government information...I'm sure the public would take notice - which would get the government's attention (not that half their lackies seem to be here already - judging by some of your received comments)