Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 13, 2007, Winnipeg, Manitoba Comment editor Gerald flood 697 7269 Gerald. Flood free press. My. Ca v new fro the w est a n d b e y o n d a 11 Winnipeg free press thursday december 13, 2007 Winnipeg repress. Com w to counts according to the latest statistics Canada Survey one in seven canadians or 4.4 million people report some form of disability. Dec. 3 was the International Day of disabled persons. Its purpose is to promote the Equality of people with disabilities in All aspects of life. Canada is a signatory to the United nations convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. Legislative and technological advances provide greater options and opportunities for people with disabilities every Day. Yet where Are we with All of this in actuality when i read editorials that extol the Virtues of Robert Latimer murdering his 12 year old daughter Tracy i wonder How far have we really come As a society in valuing and respecting differences As a person with a disability i feel increasingly vulnerable. I am deeply concerned by the better dead than disabled philosophy that seems to permeate much of the popular culture and Media discussion of disability issues. People with disabilities Are rarely included in this dialogue. The whole Tenor of the debate leaves me with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. When did Quality of life become conflated with worthiness to live the collective social understanding of what disability is or is not appears deplorable primitive almost visceral in nature. The de humanizing language in the midst of the discussion would seem to give License to lives less worthy. Such notions hark Back to a Darker time in history. There is an apparent level of privilege associated with recognized Levels of physical and mental acuity. Socially recognized markers determine degrees or Levels of inclusion and the presence of disability seems to Challenge the accepted markers of humanity or normalcy. Function is equated with value Worth and usefulness. There is a pernicious undertone of utilitarianism present Here that is noticeably absent from other minority group discussions. Human rights Are not contingent on perceived Utility. They simply Are because we Are. The state of belonging or not to a Community appears to be determined in part by socially defined identifiers of acceptable physicality intellect or ways of thinking. Social assumptions including reactions to perceived differences appear to reflect ancient belief systems ingrained in the collective social consciousness ones arguably rooted in fear and limited knowledge. People with disabilities Are frequently perceived As aliens on the scene chronically out of place. This May result in the private issues for the people concerned becoming strangely available for Public consumption a dubious form of inclusion. The very Core of the Issue is that the Standard assumptions Are far too narrowly drawn and rarely subject to question or critique. Society frequently displays a Lack of creativity and flexibility with such matters. People with disabilities do not have lives less worthy simply because we move perceive speak or think differently. Requiring assistance with tasks of daily living does not detract from ones humanity or Independence. We Are All in reality interdependent on one another. However some supports Are More visible than others. As a society we have yet to develop a Comfort level around difference and pain. Often individuals project their own fears and apprehension onto those perceived As victims. What is at Issue Here is the Lack of care support service and information for people with disabilities. Weaknesses or gaps in support services or Lack of information should not serve As an excuse for murder. Sympathy and pity do nothing to enhance life. People with disabilities want dignity and respect and the Means to participate to the fullest. There is value in diversity and society is strengthened by it. I see huge possibilities for imagining and hopefully one Day achieving a much More inclusive space for people with disabilities in the social and economic world. We people with disabilities feel proud in and of ourselves. The drive to survive in often hostile left Over spaces moves people with disabilities Forward. There is no magic solution but one is left with the question about How much More could be accomplished we were Able to make our Way in the world More on our own terms. So much time and Energy is spent trying to gain the rights of passage to Cope with the negative attitudes the poorly arranged surroundings the constant fear of being on approval in the non disabled world. Nancy Hansen is director of the interdisciplinary masters program in disability studies at the University of Manitoba. Nancy Hansen t Here is no doubt that Canadian society is enriched by having intelligent and probing investigative journalists looking into the affairs of government and Public officials. In fact this role played by the Media is essential to the proper functioning of democracy because journalists have often shed Light where none exists