Appreciated reading Wendy's incredible insight and story. But "patriarchy", really? I just replaced that word in her piece with "the system" and it reads so much better and way less victimhood-y. Aren't we all part of said system, responsible for it and also at its mercy?
Not sure how Ms Mesley got through that piece without mentioning Christie Blatchford but she did.
A couple of journalists I hold in high regard (high regard, Matt, high) think the world of Wendy Mesley and were angrily kicking wastebaskets around after she received the Girardian scapegoat treatment from the CBC central committee. Given that, her piece should receive nothing less than laudatory notices, and I join the rush.
I notice that the proprietor of Canadaland saw fit to cohost a show with a young-ish journalist who described LaFlamme as someone who had "guided us through tragedies," and was "warmly welcomed into the living rooms of this country," and she said so with a discernably straight face. Where to begin?
I'm still waiting to hear what PR firm was hired to organize the letter published in The Globe and Mail. As well, I'm waiting to see someone write something about how a coterie of multi-millionaires (and one billionaire) came to the aid of another millionaire and no one noticed just how much class and status factored into the "outrage." I mean, no one said a word when Jamil Jivani was summarliy fired earlier this year (he announced he's suing Bell late last week); then there are the 200 other journalists Bell Media put on the dole over the last few years. It's September, so we can honestly say "crickets."
Anyway, thanks for letting your voice be heard Wendy Mesley. I'm enjoying the new podcast as well.
I'm completely disgusted that we are even discussing this. Maybe LaFlamme was treated unfairly. Who care? So a wealthy famous person lost her job unfairly. Boo hoo.
This country is full of people who lost their jobs due to grossly unfair lockdowns and vaccine mandates. Elite media (and even semi-outsiders like The Line) couldn't care less about them - only fellow journalists matter. The more you people navel gaze (and waste the money you get from subscribers like me) by focusing on state sponsored "journalists", the more you dig your own (metaphorical) grave.
I think this is more about the bigger of the state of journalism in Canada. The various coverage provides insights on what the ouster of Lisa Laflamme may say about broadcasting and reporting. There is the wider implication: how will the demise of journalism effect our society? Maybe it wont. In other words, I agree with the editorial thrust of the line.
As we all know, the real irony of this story is how few stood up to defend Ms. Mesley. No one that I can remember. Commentators have already made this point, with job losses across the industry But Ms. Mesley's remarks represent a good middle ground. Its weird how few will empathize with her.
Fair. I certainly view Ms. Mesley's own cancellation as being a far bigger deal than Ms. LaFlamme's, and far more indicative of catastrophic (and in my view, unfixable) structural problems in our current media landscape. Her cancellation was, perhaps, the final proof that it is time to cancel the CBC.
The fact that so few journalists anywhere in Canadian legacy media stood up to defend Ms. Mesley was, perhaps, the first proof that it was time to stop subsidizing any of them, and time to let them move on to other activities. We would have been better off these last few years without them.
well what do you think of public broadcasting in general? Maybe it needs to be reformed - focus more on the things that work well, like the radio. Invest more in provincial broadcasters, or radio canada international. In other words how can we build on public broadcasting?
Here is a crazy idea: hire the CBC board of directors via public sortition!!!
What you mean Mark, is that you didn't read or hear or see journalists standing up to defend Ms LaFlamme's or Ms Mesley's firings because you were not interested in the stories in the first place.
