Were Alberta’s health cuts covered fairly? Last week’s column dealt with how reporters could not relate to those affected by government cutbacks, leading to biased stories.
Panelists at a Canadian Association of Journalists conference said premier Ralph Klein and the Alberta Tories used the media bias and Alberta’s general mentality to push their agenda.
The Calgary Herald’s Catherine Ford described Klein and his government as brilliant. “They read their history, and this is how the people of Alberta have always banded together: by identifying and rooting out their enemies. This is the way we think in this province. Since 1905 those enemies have been Eastern interests, the Liberal government, bankers, brokers and … the media.”
Read Also
Topsy-turvy precipitation this year challenges crop predictions
Rainfall can vary dramatically over a short distance. Precipitation maps can’t catch all the deviations, but they do provide a broad perspective.
Ford said the government “used our own rules of balance and fair play against us.” Wrong information was given to the media, and instead of fighting to find out the facts, “we capitulated.”
Opposition voices were ignored as the media adopted the government’s portrayal of them as “whiners.”
Kevin Taft, who has written a book about Klein and the Alberta Tories, said Klein was “being carried along on deficit hysteria and cutback mania.”
Alberta became a “democracy by public relations.”
Taft showed numbers used, or ignored, by the Tories avoided giving the true picture. For example, one graphic used by the government about health costs didn’t include inflation and population growth so is “meaningless.” Taft questioned whether the media are too busy or not interested enough to dig into information provided by the government.
Ford said the media publish material unchallenged, such as direct quotes from public affairs staff. “The public is being misled and taken advantage of.”