exposing any number of scandalous misdeeds Over the course of history. Frances Russell argues that the Schreiber affair which has overtaken parliament Hill discloses a different Type of scandal. She suggests there has been a conscious decision by All but a handful of journalists and Media Over the last decade to ignore dismiss even squelch the Story. What Russell is saying is that almost every journalist and Media which i assume refers to management and proprietorship knew that a scandal existed with respect to the claims made by Schreiber and deliberately acted to ignore and or defeat reporting on the Story. She suggests this is part of some kind of right Wing Media conspiracy. Her evidence is As follows. In 2001 the National Post editors refused to publish a Story written by Phillip Mathias which detailed Schr Eibers Cash payments to Brian Mulroney. In 2003 Globe and mail columnist Lawrence Martin quoted an unnamed european Diplomat who suggested that the Canadian Media had migrated to the right Wing of the political spectrum. Globe and mail columnist and former Mulroney aide Norman Spector speculates that with the Post having refused to publish the Mathias Story most can West newspapers then refused to review a Book written by William Kaplan in 2004 Russell erroneously wrote that it was published in fall 2003 in which the author recounts the failure of the Media to report on the Story. Connecting these dots Russell is Able to reach for her conclusion. History May eventually show that the Media was not at its Best during the whole Schreiber Mulroney affair. But to ascribe to that possibility Only a single rationale is superficial Lazy and unfair comment. It is equally plausible for one to conclude that most Media simply missed the boat and for any number of erroneous but not sinister reasons chose not to pursue it. Moreover it is possible that the explosiveness of the Story and seriousness of the allegations May have approached the line of libel and without further substantiation Media organizations May have wanted to be very cautious. For Russell to suggest however without a shred of evidence and with no apparent attempt to Contact me or any other principals involved in the Media business that somehow a group of right Wing people got together and decided to Bury the Story is simply ridiculous. It implies that something like 10,000 journalists editors editors in chief publishers and owners across the country consciously and deliberately joined a common cause. I must have missed the meeting and the memos that surely followed. Too bad because it would have been Rich to see our National Post people supposedly locked up with representatives of our political Antithesis the Toronto Star whispering about How we could collectively defeat journalistic inquiry. This is just laughable and contrary to the facts. A Quick scan of the data base of can West newspapers reveals that on oct. 9, 2004, the Edmonton journal reported on Kaplanis Book under the headline Mulroney took Schreiber Cash Book says. On nov. 5, 2004, under the headline the scandal that wont go away in the National pos Michael Bliss published a 900 word review of the Kaplan Book. Most notably however in response to russells conspiracy theory a Little Over a month later on dec. 18, 2004, under the headline the secret trial is newsworthy in the National Post columnist Andrew Coyne called out the Media and in fact every other form of authority for not having sunk its Teeth into the matter. He concluded his piece by saying our last two elected prime ministers men who governed us for most of the last 20 years referring to Mulroney and Chretien have both left office under an ethical Cloud. And hardly anyone thinks this Worth mentioning. Coyne noted the Story had also received Only passing mention in a Globe and mail editorial and in a column written by Paul Wells for a clean Sand that was it. In other words the National pos which Russell claims was at the Root of the alleged conspiracy to kill the Schreiber Story beat her by four years in pointing out the deficiency in coverage. If such a conspiracy supposedly existed it seems hardly reasonable for the conspirators to have one of its top columnists publish it. Interestingly enough coyness Point was completely missed by Russell in her column published on nov. 12, 2004, under the headline nothing new under the Sun. There is not a word in this piece about what had become so apparent to at least one senior member of the posts editorial staff. Russell did not seem to notice or care about the Lack of coverage at a time when it would have been most relevant. The Schreiber Story is far from Over and As it unfolds it is not unreasonable for Media to look Back at How things might have been done differently. This is How we live and learn. But in situations where most Canadian Media the political system and possibly even the Justice system Are complicit by omission it is wrong to seek out easy answers and simply conclude of Well it must be a right Wing conspiracy. Since the free press is not named As a co conspirator it leads me to ask Russell where she was at the beginning of the 21st