Amen to that. The whole ideological group think has landed the feminist movement irrelevant just as is the mainstream media. They will soon denegrate women into non existance after years of aiming and working to have gender equality. Now we are left with what is a woman? Making any gains in equality and women, completely null and void. Under the new Progressive Technocrats and Governments, we will cease to exist as they believe we are but a social construct and can be enhanced so that men can soon give birth to babies. Its called Eugenics and was used exclusively by a certain regime in Germany in order to manipulate and cause great sufferage to many in order to create the perfect human beings. Gender is non existent in the terms we know with this new technocracy full of ideologues and elites. We can no longer be mothers, but only one of many birthing people and chest feeders. Mother's no longer exist in their new world nor do females. Its to make Eugenics acceptable for all "people kind", as the elite Medical Community, straight out of Hitler's regime, perform Eugenics on your children who are told they are in the wrong body. This is being done to create acceptance for their experimental medical procedures and later adding technology into humans to make them superior. There is little thought for the persons involved or their mental and physical wellbeing. Its the reason they have made any talk therapy illegal. These experiments may just change their mind and decide not to allow their bodies to be manipulated. That leaves little for those who believe in creation and their godlike status to be able to perform their art of making the perfect people kind. They need it to be accepted through cohersion and through legal means so all people kind will want to aid them in their experimental ideology of Eugenics. They are the same regime as the last, just a little more advanced. Unfortunately if you dont agree with the ideal people kind they are building, then you be given an option of political imprisonment or to euthanize yourself. That is the reason for the expansion of Euthanasia laws as they too will be a mandated medical procedure, if your unaccepting of their new world and their ideal "people kind." Remember the first use of that word. Who said it and how rediculous it sounded. Its called conditioning the masses to their ideal and make them accepting of the manipulation of your body and mind. This is just the precurser to the medical implanting of chips and many other wonderful ideas these horrendous self serving technoctrates and elites have in store for this and future generations. They must ensure that humans are there for them to manipulate in all ways possible and to accept being physically and mentally enhanced to feed their existance. Hence the dumbing down of society, indoctrination of the youth, and propogating to the flock of experimental beings. It works wonders too as they are all lining up for their turn on the experimental medical table of the elites.
Oh ML, have you ever considered writing a sci-fi novel? I know it's been done before but you have some great stuff here. I think the word you are looking for is "transhuman".
Please, please, don't listen to the Daily Wire. Trust me, just don't.
YouTube is by definition not reliable. That's being polite. Some is OK. But better to bolster your arguments with better connections. And who gives a flying fig what the WEF says? There are so many special groups now (we should work up a list) I'm just glad Soros is getting a break from all the crazy. The WEF is just a whole big pile of rich rather clever people who have aides write stuff for them. Some good stuff, some not. Maybe they believe their intentions are good, I really don't care. Take it with a grain of salt and don't let them keep you up at night.
I do love YouTube ads (or do you have a paid subscription so you don't see them?). The luminskincare for men, the $600 special forces laser flashlight, the navy seal ab builder sticker, the assorted prostate/weight-loss/ED cartoons, the eat this one thing before bed and cure everything ads, amazing opportunities for all.
And your Mighty Deibu (with 21 followers) is a Japanese gamer who posts nutty videos. The word deibu, translates as fat. So visualize a pudgy gamer with a great computer system and a cooler gamer chair, having a hell of a good time because he thinks he already is transhuman. Did you see the one where they are complaining about Power Ranger costumes?
Yuval Noah Harari is a very clever Israeli (there are lots of them), who formerly lived in TO, if that matters, who has been writing on humans and the future since before 2011. His books at the very least are to encourage people to think about the future. The big picture, beyond politics, beyond boundaries. Were we came from and where we may go. Fascinating stuff and his videos are delivered with such surety. You don't have to believe that he is actually involved with Klaus Shwab (WEF) in Davos (where they don't live or work but just meet and ski). Harair has been to the Davos gig. All sorts of interesting people go. Does not mean there are secret labs that are developing transhumans. Leo whoever, who does the intro makes statements, not necessarily true. Harair is a philosopher, a historian, a professor. He's written popular books some of which were panned quite seriously by other scholars for inaccuracies. He is not a global overloard.
Why do you include the same link twice?
I haven't bought a newspaper in years. I read everything and yes, I did leave tv news (CBC, CTC, MCNBC, Al Jazera etc) running in the background but I have now cut the cord and I'm listening to far more music. Grateful Dead, Ripple, just now. Yes, there is far more info if you just search past what is in front of your nose.
Eugenics have been around since the dawn of time. Bloodlines. Didn't you watch Game of Thrones? The human eugenics that is freaking you out really started up in the 1880s or thereabouts (Hitler didn't come up with the idea). Why not, they breed dogs and race horses, roses and apples, why not people? OK, with people it seems creepy but it's nothing new and people do still try but with mixed results. Look at Trump's kids. Cautionary tale right there.
I know you read a lot. I want you to read more. Deeper. Question, do not simply accept because your heart says so.
I think this is the key; "I suspect the fact that she fought for good — and expensive — journalism in the face of increasingly tight-fisted corporate interests". Media is cutting costs everywhere, so we're no longer getting the quality of information that we used to. In this propaganda filled world, there is nothing good that can come from that.
