Who are the real newsmakers?

March 31 was the final date for submitting a winning entry to the Dalton Camp Student Essay contest. The subject was media and democracy. Big cash prizes. MLA format. Cite sources.

I failed to make the deadline. I couldn't get beyond wondering why I needed to write in essay format. Writing an essay is a painful experience, besides being quite pointless from a communication standpoint. Nobody talks in essay format, and there aren't many people who read essays. I don't. I suspect you don't either, loyal reader. I wouldn't feel bad about that, because it's a rare essay that alters anything. People can make a difference, not writers.

Politics, democracy, the media... these are worthwhile topics, and they're certainly intertwined. The problem is that we, as people, as citizens, have little control over any of them, even though we vote in elections and finance government operations, even though we can be professional or citizen journalists, even though media is everywhere.

Looking back on my year as the ‘Bang's self-appointed political pundit, I'm horrified to read most of what I wrote. Some of my stories were blatantly libelous, pure slander, out of brute necessity. How else to confront issues like Iraq, Michael Ignatieff, Afghanistan, George W, CNN and the arrogant jackals who constitute the Canadian political class, and who set the agenda we all live under... Unless you happen to be entrenched in the power structure, then you'd be able to get away with all sorts of outright crimes while spreading disinformation on a daily basis - and have the media report it all like a monstrous high end public relations firm.

I'm writing this on Wednesday. It's now 2:43 in the afternoon and my deadline is looming. I would have finished this story earlier, but my afternoon was interrupted by Robert Hurst, President of CTV News, who graciously gave of his free time to speak with journalism students in the Broadcast Centre. An important person, no question. A powerful person, in charge of a very influential news organization. CTV is often blamed for being a media bully, an unstoppable force that's consuming independent thought, controlling information for the profit of its shareholders, all to the detriment of the public. Mr. Hurst said so himself: News is a business. Presumably the news department must also make money. It's obvious CTV has high Canadian ratings. Viewership allows CTV to make more ad money selling commerical airtime during primetime evening newscasts. Nothing wrong with turning a buck. Right?

Considering that the push for an ever-expanding profit margin is what causes events like the sub-prime meltdown in the US, fuels the ever-increasing gap between “haves” and “have-nots”, creates the Blackwater mercenary army, causes farmers to dump food in the garbage rather than give it to hungry people, and makes news and information a purchasable commodity, I'd have to say I disagree with CTV's business model. Mr. Hurst also spoke of Stephen Harper's leadership qualities.... I will presume Hurst meant the PM's political skills, which are impressive, and not his leadership ability, which is of debatable quality.

The reason why I couldn't write an essay for Dalton Camp's Award is that I'm more interested in trying to communicate with people who hate politics and news, than I am trying to put a high-minded and wordy-spin on the relationship between media and democracy. Because that's my job: to talk to readers in a way that clarifies issues to the best of my ability. There aren't many awards given for calling politicians spoiled aristocrats with the morals of hyenas, or saying that the Prime Minister is a hypocrite, who'd cut walker funding for old people if he thought it would guarantee the Cons a majority. I'm comfortable with the fact I may have forfeited a chance at $2,500 for not penning an award-winning essay, because I've tried to bring my own version of clarity to this space during the past school year. Hopefully the reading has been informative. If you're done with Fanshawe, good luck. If, like me, you're coming back next year.... Stay tuned.

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