Roundup: Not a free press issue, but a trap

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Because everything is stupid, we are being drawn into a dumb fight that is trying to de-legitimise legacy media, and legacy media is once again walking into the trap. To wit: On Tuesday, a Rebel “News” personality accosted Chrystia Freeland on the sidewalk outside of the PS752 memorial, and in the end was detained by police for an altercation. We can’t see exactly what happened because as soon as he was intercepted by the protective detail, his camera conveniently panned away, and returned to him as the police were arresting him for assaulting an officer. (He was later released without charge). There are legitimate questions if the police overreacted, and again, we can’t see what he did to them when the camera panned away, but this is not a free press issue.

To be clear: He is not a journalist. Ezra Levant and Rebel “News” keep testifying under oath in court that they are not journalists and not a news organization. And this particular performer, David Menzies, does this a lot—accost people, get arrested, and then Levant puts out a fundraising plea to their viewers, who dutifully shell out. This stunt was practiced, and the camera work seems to indicate just that. They’re already fundraising and claiming they’re going to sue Freeland and the police, because that’s their grift. And because everything is stupid and awful, Pierre Poilievre has decided to step in and claim that this is a freedom of the press issue.

Bullshit.

This isn’t about freedom of the press because Menzies is not a journalist, and Rebel is not a news outlet—by their own admission. But they pretend to be, and Poilievre is happy to go along with that fiction because this way he can try to de-legitimise reputable media outlets by saying that they are on the take from Justin Trudeau, and therefore suspect. It’s not really true, but Poilievre and his caucus have been engaged in this dystopian world-building to paint the picture that Trudeau is a despotic tyrant stripping away their freedoms who is telling the media what to write, and if they don’t, he censors and now arrests them (all of which is an absurd fabrication). And of course, Poilievre is data-mining and fundraising off of this, because again, he wants to get in on the grift.

He doesn’t care about the free press. He abuses legitimate journalists on the regular, and I have been at the receiving end of that. There was no concern about Menzies’ freedoms when he was arrested at previous Conservative events, having accosted both Melissa Lantsman and Andrew Scheer. But by trying to call out the Parliamentary Press Gallery for not condemning Menzies’ detention, and a bunch of mainstream outlets cluelessly not getting that this is grift and playing along, treating Rebel and Menzies as though they were legitimate, is doing the work of letting Poilievre de-legitimise them. It feeds his dystopian narrative, and creates the bifurcated reality where facts no longer apply. And this has the potential to get worse as Marilyn Gladu is trying to get the Commons’ heritage committee to take this up, meaning a full-on dog and pony show for the cameras that legitimate media won’t know how to handle themselves in, because they refuse to believe that they are the targets in this all-out offensive. This is actively damaging democracy, and by not being self-aware, legacy media are causing themselves more harm. This can’t end well.

Ukraine Dispatch:

The massive air assault Russia has launched against Ukraine is stretching their air defences, and they need more systems and ammunition, particularly of anti-aircraft guided missiles, some of which is being held up by the fighting in the US Congress. More than a thousand towns and villages have lost power because of winter storms affecting power systems that have been weakened by Russia’s assaults. Drone manufacturers in Ukraine are producing them faster than the country’s current budget can buy them.

Good reads:

  • Thus far, the government is staying out of the debate on whether South Africa should be bringing Israel to the International Court of Justice on genocide charges.
  • Mark Miller says the 1000 spaces for the visa programme for family members in Gaza isn’t a hard cap, and they will reassess as they get a better sense of demand.
  • There are questions about the NASAMS air defence system Canada purchased for Ukraine, as the company says they don’t have the order we paid for.
  • The Russian woman who feared deportation because she had a criminal record in Russia for opposing the war was allowed to complete her citizenship ceremony.
  • Military police warned soldiers to stay away from a sex worker in Kingston who offers a discount for serving personnel, and ended up driving more traffic to her.
  • Here’s a backgrounder on Peter Green, the family friend Trudeau has spent the past two Christmases in Jamaica with.
  • Here’s a look at why the potential Honda EV plant may be a tougher sell than the other investments made to date.
  • 2023 was the hottest year on record (so far), and it looks like climate change is accelerating, and breaking past the 1.5°C warmer than pre-industrial threshold.
  • Sweden says that once their NATO membership is confirmed, they will join the Canadian-led brigade in Latvia.
  • Former Supreme Court of Canada justice Rosalie Abella weighs in on the ICJ genocide charges and finds them wanting.
  • My column looks at why e-petitions don’t need added clout, and why they’re actually poisonous for grassroots democracy rather than the “gateway drug” that’s claimed.

Odds and Ends:

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2 thoughts on “Roundup: Not a free press issue, but a trap”

  1. And the whole carnival of provocation and mendacity will excite more harassment plays from the imitators.

  2. Dale thank you, once again for being a warrior for truth. I cannot believe that Legacy Media are blind to what to some of us is so blatant..Keep up you excellent reporting.

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