We'll agree to disagree on that. Compare the number of CBC correspondents now to what it was 30 years ago. Good media comes at a cost. It isn't being paid.
This is a nice read. Ms. Mesley does readers a service by reminding us that not too long ago women in media were not seen or heard. The media landscape has changed for the better, but new biases have surfaced. The Parliamentary Bureau at CBC has switched from an all male cast to mostly women. (Ms. Mesley admits as much in the story.) Why is that? Are there no men being mentored for work in Ottawa?
I realize that this opinion piece is centered around the Lisa LaFlamme controversy and the way that the impact of this reflects on women in media.
A good follow up would be a straight from the hip blast at CBC woke dogma that has a seasoned and respected journalist fired for using the “N” word in proper context in a producers meeting, of all things. The thought police have been given an inch and have moved the yardsticks two miles. I would like to learn more about that from Ms. Mesley.
Trish Wood had a lady from CBC that quit due to the COVID propaganda on CBC and the fear mongering to the masses. Cancelling all other voices purposely even though those voices were correct. Trish did a great interview with her. Trish Wood also was the winner of the best Documentary on the Fifth Estate on Fauci and the Aids epidemic. People forget things that happened and were implemented, or not, by Fauci as many died faster than was necessary due to Fauci’s refusal to make a drug that worked quite well available to aids patience for off label use. Like today they want only new drugs as you can not make billions off those ones that are already out on the market and UN patented. This Is exactly what happens when you have big pharma funding the FDA that is suppose to be regulating them. In the Aids case Fauci was holding out for the vaccine, yes it was all about a vaccine, as that would make them all lots of money were an old preventative medication that was Unpatented would not. It’s a collaboration of greed and corruption and lives lost mean zero. I wonder how many Canadian politicians and Health Experts have shares in Moderna and Pfizer as we know that many in the Senate and the House in the US knew just when to buy them to make the maximum money for their bank accounts. That is what investigative journalism is suppose to report on and yet in Canada they all push the Government line. It’s why all other voices are silenced. Only those invested in what was once good journalism believe a word they say. Trish Wood is Critical. It’s what she does medical investigative journalism. Real investigative journalism not the news from government press releases.
Trish Wood does more than medical investigate journalism. She spouts off on absolutely everything and anything. And she has gone off the rails in a big way. But ... she is making a hell of a lot more money than when she had scruples.
She accuses the "liberal left" for the attack on Salman Rushdie. No, sorry, she lauds another writers article with snappy interjections. She also natters on about groupthink. She was once good, very good, but now she's just another angry right-winger blaming everybody else.
Really Lou? You sound like a Democrat in the US calling people right wingers. She is not a right winger and its not she who has gone off the rails. Quite the opposite. Its the Left's promotion of inclusivity, diversity and inclusion that has gone off the rails as well as the mainstream media that promotes and parrots the Liberal Government's agenda.
If you remember who Salman Rushdie is and what he wrote, regardless of the backlash and threats of murder by those who disagreed with him, you can form an idea of why she would say such a thing. Most of the left stood by Salmon Rushdie and his bravery for writing the book but today they promote just the opposite. Remember the school teacher in France or the people murdered in the church there. What did Trudeau say afterwards Lou? Fortunately its on camera as he spoke to Canadians, so its very proveable that he said about we must be considerate of our language and what we say. Later he retracted his words because his buddy Macron stood up and said that cutting off a teachers head in public because he dared speak against a religion steeped in hate against any that disagree with it, should not be a death sentence. That goes to far. Salman Rushdie did something much bigger than speech as he wrote a book about it. After he was attacked, no left wing people, that once stood by him and his work, had anything to say. They have changed sides Lou. They now promote violence against those that think differently than they.
You may have a short memory of what journalism was but I certainly do not. I suppose Bari Weiss is a right winger just like Glen Greenwald and Matt Taibie. It amazes me when people become so invested in a narrative the main stream media play, they are blind to reality regardless of facts and a truth that is right in front of them. Everything else is just a Conspiracy Theory. Anything that differs from their orthadoxy is deemed Right Wing, Conspiracy Theories, obhorant, or white Supremists. Where did that language come from? So many people have been displaced from the political polarization that has occured that they have no political home. Most were Liberals ( I was) but they have leaned so far left and into a totaltarian and controling regime that anyone thinking differently is labelled and demeaned. Why? We all used to disagree on many things and there was not a war. People were not banned from speaking or sensored because they had a different view. If you don't see that taking place today its not anyone elses fault or because their right wing, its because you are conditioned to think like you do. Your either with the left or the enemy. The whole idea of science itself is to listen to all sides and work toward a conclusion as regardless of what Fauci says, he is not science, will never be science, nor is the Government or anyone else. Their actions do not even promote science, nor journalism, nor do we have an open society or the freedom to have discourse. Its why Substack exists today.
