Journalists boycott Harper news conference as media battle heats up

[tuvor]

OTTAWA (CP) - About two dozen journalists walked out on Stephen Harper on Tuesday after he refused to take their questions, the latest chapter in an increasingly unseemly spat between the prime minister and members of the national media.

The scene of reporters boycotting a prime ministerial news conference was described by Parliament Hill veterans as a first. It resulted in Harper being forced to make his announcement on aid to Darfur to a small handful of reporters, photographers and cameramen outside the House of Commons.

The impromptu boycott was the latest move by journalists in their ongoing tug-of-war with the prime minister over who controls news conferences.

The Prime Minister's Office insists on choosing who gets to ask questions based on a list it compiles.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=8c303905-ee2a-4c48-9ee8-19ed24f848b7&k=84417

[EFerrari]

1. Well, I'm not going to say it.

:)

[wakeme2008]

3. Well I will say it Canadian journalists have balls US do not

:)

[xxqqqzme]

4. well I will -

steve-o shouldn't be using that play book saurove gave him.

[marmar]

2. North America is infested with Neocon leaders....

Where's the Orkin man when you need him?

[northamericancitizen]

5. Soon Harper is going to realised that he can't run the show.

[Spazito]

6. Damn, I am pretty proud of them!

A bit more from the article:

"We can't accept that the prime minister's office would decide who gets to ask questions," said Yves Malo, a TVA reporter and president of the press gallery. "Does that mean that when there's a crisis they'll only call upon journalists they expect softball questions from?"

After journalists refused to be placed the list again on Tuesday, Soudas announced that Harper would be on his way shortly - and he would not be taking questions.

The press gallery president then turned to his colleagues and suggested they leave.

One would think a leader with a very vulnerable government wouldn't want to be making enemies of the press, especially the press that leader depends on to get his message out. I love it, lol.

[tuvor]

7. Maybe Harper believes his own...press.

After all, he's poised to cruise toward a majority, don'tcha know.

(Crossposted in the Canada Forum, BTW, Spazito.)

[Spazito]

8. LOL, his own press is right! Canwest/Global are his cheerleaders

for the most part although I have to give them credit for publishing this scathing column about him.

Thanks for crossposting it, it should generate some interest I hope.

[CHIMO]

9. Reporters boycott PM's news conference

OTTAWA — About two dozen journalists walked out on Stephen Harper on Tuesday after he refused to take their questions, the latest chapter in an increasingly unseemly spat between the prime minister and members of the national media.

The scene of reporters boycotting a prime ministerial news conference was described by Parliament Hill veterans as a first.

It resulted in Harper being forced to make his announcement on aid to Darfur to a small handful of reporters, photographers and cameramen outside the House of Commons.

The impromptu boycott was the latest move by journalists in their ongoing tug-of-war with the prime minister over who controls news conferences.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&pubid=968163964505&cid=1148422236660&col=968705899037&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News

Thanks to Tuvor for the item.

[madame defarge]

10. Wish US journalists would follow suit.. n/t

[987654321]

15. Journalists?

We have very few of those. We have news media personalities instead. Hooray for us!

[MSgt213]

11. Well. You don't have to worry about that happing in this country

Our media is so far up Bush's ass if he farted Tony Snow would fall out.

[Mythsaje]

12. So THAT'S what a press with a spine looks like...

Amazing...

[Canuckistanian]

13. Wow, that's unprecedented

Even reporters are getiing sick of Harper.

Does Harper EVER expect to get a break in the press now? Dream on.

[tuvor]

14. No need for the credit, CHIMO.

Thanks all the same! :hi:

(It's also posted in the Canada forum for those who care.)

[tuvor]

16. Oh, dear, I AM an idiot today.

CHIMO, I thought my post was in GD, not LBN.

May I blame it all on the head cold I've been suffering through since Saturday? :blush:

[CHIMO]

18. No Problem

I saw it in the Canadian forum and thought that it would bring some hope on the Latest. Sometimes we don't realize the interest in our own environment by others.

Love your digging on articles.

[tuvor]

21. Thanks.

It's just Google news with "stephen harper" customized on the page.

You've been doing a lot of keeping the Canada forum moving forward yourself, I've seen.

[Gloria]

19. You mean they aren't worried about "access"?????

Go get 'em! Great work, Canadian reporters!!

[Catrina]

17. He'll have to call his neocon friends in the US now to get some more

advice on how to get these people under control. Maybe the NSA can help him out.

What a beautiful thing! A free press unwilling to be bullied by a little despot. Canadians I hope, learned from what happened here and hopefully will nit this neocon movement in the bud before it blossoms ~

Other countries do have freedom of the press. Bush nearly had a heart attack in Ireland when a reporter asked him a few simple questions, being that she was used to questioning politicians in her own government, and after all he's always spouting words like 'democracy' and 'freedom'.

They decided to 'punish' her for her 'arrogance' by cancelling a scheduled interview with Laura. I think she was probably relieved. It's difficult to believe the extent to which the American press has been taken over ~ until you go to other countries.

I hope our press will one day walk out on Tont (the freeper) Snow ~ I don't know why they waste their time even showing up.

[AlamoDemoc]

20. Thank you Canadian Press....la press canadienne vous remercient

:yourock:

[TrogL]

22. He cannot afford to piss off the Canadian press

They'll eat him alive. Even the conservative-owned press have a fine tradition of biting the hand that feeds them.

[Miss Chybil]

23. How clever. And to think, Americans were once so innovative. nt

[rodeodance]

24. our WH press core is too afraid they will not get to ride on Air Force I

if they are critical.

[Vidar]

25. Hats off to the Canadian press. At least we still have Helen.

[HuffleClaw]

26. he's playing the 'blame the media' game but its backfired big time!!

his own party is aghast at their new leader too. its a real joke. the real problem NOW though is the fact that the public really doesn't like it when a minority government falls 'too soon'. but he still doesn't have much time left and knows it. the next governments job is going to be undoing all the crap he's done.

[applegrove]

27. Journalists in Canada have seen the way neocons like to deminish their

profession and are having none of it.