For a news channel that hasn't even made its first broadcast yet, the Sun TV News Channel is certainly generating a lot of buzz. If you can call it that. A number of other bloggers have already noted today's op-ed by Kory Teneycke. He seems to be quite agitated at the idea that some people aren't altogether thrilled with the prospect of what they've already dubbed "Fox News North" (and believe me, now that I know the phrase irritates Teneycke, I'm likely to use it every chance I get).
The piece was apparently prompted by Margaret Atwood's public endorsement of a petition which Teneycke — proponent of "Hard News and Straight Talk" — characterized as "opposing the television licence for Sun TV News." Actually the petition itself makes a specific objection to pressure alleged to be applied to CRTC Chair Konrad von Finckenstein, apparently responding to reports that Prime Minister Harper might intervene to get the project a type of licence, and funding along with it, for which it wouldn't otherwise qualify. It doesn't say anything about denying Sun TV any kind of licence. Perhaps Teneycke feels that's implied but if that's the case, he might have said so. Wouldn't hard news reporting include reporting the exact meaning of the language used?
In the inevitable exchanges on Twitter that followed there was also an intriguing question raised about this paragraph.
Atwood is not the only A-list "celebrity" that has signed. Dwight Shroot (from The Office), Boba Fett (of Star Wars), Snuffaluffagus (Sesame Street) and Homer Simpson are also signatories. Clearly the CRTC should take note of such distinguished individuals lending their name to this smear job.
I believe it was Kady O'Malley who first wondered aloud how it was that Teneycke knew which fictitious characters had signed the petition when the names hadn't been published. It was definitely O'Malley who followed up and then tweeted just a few minutes ago.
alright, just chatted with @KoryTeneycke , who was sent those names by an unnamed source who had added them him/herself.
So someone intentionally messed with the petition and then contacted Teneycke to report that someone was messing with the petition. Some anonymous person told Teneycke something that he can't otherwise verify and he reported it in a national newspaper without qualification.
Hard news and straight talk. I think it's going well so far, don't you?
*snerk*
Good for Kady. We need our close-reading Sherlocks now more than ever.
The problem is that the Sun's readers will only hear Kory's side of the story because the Sun is their sole source for what passes as news in that rag.