I also thought that the female reporters being harassed on air should have told the asshats making those comments to fuck right off! The appropriate response to that kind of juvenile behaviour is anger not tears.
Strongly recommend CanadaLand's take on this one. Jesse drilled right down past the sexism, too, after noting that, for sure, it was there. But he also contended this is about LaFlamme pushing for more money to cover Ukraine, and about "encouragez les autres" ... because TV is the top job in journalism, ahead of both print, net and radio for money and audience; and CTV is the top newscast, LaFlamme the top job there: she was at the absolute top of the pyramid in Canadian journalism jobs.
So if they can fire *HER*, without saying why, on little notice - nobody's job is safe from the Suits and you'd damn well better shut up after they first say "no" to more resources.
Totally agree about Lisa. With her great numbers she would not be fired for any sexism reasons. But she took a fight with the new guy with a mandate from the big bosses and no one wins those. They acted even if they no doubt knew about the fallout.
I'm so happy to hear you speak openly. I agree the MSM is facing challenges from many sides. Where it will end up, they and Joe Public won't know until it happens. It would help if they went back to reporting REAL and BALANCED news instead of so much fluff and WOKEISM/victimhood that dominates their news reporting. IMO CTV's decision to let LaFlamme go was beyond the colour of her hair.
I was totally pissed when you left the CBC as it was very unfair. I'm looking forward to listening to you and Maureen on your new podcast. I just read Marie Henein's autobiography and am thrilled you had her on your program.
I agree that there's likely a real story that we may or may not hear, likely dependent on Lisa LaFlame herself.
I feel for Omar Sachedina ... he's been dumped into a ticklish situation which is likely to impact his career His statement the other night was pretty cringeworthy 😳 ... I couldn't help thinking of the Bell commercial .... "It's not you "Omar" it's your network" 🤪
From a gay man's perspective this navel-gazing LaFlamme story captures everything wrong with so-called progress in human rights. Straight people finger pointing at other straight people about inequity. As an outsider, with no horse in this race, I see both straight men and straight women as entitled whiners. Combined they hold pretty much all of the power and wealth in our society. Now they're finding new ways to game the system to take even more. Mesley does a good job at writing around this central issue. The world is the world. The world changes. Using identity politics to create victimhood narratives just deprives truly marginalized communities of much-needed opportunities and resources. I'll know straight women have achieved equality when they start owning their part in marginalizing others.
Wendy. One way or another, an employer can terminate any employee. The LaFlamme firing wasn't about the cause, it was about the ineptitude of the process.
There is no support for any "cause" except "business reasons"...which, while unsatisfactory to those looking for hidden motives, is all that's necessary (publically at least).
Excellent op-ed. But TBH, I was sort of expecting more of a 2nd half with a bit more on the "news is not news, its a profit seeking business" angle with insights on how thats the dominant force in media now (e.g. we can replace expensive Lisa LaFlamme with Dall-E LaFlamme) Is there a part II coming ?
Appreciated reading Wendy's incredible insight and story. But "patriarchy", really? I just replaced that word in her piece with "the system" and it reads so much better and way less victimhood-y. Aren't we all part of said system, responsible for it and also at its mercy?
As usual from Wendy Mesley, a balanced, big picture, thought-filled and experienced analysis.
Not sure how Ms Mesley got through that piece without mentioning Christie Blatchford but she did.
A couple of journalists I hold in high regard (high regard, Matt, high) think the world of Wendy Mesley and were angrily kicking wastebaskets around after she received the Girardian scapegoat treatment from the CBC central committee. Given that, her piece should receive nothing less than laudatory notices, and I join the rush.
I notice that the proprietor of Canadaland saw fit to cohost a show with a young-ish journalist who described LaFlamme as someone who had "guided us through tragedies," and was "warmly welcomed into the living rooms of this country," and she said so with a discernably straight face. Where to begin?
