Public Eye Online – Publisher apologizes for putting Smith column “on hiatus”
Just a quick note: Vivian Smith will be returning to the Victoria Times-Colonist, and the paper has apologized for turfing her.
Which means my awkwardly-worded “Don’t Butchart media ethics!” campaign can go back on the shelf.
Congratulations to Sean Holman, who has pursued this story doggedly from the beginning.
It is with great interest that I follow the controversy regarding Vivian Smith’s roller coaster ride at The Times Colonist.
I have spotlighted CanWest numerous times in an effort to encourage them to report more thoroughly regarding issues that affect our community in Vancouver, specifically, the 2010 Olympics. I have described in detail, through my blog and newsletters that Jeff Lee (Vancouver Sun), among others, fails to report, by design or ignorance (who knows), aspects of Olympic related issues that are important for our community to understand. For the record, I support the Olympics, but not how it is managed.
Forgive me for preaching to the choir, but not reporting critical information is either an oversight, which reflects a poor work ethic and skills, or it is blatant bias, which is reprehensible in Vancouver’s Olympic community when you consider that Athens suffered a deficit of $12 billion, Salt Lake City $1.2 billion, Turin is still counting, and we already have overrun costs of $110 million in Vancouver; while NBC boasts they sold advertising to 4 billion people during each of the last two Summer Games. News media are huge financial winners in all Olympic regions, and as such this creates a conflict of interest challenge, that so far, local mainstream media have chosen to ignore.
I invested three years and a six-figure budget researching how Olympic events affect a community, and as a result recently published a book, “Leverage Olympic Momentum.” Also, my blog, OlyBLOG.com and its sister newsletter reach almost 10,000 readers around the world. Most readers are small and midsize business owners and managers in B.C., Alberta and Washington State, and I am also read by media in Vancouver, Victoria and across Canada, plus we are now developing London, England (Summer Games 2012), and recently media in cities around the world bidding to host the Olympics in their regions.
For the last three years I have carefully tracked and documented how “The Sun,” among others, reports information regarding the 2010 Olympics, and I am less than impressed.
In fact I am so frustrated with the response of some news media in Vancouver that I recently (early July 06) offered our local journalists an opportunity to publish anonymously on my blog Olympic information they feel they cannot get into the public domain through their employers. I received immediate positive response, however, so far, none have taken me up on my offer.
As a matter principle, I do not send free copies of my book to local media, partially because it is news media’s responsibility to know what they are talking about, which means it is their obligation to educate themselves before they go to work each day. If they step into the breach unprepared they cannot possibly recognize when their employers and Olympic organizations use them as pawns. I also have no intention of having news media cherry-pick the information in my book, and then disregard information that does not serve their economic purpose. Yes, I realize it is not the most effective book promotion strategy, but if local news media buy and read my book, and continue to report half-truths, at least I know they are not simply ignorant, but instead biased. The Catch 22 is that I am not about to be played or contribute to the charade by “giving” them information, which would be like “me” paying them to mislead the public and appease their employers. I do however have no problem sending complimentary copies to “national and international media,” and will start to do so on a regular bases shortly. My blog is free though, and it has similar information, but it serves a more vertical purpose, which is partly to reverse engineer news media bias in “real time” and help small and midsize business owners understand what is happening in their effort to leverage Olympic momentum (I am a business person, not an activist.).
I cite local examples in my blog and book of “checkbook journalism” behavior (it’s not something that can be easily proved), and understand clearly Noam Chomsky’s premise regarding “necessary illusion.” Vivian Smith has unwittingly become, for the more astute, a symbol of truth in media. News media bias is alive and well in B.C., and it is especially prevalent regarding reportage of Olympic process. I have been threatened and berated by local media, all privately, and to say the least, it is intimidating. But because I am right, and meticulous, they have little recourse, legal or otherwise, except to change how they do business. The best they have been able to do so far is attack me personally, which to their chagrin, leaves them little satisfaction. All I have to do is wait it out to prove my point. Fortunately, these days my predictions come true quite regularly. Some news media pros on the other hand are digging shallow graves. I keep track of how and who misleads the public and I spotlight it. Our slogan at OlyBLOG.com is, “We don’t break the news. We fix it.” I’m not taking any credit for the hard work Vivian Smith has done, but considering the spotlight that I, and others like “PublicEyeOnline.com, The Courier, The Georgia Straight and The Tyee.ca” have shone very brightly on CanWest properties recently, and the fact that Vivian Smith is right, it is no wonder they thought it prudent to hire her back. I hope she received a whopping raise and bonus too!
Maurice Cardinal
Editor OlyBLOG.com
Author LeverageOlympicMomentum.com
P.S. My detractors wish I would go away. I was told in confidence by an angry senior journalist who demands to remain anonymous, that his pals regard me as a source of humor. You can’t please everyone, so I don’t even try, but I’m betting that after Smith was rehired, all smiles faded quickly, except mine of course.
You might find this link interesting . . .
Media Bickering
And this one too . . . 2010 Annonymedia Pro
Annonymedia Pro
Interesting site, Maurice. Just out of interest, have you had much feedback from anyone connected with the Games? I ask that knowing how (over)zealously they guard the commercial use of the word “Olympic”.
Not a peep.
When you’re right, you’re right.
I also rely on “fair use statutes” which allows anyone to critique, or report news and use the words an icons of Olympic organizations. I do both.
I would love VANOC or the IOC or local media to question me because it would bring more focus to the issues I raise. But they won’t because I am right.
Thanks for asking, and so sorry to take a year to respond.
I am overwhelmed trying to keep up with Olympic misinformation propagated by local media, and I just saw your question Rob.
Cheers,
Maurice
Thanks for the answer, and no problem on the delay, Maurice — that’s what the whole asynchronous thing is all about. ;)