When I posted recently about the CRTC granting approval (sort of) for Al-Jazeera to broadcast in Canada, it's not for nothin' that I made a comparison to the Fox News Channel. Detractors of the CRTC have long accused that body of censorship, claiming that Fox News has been banned from Canada, forbidden to broadcast here. It's a convenient story since it supports the myth that the CRTC is the weapon of that awful liberal elite, those godless amoral nihilists* who are determined to stamp out all that is fine and conservative in the world.
Want some examples? How about Peter Worthington of the Toronto Sun here, here and here. The last of those was in reaction to the very CRTC decision we're talking about:
IT SPEAKS volumes about the CRTC. Okaying Al-Jazeera coming into Canada, but forbidding Fox News, tells you all you need to know about the CRTC.
Perhaps one thing you need to know about the CRTC is that Worthington's claim isn't true.
On 24 November 2000, the Commission approved a Category 2 specialty television service to be known as Fox News Canada. The terms and conditions generally applicable to Category 2 services are set out in the public notice accompanying this and other decisions released today.
That comes from the CRTC website. What's that you say? Fox News Canada still isn't available to you? Antonia Zerbisias of the Toronto Star explains:
... when the cable industry applied to bring in Fox, the CRTC was hamstrung by a deal between Fox and CanWest Global for a digital hybrid, Fox News Canada. The cable guys also bungled by bundling Fox with other services that had no hope of getting in. Now there's another Fox application. Last week, the CRTC asked for comments on the application which will likely be approved.
If you're interested, the CRTC's call for public comment on this latest application is here.
To the best of my knowledge, Peter Worthington has not requested public comment on why the myth that Fox News is banned in Canada has persisted.
A tip of the hat to My Blahg for much of the research here: the two CRTC links and the Toronto Star link. I couldn't resist running with the story.
* A play on the way Stephen Harper has characterized the "modern Left". Since the Conservative Party's platform in the recent election called for a review of the CRTC's role and the Conservatives hinted broadly that its role would be reduced if not eliminated, Harper's comments seemed like fair game.
Update, July 19, AM:
I guess we can put Ezra Levant along side Peter Worthington. In a column in today's Calgary Sun, Levant calls for the abolition of the CRTC. After taking a couple of paragraphs to tell us how horrible Al-Jazeera is without, you know, giving us any actual examples of their despicable programming, he refers to the CRTC's approval of Al-Jazeera without mentioning the restrictions that will likely ensure no one actually carries it. Then he writes:
No such luck for a U.S. TV channel called Fox News: Permission denied. Not because of concern for too much U.S. content in Canada -- the CRTC has already approved CNN, Headline News, and a plethora of other U.S. channels (including Playboy, of course).But CNN is a liberal TV station, founded by the noisiest leftist of them all, Ted Turner. Fox, on the other hand, is conservative -- or merely fair and balanced, if you ask them. But then Canadians might actually have an alternative to the mushy left universe that is Canadian news.
It's already been demonstrated that a Canadian version of the Fox News Channel was approved four years ago. Can someone offer any actual proof that FNC has been denied access to the Canadian market because of its content? No? So how about a nice, hot cup of STFU?
Just wanted to say hello. Anyone who banned Paid Troll from his blog for racial epithets is okay in my book. Since Paid Troll (also known as Canadian Guy) is a liar who posts lies and doesn't understand English or truth or decency, I'm happy to read the blog of anyone who doesn't give any space to the liars.
And as I have said many times, I love Canada. If Mrs Cox were not planning a ten day trip to Thailand with her sister in October, which kills excessive vacationing on my part, i believe this year's Labor Day Weekend Canada trip would have been to Nova Scotia. Can you get good smoked salmon in Nova Scotia?
I appreciate the kind words, Wally. I can't speak personally about smoked salmon in Nova Scotia because I haven't made it that far east yet. But since there's a Nova Scotia Salmon Association, I think it's a good bet.
yes, smoked salmon is plentiful in nova scotia. it's also quite good so you're in luck!
I'm really getting tired of the Fox News crap. Who cares about Fox? I want my HBO!!!
For the record, Ezra has had a standing cup of STFU over at RevMod for a very long time. Is this your first run-in with Mr. Levant's interesting logic? He's quite the guy.
Don:
I know the name and I may have skimmed one or two of his pieces in passing, but this is the first time I've given him a close read. That's an awful piece of work from start to finish. Is this typical?
It really is. The logical fallacies are textbook... I get the feeling he knows exactly which ones he's committing even while he's committing them. Sadly, the Sun has only recently started archiving his work, because his leadup-to-war and war work was awe-inspiringly inflamitory.
Perhaps the finest example of Ezra-logic could be found late last year when he chose to debunk the theory of global warming. The sole crux of his argument lay in the fact that it was -25 outside and that alone should prove to anyone that there is no warming going on nor will there ever be. I had to read it three times to try and decide whether it was satire or not. Since I've chosen to torture myself by reading his columns for quite some time, I see he's incapable of satire. Unfortunately I've seen him interviewed, so I can no longer read his columns without hearing that cloying delivery style of his.
While I suppose they have to be seen as fair, believe me, you should hope that the red-tape keeps FNC in limbo for a long, long time.
FAUX News. Bleh.