I'm still waiting to hear what PR firm was hired to organize the letter published in The Globe and Mail. As well, I'm waiting to see someone write something about how a coterie of multi-millionaires (and one billionaire) came to the aid of another millionaire and no one noticed just how much class and status factored into the "outrage." I mean, no one said a word when Jamil Jivani was summarliy fired earlier this year (he announced he's suing Bell late last week); then there are the 200 other journalists Bell Media put on the dole over the last few years. It's September, so we can honestly say "crickets."
Anyway, thanks for letting your voice be heard Wendy Mesley. I'm enjoying the new podcast as well.
I'm completely disgusted that we are even discussing this. Maybe LaFlamme was treated unfairly. Who care? So a wealthy famous person lost her job unfairly. Boo hoo.
This country is full of people who lost their jobs due to grossly unfair lockdowns and vaccine mandates. Elite media (and even semi-outsiders like The Line) couldn't care less about them - only fellow journalists matter. The more you people navel gaze (and waste the money you get from subscribers like me) by focusing on state sponsored "journalists", the more you dig your own (metaphorical) grave.
Please do better.
I think this is more about the bigger of the state of journalism in Canada. The various coverage provides insights on what the ouster of Lisa Laflamme may say about broadcasting and reporting. There is the wider implication: how will the demise of journalism effect our society? Maybe it wont. In other words, I agree with the editorial thrust of the line.
As we all know, the real irony of this story is how few stood up to defend Ms. Mesley. No one that I can remember. Commentators have already made this point, with job losses across the industry But Ms. Mesley's remarks represent a good middle ground. Its weird how few will empathize with her.
Fair. I certainly view Ms. Mesley's own cancellation as being a far bigger deal than Ms. LaFlamme's, and far more indicative of catastrophic (and in my view, unfixable) structural problems in our current media landscape. Her cancellation was, perhaps, the final proof that it is time to cancel the CBC.
The fact that so few journalists anywhere in Canadian legacy media stood up to defend Ms. Mesley was, perhaps, the first proof that it was time to stop subsidizing any of them, and time to let them move on to other activities. We would have been better off these last few years without them.
lol
well what do you think of public broadcasting in general? Maybe it needs to be reformed - focus more on the things that work well, like the radio. Invest more in provincial broadcasters, or radio canada international. In other words how can we build on public broadcasting?
Here is a crazy idea: hire the CBC board of directors via public sortition!!!
What you mean Mark, is that you didn't read or hear or see journalists standing up to defend Ms LaFlamme's or Ms Mesley's firings because you were not interested in the stories in the first place.
Good point. I could easily be wrong. Is it true that there was more media outcry over Ms Mesley than Ms LaFlamme?
Amen to that.
And they are still doing harm - many employers who rescinded terminations for vax free employees are still refusing to hire the vax free.
Two words....liability....lawyers.
Do you seriously think 2 shots back in 2021 are reducing transmission or infection today? Be honest.
“I am down with blaming the patriarchy for pretty much everything.”
That’s where I stopped reading. Imagine if a man said that about a woman?
You should never stop reading Tara, especially after one phrase you don't care for.
Why imagine? Look up the story of the Khasi of northeast India.
Amen to that. The whole ideological group think has landed the feminist movement irrelevant just as is the mainstream media. They will soon denegrate women into non existance after years of aiming and working to have gender equality. Now we are left with what is a woman? Making any gains in equality and women, completely null and void. Under the new Progressive Technocrats and Governments, we will cease to exist as they believe we are but a social construct and can be enhanced so that men can soon give birth to babies. Its called Eugenics and was used exclusively by a certain regime in Germany in order to manipulate and cause great sufferage to many in order to create the perfect human beings. Gender is non existent in the terms we know with this new technocracy full of ideologues and elites. We can no longer be mothers, but only one of many birthing people and chest feeders. Mother's no longer exist in their new world nor do females. Its to make Eugenics acceptable for all "people kind", as the elite Medical Community, straight out of Hitler's regime, perform Eugenics on your children who are told they are in the wrong body. This is being done to create acceptance for their experimental medical procedures and later adding technology into humans to make them superior. There is little thought for the persons involved or their mental and physical wellbeing. Its the reason they have made any talk therapy illegal. These experiments may just change their mind and decide not to allow their bodies to be manipulated. That leaves little for those who believe in creation and their godlike status to be able to perform their art of making the perfect people kind. They need it to be accepted through cohersion and through legal means so all people kind will want to aid them in their experimental ideology of Eugenics. They are the same regime as the last, just a little more advanced. Unfortunately if you dont agree with the ideal people kind they are building, then you be given an option of political imprisonment or to euthanize yourself. That is the reason for the expansion of Euthanasia laws as they too will be a mandated medical procedure, if your unaccepting of their new world and their ideal "people kind." Remember the first use of that word. Who said it and how rediculous it sounded. Its called conditioning the masses to their ideal and make them accepting of the manipulation of your body and mind. This is just the precurser to the medical implanting of chips and many other wonderful ideas these horrendous self serving technoctrates and elites have in store for this and future generations. They must ensure that humans are there for them to manipulate in all ways possible and to accept being physically and mentally enhanced to feed their existance. Hence the dumbing down of society, indoctrination of the youth, and propogating to the flock of experimental beings. It works wonders too as they are all lining up for their turn on the experimental medical table of the elites.
