Harper To Take Steps to Bail Out Biggest Media Supporters

How much more evidence does anyone need that the mainstream media has a political agenda and is ultra-biased. It might do one well to remember the following when reading editorials and stories in the national media about issues related to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Last month, Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore dodged questions regarding how he might help the financially strapped media giant Canwest Global.

However, Moore was quoted on Wednesday in a Canadian Press story saying that the government is looking at how to assist Canwest.

Canadian Press also reported that Canwest has contracted former Conservative campaign strategist Ken Boessenkool to “help plead its case”.

Nobody should be surprised that the Harper government will pull whatever levers it can to ensure the Asper family, which owns Canwest, retains control over company.

Canwest is an important propaganda tool for the Prime Minister because it owns Global TV, the Vancouver Sun, the National Post, the Vancouver Courier and other daily papers in several markets.

The Aspers and Harper have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship in recent years. Harper ensured that the family patriarch, Izzy Asper, saw his dream of a human-rights museum come to fruition in Winnipeg, courtesy of massive sums of public funding.

In return the Aspers helped ensure that Harper would remain prime minister when Canwest provided supportive editorials and "spin" before the 2008 election including hammering the idea of a Liberal-NDP coalition government supported by the Bloc Quebecois.

It seems spinning the news in favour of the sitting government has its benefits. So much for public discourse in a democracy. Under these conditions is it any wonder this Province has become the favorite whipping boy of so many media outlets?