76 Comments
Commenting has been turned off for this post

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?

Expand full comment

As usual from Wendy Mesley, a balanced, big picture, thought-filled and experienced analysis.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

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!!!

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

Good point. I could easily be wrong. Is it true that there was more media outcry over Ms Mesley than Ms LaFlamme?

Expand full comment

I agree with your sentiment. There is zero interest in the media on reporting how the mandates severely disrupted so many lives - but there is obsessive coverage of this termination.

Expand full comment

And they are still doing harm - many employers who rescinded terminations for vax free employees are still refusing to hire the vax free.

Expand full comment

Two words....liability....lawyers.

Expand full comment

Do you seriously think 2 shots back in 2021 are reducing transmission or infection today? Be honest.

Expand full comment

Reducing hospitalizations, and severe outcomes? Yes. transmission no, as Omicron changed the game. What few numbers are still available seems to support that as well. But politicians prefer to pretend it's completely over...in Ontario anyway. We'll find out in a couple of months.

Expand full comment

So, if it doesn't impact transmission, what would a liability lawsuit against an employer look like?

"You hired me, a vax free person, and I got severely ill. You should have discriminated against me"?

I'm no lawyer, but I don't see that making much progress.

Expand full comment

Yes.

Expand full comment

Amen to that.

Expand full comment

“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?

Expand full comment

You should never stop reading Tara, especially after one phrase you don't care for.

Expand full comment

Why imagine? Look up the story of the Khasi of northeast India.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

I do appreciate our conversations as you do make me think. I can agree on some things but I have some beliefs that are set in stone. The most important is children and advocating for their best life. I have great difficulty with accepting any harmful actions to children for the entertainment of adults in any and every way. No one will ever change my mind on that.

Expand full comment

Thanks ML :) Nothing should be absolutely set in stone.

I love my kids, and my grandkids and the kids of friends and neighbours. I like kids in general. But you and I cannot advocate for their best life. Not in any meaningful way. That is the job of their parents. I am far more concerned about sick perverted paedo types who do hurt children, too often for life. The punishments have never fit the crimes. People who gain the trust of kids, more often men than not, teachers, priests, coaches, neighbours, the list is long and varied. Then there are the enablers who don't actually hurt the kids but they help the abuse or excuse it.

These people frighten me far more than govs, big pharma, right, left, whatevers. Shadowy secret society sickos don't frighten me. They always get busted.

Expand full comment

So you think it’s ok to take young children and perform painful and life changing surgery on them because they believe they are in the wrong body? Having their breasts removed and sterilized at 14? I have not figured out what I am going to do for the rest of my life now, let alone when I was 12. What I said is they are doing this to ease us into further manipulations of the human form. Melding technology with humans as well as turning males to females etc.. So I am not at all comfortable with any of the Eugenics they had yesterday, today, or any day. It’s not for our benefit but for those who want to perform experiments on humans for their own pleasure. The fact they pushing this idea on innocent children is truly harmful. That is fine if one is an adult with some experience in life and decides this is for them but it’s totally different to do this to children. It’s all about Eugenics. In the name of Transhumanism.

Expand full comment

The entire trans topic is far more complicated than you insist. I'm not saying it doesn't happen but where were you when 12 year old girls were getting breast implants and facial reconstruction because they felt they were not pretty enough. Crazy happens. Fortunately to very few. I'm all for sterilization in principle ... 8 billion people on the planet. And should my grandkids decide to not procreate I'll cheer them on and babysit the dogs.

No one is comfortable with eugenics. Not the old school, not the new style. But people can talk and write about what they will.

There is lots of talk about AI and chips and manipulating the human body (check out YouTube, it's been going on for decades and it's not trans-humanism, it's vanity). We have a lot of tech but so far it is not advanced enough to do anything you are worried about. Do you own a smart phone, of course you do. You carry your chip around with you, wherever you go. Do you feel manipulated?

Pleasure? For some maybe but most simply won't hold for it.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

The CBC is lavishly funded and if anything they did a worse job during Covid than private media.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

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?

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment
Comment removed
September 9, 2022
Comment removed
Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

ML, I am a Democrat when in the US.

Let's haul this back a bit. It's you and Trish Wood who are continuously dividing people into Left or Rightwing. It is Trish Wood, while riffing off of Bari Weiss (honest news) who states: "The attack reminds us of the dangers of radical religious zealotry but also, sadly, of the group-think and cowardice that have infected Liberal elites who have been slow to step forward in Rushdie’s defense." What a load of crap! That is not what Rushdie's horrific attack reminds us of! She then continues listing off famous people she likes who have responded to the attack sympathetically on Twitter or FB or somewhere. Millions of people are in shock over the attack on Rushdie. Right, left, neither, religious, non-religious, assorted genders, however they like to refer to themselves. The "liberal left" is Trish's and your pony to beat with a stick. Now you cheerfully bring up beheaded teachers (yes I remember) and comments between leaders of state (are they buddies, really?) which has nothing to do with anything.

I am older than you ML and my memory is just fine, TY. And when I forget or I am wrong I will say so and apologize if needed. I’ve read Weiss for years in the NYT, I’ve been a big fan of Greenwald forever, and Taibi is pretty good. Are you finished name dropping? You are as bad as Woods. But just because I read them does not mean I like and agree with everything they say nor do I have to agree with what direction they ultimately go towards. Whining about group-think and the liberal left is so incredibly lazy. Professional writers should be more precise. If they are lazy then so will we become.