Oh ML, have you ever considered writing a sci-fi novel? I know it's been done before but you have some great stuff here. I think the word you are looking for is "transhuman".
Please, please, don't listen to the Daily Wire. Trust me, just don't.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0Hcdt48iw8&ab_channel=MightyDeibu%27sChannel
Straight from the WEF Website. Yuvadi Harari You lknow, more Conspiracy Theories.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0Hcdt48iw8&ab_channel=MightyDeibu%27sChannel
Pay attention Lou. You have to stop reading the newspaper and watching tv news. There is much more information available to all that seek it.
YouTube is by definition not reliable. That's being polite. Some is OK. But better to bolster your arguments with better connections. And who gives a flying fig what the WEF says? There are so many special groups now (we should work up a list) I'm just glad Soros is getting a break from all the crazy. The WEF is just a whole big pile of rich rather clever people who have aides write stuff for them. Some good stuff, some not. Maybe they believe their intentions are good, I really don't care. Take it with a grain of salt and don't let them keep you up at night.
I do love YouTube ads (or do you have a paid subscription so you don't see them?). The luminskincare for men, the $600 special forces laser flashlight, the navy seal ab builder sticker, the assorted prostate/weight-loss/ED cartoons, the eat this one thing before bed and cure everything ads, amazing opportunities for all.
And your Mighty Deibu (with 21 followers) is a Japanese gamer who posts nutty videos. The word deibu, translates as fat. So visualize a pudgy gamer with a great computer system and a cooler gamer chair, having a hell of a good time because he thinks he already is transhuman. Did you see the one where they are complaining about Power Ranger costumes?
Yuval Noah Harari is a very clever Israeli (there are lots of them), who formerly lived in TO, if that matters, who has been writing on humans and the future since before 2011. His books at the very least are to encourage people to think about the future. The big picture, beyond politics, beyond boundaries. Were we came from and where we may go. Fascinating stuff and his videos are delivered with such surety. You don't have to believe that he is actually involved with Klaus Shwab (WEF) in Davos (where they don't live or work but just meet and ski). Harair has been to the Davos gig. All sorts of interesting people go. Does not mean there are secret labs that are developing transhumans. Leo whoever, who does the intro makes statements, not necessarily true. Harair is a philosopher, a historian, a professor. He's written popular books some of which were panned quite seriously by other scholars for inaccuracies. He is not a global overloard.
Why do you include the same link twice?
I haven't bought a newspaper in years. I read everything and yes, I did leave tv news (CBC, CTC, MCNBC, Al Jazera etc) running in the background but I have now cut the cord and I'm listening to far more music. Grateful Dead, Ripple, just now. Yes, there is far more info if you just search past what is in front of your nose.
https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/9789814667029_0007
http://genderforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/5_Lakshmanan_Transhumanism.pdf
What ever you say. I tend to read alot. So you decide for yourself.
I don't understand the point of these 2 links.
I remember the Lakshmanan paper. I think that was in 2017. In 2018 she gave us https://cultivatefeminism.com/issues/issue-one-feminist-protests/protests-ecofeminist-perspectives-on-social-sustainability/ I did not make it a tiny url on purpose. I know how much you like eco types. She is/was an instructor at UC Berkley. She's written a few papers taught a few courses. Why has she got you upset? Why am I supposed to learn something from her? Where is Milo Yiannopoulos today?
