Bell Media is currently
in attempt to take over Astral Media for a deal of $3.4 billion. This is slightly old news to some, yet it
is much more to be concerned than one could imagine.
How media affects
Quebec and society in general is simple. Whether one supports the current student
movement or not, most can agree the news coverage is responsible for the
negative outlook, and just one example of how condensed journalism really is.
By looking at the
bigger picture, Canadian media is owned by five major conglomerates; Postmedia
Network, Rogers, Bell Media, Astral Media, and Quebecor. These companies are in
control of what we see, hear and watch.
Postmedia Network owns
30 newspapers across the country’s landscape, including the Montreal Gazette. How
does this affect the movement? For one, the National Post, the Gazette’s
adopted cousin, has been no short of using propaganda and disinformation to
tarnish the red square’s reputation.
In an article posted
April 23rd, three days after the riots at Salon Plan Nord, Graeme
Hamilton wrote, “you would think […] after a student protest Friday led to
smashed windows at the Montreal convention centre, […] students would be
rushing to distance themselves from the violence that discredits their cause.”
However, not one word
about the infamous comments Liberal Party leader Jean Charest said at the
convention that sparked the violence itself. Many testimonies from students
admitted that the scene was rather calm until Charest said, “To those knocking
on our doors this morning, we could give them a job- up north as soon as
possible.”
Many were teargased and
hurt, yet the National Post, along with many newspapers, did not mention this
or the true reality of Quebec this past year. Another article from the same
newspaper referred the Charbonneau Commission as a “small scandal”.
Some of its authors
went as far as calling the province’s students “dimwitted”, “blockheaded”, or “anarchists”,
which is astonishing coming from a professional
media outlet. Should this not be considered discrimination since these
words target a specific group of people?
On May 11, the National
Post’s Kelly MacParland wrote, “[Charest] has put up with infantile hectoring
from student leaders who think mob rule is a new definition for democracy.”
Somehow the fact two
students lost usage of an eye due to police brutality did not cross the mind of
the media, or the fact that the Charbonneau Commission is one of the largest
Quebec scandals of the decade since it involves corruption in the construction
industry.
The National Post is
not the only offender. There is also biased reporting from the Calgary Herald,
as well as the Quebec Huffington Post, an extension of American newspapers founded
by Ariana Huffington. One contributor of the Huffington Post is none other than
Conrad Black.
Although, a headline no
one can forget is the infamous cover of Maclean’s, owned by Rogers, on June 4: “Quebec’s
New Ruling Class” that sparked much attention.
Returning to how one
major conglomerate buying another could have a negative effect. Firstly, Bell
Media is already the largest corporation in Canada; it owns CTV, but has also
been important for Internet, telephone and satellite users.
Secondly, Astral Media
is in charge of a majority of radio stations- 84, to be precise, and claims
ownership to certain television stations and an advertising company. If Bell
Media were to take over, it would be an undeniably powerful tool in shaping how
people see mainstream society, which causes fewer voices to be heard.
Ironically, Quebecor,
another major company which owns TVA, Videotron and Archambault, has taken part
in a campaign against the deal.
Our neighbors in the
United States have had shaped public opinion since the invention of the camera.
Today, 90% of their media is owned by the big six of Hollywood; General
Electric, News-Corp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, and the ever-eyeballing CBS.
In result, the more
media is owned, the less variety there are in points of view. The news coverage
becomes biased and from the direction seen by the owner of the company, meaning
local news becomes well… less local.
For example, odd recent
headlines courtesy of RDI have been: a man reportedly hunting a squirrel and accidentally
shooting his family member, or the recent scandal of an Asian woman being
illustrated on the newly designed $100 bill. Conservative MP’s have apologized
for the inconvenience- whether the woman looks Asian, is for workers to decide.
These are stories that
would make much more sense if they were reported by Fox News, known for its sensationalism
of confusing entertainment with everyday headlines.
On the other hand there
is Quebecor, which launched Sun TV in 2011, a Northern version of Fox News, in
Toronto. How flattered must Rupert Murdoch be?
In the true North
strong and "free", there is Quebec, the target in media for what has been a
memorable year in societal reform and politics. Yet for those who do not live
here, it’s a wonder how little our cousins know about what goes on in the
province often portrayed as the black sheep of Canada.
By the statistics and
slanted journalism, the answer is in who owns us. For those interested in
signing a petition to keep Astral Media from being bought, visit http://saynotobell.ca/petition
No comments:
Post a Comment