I too am amazed when people become so invested in a narrative that 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. I’m talking to you ML.

What does your tear have to do with Fauci or Rushdie or is it the way Woods tells their stories(dipping back into the 80s) that you are accepting as gospel. You hate the CBC where Woods honed her craft. Why are you impressed?

You may have been a Liberal (I never was) and you probably never read Satanic Verses (I did at least couple of times) and I suspect you seldom read things you don’t agree with, except here on The Line. But if we disagree with you, you tar us with “group-think, orthodoxy, polarization, division, totalitarianism, and control and liking it.

If there is a war, of words going on, I believe it’s solely due to technology. Letters to the editor just don’t happen anymore. People like Theo Fluery have a loud voice. Who ever listened to a hockey player before? Even in the 80s?

Few are banned or censored or silenced. They can simply move on to another platform. No one promised Twitter Forever (T banned me). No one can be forever on guard against the Hadi Matar’s of the world. The war of words slides into radicalization thousands of miles and years from the source and kills. TY technology. Why doesn’t Weiss or Woods write about that? Maybe they did, I’ll have to check, or you could and get back to me.

The world is not a nice place but you could, just to get some breathing space, turn off all of your devices for a few days or a week and take some long walks before the weather turns. Everyone still loves to talk about the weather.

Ps ; You can be sure that scientists like Fauci and millions of other scientists know what science is, how it works, how it applies and how it evolves. And some, like Faucie, had to tread the dangerous line between science and power.

Pps: I love Substack. Except for the lousy javascript. But if the NWO wanted it infiltrated or shut down do you honestly think it wouldn’t be? I just subscribed to Justin Ling’s, Bug-eyed and Shameless. Check it out.

Expand full comment

I agree with much you say. Unfortunately I never read the New York Times as I have known for some time which side their bread is buttered. Similar to the CBC who’s CEO was living in New York. Trish Wood is just as truthful as Bari Weiss. You may not agree with her but she knows what Fauci is and what he does. She knows that the pharmaceutical companies fund the FDA and we all know they and the CDC have lost their way. In fact the CDC came out and admitted so although not as upfront as most would like. The whole pharmaceutical industry is a corrupt enterprise putting forward drugs that not only don’t work, some are severLy addictive. You go and do the research on Fauci and the aids epidemic. You don’t win awards for lies sir and perhaps it’s you and your sources who are wrong on this. After all antidepressants are a lie and we’re promoted for profit not because they actually did anything. Look at the fraud and lawsuits against these companies and the harm done so they could make a profit. Not once or twice, they have made it a career. So sorry if I disagree and have little trust in any of those even slightly connected to the pharmaceutical companies, FDA members and politicians that make profit off these drugs and vaccines. That is all politicians, be they Democrats or Republicans. How that insider trading is allowed is beyond me. The corruption is thick and through out. The idea of draining the swamp comes as a truth. Right now the court case against Fauci and the big tech company for censoring of other doctors, epidemiologists and scientists in a country that is suppose to have free speech and science relies n many voices and ideas especially during a pandemic. This needs to be answered for. Not that mainstream media will put it out for the people to see but you can be sure it will be in sub-stack once a verdict is made. As for those links sir you will see Harari the author of Homosapiens and other books and advisor to the WEF. It’s his speech on transhumanism and it’s not lies or conspiracy theories it’s about the use of AI and melding it with humans. Tracking humans with chips just as he says the Corona Virus has made it possible as people asked to be tracked. So here we all are. I don’t remember volunteering to be tracked, I don’t know about you. Some people like the Government ruling over every aspect of their live as they are not wanting to make decisions for themselves. I feel many are in that category. I am not nor will I ever be. It’s no conspiracy theory it’s just a fact. They track us with our cell phones and the great Apps they come up with. It’s sickening and it’s done for control. I don’t believe the man is lying to us as I have seen him on many University talks and Even Ted. It’s not when it will happen as it already is and in the US it’s been going on since 9/11. Glen Greenwald helped expose that with the help of Edward Snowden. I suppose that to is a conspiracy theory. I am not believer in the agenda of governments and the destruction of the lives of half the population for “the greater good”. Those words themselves are straight out of Communism. So we may agree on some but I will not denigrate you by saying you are spouting Conspiracy Theories as so far Conspiracies seem to keep coming through later as fact. So I am ok to agree to disagree because the truth always comes out. It just the left has the media captured so anyone listening to the mainstream nonsense is bound to believe exactly what they put out. You repeat them consistently. I am as fond of mainstream media as I am of politicians with agendas. Not at all. PS If you read Bari Weiss you must have read all about the Trudeau’s travel mandates being straight BS as no one with any health credential and no one in Health Canada said to put in any mandates. It was purely political. So if you stand by truth you must know the mainstream media never said a word. The Federal Court has put up all the documents for the public to see but I am sure the mainstream media just did not have time to report on it yet. Lol. Sometimes the entire mess is unbelievable but on it goes. Lock downs will be forthcoming if you don’ t take the vaccine. It’s all on the up and up as Canada is the only country with masking mandates in some Airports still and on all flights. Follow the science?. I am sure it’s all on the up and up just like the Arriv Canada App. Nothing to see her folks.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

Even the big bosses and the new guy with a mandate aren't always aware of the big pile they stepped in. Yes, losers.

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

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" 🤪

Expand full comment

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.

Expand full comment

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).

Expand full comment

I wonder why they bother with contracts?

Expand full comment

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 ?

Expand full comment

C-Mike, you write it and pitch it to Matt and Jen.

Expand full comment