Eugenics have been around since the dawn of time. Bloodlines. Didn't you watch Game of Thrones? The human eugenics that is freaking you out really started up in the 1880s or thereabouts (Hitler didn't come up with the idea). Why not, they breed dogs and race horses, roses and apples, why not people? OK, with people it seems creepy but it's nothing new and people do still try but with mixed results. Look at Trump's kids. Cautionary tale right there.
I know you read a lot. I want you to read more. Deeper. Question, do not simply accept because your heart says so.
I think this is the key; "I suspect the fact that she fought for good — and expensive — journalism in the face of increasingly tight-fisted corporate interests". Media is cutting costs everywhere, so we're no longer getting the quality of information that we used to. In this propaganda filled world, there is nothing good that can come from that.
We'll agree to disagree on that. Compare the number of CBC correspondents now to what it was 30 years ago. Good media comes at a cost. It isn't being paid.
This is a nice read. Ms. Mesley does readers a service by reminding us that not too long ago women in media were not seen or heard. The media landscape has changed for the better, but new biases have surfaced. The Parliamentary Bureau at CBC has switched from an all male cast to mostly women. (Ms. Mesley admits as much in the story.) Why is that? Are there no men being mentored for work in Ottawa?
I realize that this opinion piece is centered around the Lisa LaFlamme controversy and the way that the impact of this reflects on women in media.
A good follow up would be a straight from the hip blast at CBC woke dogma that has a seasoned and respected journalist fired for using the “N” word in proper context in a producers meeting, of all things. The thought police have been given an inch and have moved the yardsticks two miles. I would like to learn more about that from Ms. Mesley.
Trish Wood had a lady from CBC that quit due to the COVID propaganda on CBC and the fear mongering to the masses. Cancelling all other voices purposely even though those voices were correct. Trish did a great interview with her. Trish Wood also was the winner of the best Documentary on the Fifth Estate on Fauci and the Aids epidemic. People forget things that happened and were implemented, or not, by Fauci as many died faster than was necessary due to Fauci’s refusal to make a drug that worked quite well available to aids patience for off label use. Like today they want only new drugs as you can not make billions off those ones that are already out on the market and UN patented. This Is exactly what happens when you have big pharma funding the FDA that is suppose to be regulating them. In the Aids case Fauci was holding out for the vaccine, yes it was all about a vaccine, as that would make them all lots of money were an old preventative medication that was Unpatented would not. It’s a collaboration of greed and corruption and lives lost mean zero. I wonder how many Canadian politicians and Health Experts have shares in Moderna and Pfizer as we know that many in the Senate and the House in the US knew just when to buy them to make the maximum money for their bank accounts. That is what investigative journalism is suppose to report on and yet in Canada they all push the Government line. It’s why all other voices are silenced. Only those invested in what was once good journalism believe a word they say. Trish Wood is Critical. It’s what she does medical investigative journalism. Real investigative journalism not the news from government press releases.
Trish Wood does more than medical investigate journalism. She spouts off on absolutely everything and anything. And she has gone off the rails in a big way. But ... she is making a hell of a lot more money than when she had scruples.
She accuses the "liberal left" for the attack on Salman Rushdie. No, sorry, she lauds another writers article with snappy interjections. She also natters on about groupthink. She was once good, very good, but now she's just another angry right-winger blaming everybody else.
Really Lou? You sound like a Democrat in the US calling people right wingers. She is not a right winger and its not she who has gone off the rails. Quite the opposite. Its the Left's promotion of inclusivity, diversity and inclusion that has gone off the rails as well as the mainstream media that promotes and parrots the Liberal Government's agenda.
If you remember who Salman Rushdie is and what he wrote, regardless of the backlash and threats of murder by those who disagreed with him, you can form an idea of why she would say such a thing. Most of the left stood by Salmon Rushdie and his bravery for writing the book but today they promote just the opposite. Remember the school teacher in France or the people murdered in the church there. What did Trudeau say afterwards Lou? Fortunately its on camera as he spoke to Canadians, so its very proveable that he said about we must be considerate of our language and what we say. Later he retracted his words because his buddy Macron stood up and said that cutting off a teachers head in public because he dared speak against a religion steeped in hate against any that disagree with it, should not be a death sentence. That goes to far. Salman Rushdie did something much bigger than speech as he wrote a book about it. After he was attacked, no left wing people, that once stood by him and his work, had anything to say. They have changed sides Lou. They now promote violence against those that think differently than they.
