Politicians and the media maintain an uneasy relationship, for obvious reasons.
Politicians do what they do, explain the purposes for their actions, comments and policies, and try to portray them all in the best possible light.
The media question those actions, comments and policies, analyze them and try to dispassionately explain them and their consequences to the public.
That is an oversimplified description of the process, but in a democracy with a free press, the basic system works surprisingly well. It works best when both politicians and the media realize the value of each other’s roles, and give both criticism and credit where due.
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We try to hold up our end of that bargain at the Producer, so it smarts when politicians don’t. A recent example can’t pass without comment.
Federal agricultural minister Gerry Ritz is a likable man who knows how to communicate with farmers. Last week he spoke to the annual meeting of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities and while there, he did a disservice to the Producer and one of its reporters, Barry Wilson.
Ritz was talking about the Canadian Wheat Board: “We have changed the dialogue somewhat with the wheat board. We have good frank discussions on a weekly or biweekly basis but they’re not being broadcast through the media. We’ve had a lot more productive positive work than we have when we’re arguing through Barry Wilson’s filter in the Western Producer. Sometimes Barry does get it wrong.”
Perhaps Ritz is mistaken about the exact location of this so-called filter.
I draw his attention to the Oct. 25, 2007 issue of the Producer where, on the front page, Wilson wrote this: “And in an Oct. 19 interview, (Ritz) suggested it might not face resistance from the CWB. While board leaders have opposed Conservative efforts to end the monopoly during the past 20 months, Ritz suggested that is changing.
“‘They are working in a transitional way to advancing the open marketing of barley,” said the minister. … He even suggested the board of directors could end the need for legislation by embracing the move …. (CWB chair Ken) Ritter agreed with the minister that relations between the CWB and the government have taken a turn for the better under the new minister….”
So what is Ritz’s complaint, again? Because the Producer has reported on the very matter he criticized it about in front of SARM delegates. We’ll accept criticism where due, but this isn’t such a case.
We’re not picking a fight with the minister. We’ll continue to report on his work in a fair and accurate manner. I just hope Ritz can occasionally appreciate the value that accurate reportage brings to the system.