You may have a short memory of what journalism was but I certainly do not. I suppose Bari Weiss is a right winger just like Glen Greenwald and Matt Taibie. It amazes me when people become so invested in a narrative the main stream media play, they are blind to reality regardless of facts and a truth that is right in front of them. Everything else is just a Conspiracy Theory. Anything that differs from their orthadoxy is deemed Right Wing, Conspiracy Theories, obhorant, or white Supremists. Where did that language come from? So many people have been displaced from the political polarization that has occured that they have no political home. Most were Liberals ( I was) but they have leaned so far left and into a totaltarian and controling regime that anyone thinking differently is labelled and demeaned. Why? We all used to disagree on many things and there was not a war. People were not banned from speaking or sensored because they had a different view. If you don't see that taking place today its not anyone elses fault or because their right wing, its because you are conditioned to think like you do. Your either with the left or the enemy. The whole idea of science itself is to listen to all sides and work toward a conclusion as regardless of what Fauci says, he is not science, will never be science, nor is the Government or anyone else. Their actions do not even promote science, nor journalism, nor do we have an open society or the freedom to have discourse. Its why Substack exists today.
I also thought that the female reporters being harassed on air should have told the asshats making those comments to fuck right off! The appropriate response to that kind of juvenile behaviour is anger not tears.
Strongly recommend CanadaLand's take on this one. Jesse drilled right down past the sexism, too, after noting that, for sure, it was there. But he also contended this is about LaFlamme pushing for more money to cover Ukraine, and about "encouragez les autres" ... because TV is the top job in journalism, ahead of both print, net and radio for money and audience; and CTV is the top newscast, LaFlamme the top job there: she was at the absolute top of the pyramid in Canadian journalism jobs.
So if they can fire *HER*, without saying why, on little notice - nobody's job is safe from the Suits and you'd damn well better shut up after they first say "no" to more resources.
Totally agree about Lisa. With her great numbers she would not be fired for any sexism reasons. But she took a fight with the new guy with a mandate from the big bosses and no one wins those. They acted even if they no doubt knew about the fallout.
Even the big bosses and the new guy with a mandate aren't always aware of the big pile they stepped in. Yes, losers.
I'm so happy to hear you speak openly. I agree the MSM is facing challenges from many sides. Where it will end up, they and Joe Public won't know until it happens. It would help if they went back to reporting REAL and BALANCED news instead of so much fluff and WOKEISM/victimhood that dominates their news reporting. IMO CTV's decision to let LaFlamme go was beyond the colour of her hair.
I was totally pissed when you left the CBC as it was very unfair. I'm looking forward to listening to you and Maureen on your new podcast. I just read Marie Henein's autobiography and am thrilled you had her on your program.
I agree that there's likely a real story that we may or may not hear, likely dependent on Lisa LaFlame herself.
I feel for Omar Sachedina ... he's been dumped into a ticklish situation which is likely to impact his career His statement the other night was pretty cringeworthy 😳 ... I couldn't help thinking of the Bell commercial .... "It's not you "Omar" it's your network" 🤪
From a gay man's perspective this navel-gazing LaFlamme story captures everything wrong with so-called progress in human rights. Straight people finger pointing at other straight people about inequity. As an outsider, with no horse in this race, I see both straight men and straight women as entitled whiners. Combined they hold pretty much all of the power and wealth in our society. Now they're finding new ways to game the system to take even more. Mesley does a good job at writing around this central issue. The world is the world. The world changes. Using identity politics to create victimhood narratives just deprives truly marginalized communities of much-needed opportunities and resources. I'll know straight women have achieved equality when they start owning their part in marginalizing others.
Wendy. One way or another, an employer can terminate any employee. The LaFlamme firing wasn't about the cause, it was about the ineptitude of the process.
There is no support for any "cause" except "business reasons"...which, while unsatisfactory to those looking for hidden motives, is all that's necessary (publically at least).
I wonder why they bother with contracts?
Excellent op-ed. But TBH, I was sort of expecting more of a 2nd half with a bit more on the "news is not news, its a profit seeking business" angle with insights on how thats the dominant force in media now (e.g. we can replace expensive Lisa LaFlamme with Dall-E LaFlamme) Is there a part II coming ?
C-Mike, you write it and pitch it to Matt and Jen.