Century and where was this paper on the Story did someone higher up gag Russell and the rest of the newsroom or did you like almost everyone else just miss the Story it does this and no other credible Media outlet any service to just rant on an uninformed basis. David Asper is chairman of the National Post and executive vice president of can West global communications corp. David Asper s Haw communications the company that provides Cable to to Many Manitoban and its chief executive Jim Shaw dont like the Way television production is funded in Canada and have been taking out full Page advertisements in newspapers across the country to say so. In big Blue letters the advertisements ask what do you Call a $ 250 million Boondoggle the advertisement then answers its own question the Canadian television fund. To most canadians these advertisements must appear arcane to say the least. Canadians tend to care about Canadian made television in the abstract but know Little about How it is paid for or Why it is difficult for it to compete on a level playing Field with american imports. On the whole canadians prefer to watch the big american imports like Sci without a Trace and the new private practice or Chuck than homemade fare. When canadians do watch homemade fare it is often formatted shows like Canadian idol or Deal or no Deal which mimic their american counterparts and Are made without the help of the Canadian television fund. It is this phenomenon that Jim Shaw is attacking. His advertisement says that the Canadian television fund was created to help promote and develop Quality to programming in Canada and has spent $ 2.5 billion with Little to show for it. This is nonsense. Canadian made television is hard pressed to compete with imports. American shows Are backed by huge advertising budgets. They have the weight of All the american press and publicity and they have 20 plus episodes a year. Canadian shows usually have 13 episodes a year which fight to find programming slots around the american juggernaut. Even so there Are successes both at Home and in International sales. When Shaw says in his advertisement that spending by the Canadian television fund has had such meagre results hers being More than disingenuous hers Plain wrong. The popular Success of Little mosque on the Prairie the critical Success of intelligence and the International sales Success of my own company is Falcon Beach Are hardly meagre. They might not be blockbusters by american standards but by any other they Are doing extremely Well. Falcon Beac for example is anchoring a new teen hour on the bbl. But Shaw has his Point to make and hers making it in part because Shaw communications is a major contributor to the Canadian television fund. He has to put up Money and he does not like it even though hers a beneficiary of some of the funds investment. The Shaw family controls the Cable company that bears its name and also controls the Corus television group that owns the youth Channel Yov and movie Central. Ironically Canadian made shows have been consistent hits on Yov and movie Central shows like slings and arrows have dominated Canadian award shows. The Cable companies Are required by Law to contribute to the making of Canadian television in return for the privilege of being licensed to Supply Cable to our Homes. Its a Small contribution for the Opportunity to make a great Deal of Money. The contribution from the Cable companies is matched with contributions from the Federal government. The Canadian television fund gives the Money to broadcasters who choose the shows to be funded. Earlier this year Shaw halted its contributions. It restarted after the government regulator the crts ordered a report into the Way the fund operated. The report pleased no one and now there is a renewed War of words. It is possible to make Canadian television without help from agencies like the Canadian television fund but its hard. Its hard because Canada is so Small a Market. American networks usually pay the full Cost of making american shows. Canadian broadcasters cannot afford to do that but they can buy american shows at a fraction of the Cost of making them. The Canadian television fund helps the broadcasters to make Canadian shows. It provides some Money As a subsidy and some Money As an investment that is returned from International sales. The system Isnit perfect but has worked remarkably Well with Canadian shows gaining a reputation and audiences All Over the world better audiences sometimes than they have at Home. It is As they say a free country and Shaw and his Cable company can pay for any advertisements they choose. But neither he nor his company should be allowed to get away with spurious allegations that if they gain currency could put an end to Canadian made drama. The Canadian television fund can no doubt be improved but it is important that Canada retain the ability to make shows that showcase the country both domestically and overseas. Shaw says in its advertisement that it supports the development of original Canadian programming. With support like that id hate to see what opposition looked like. Nicholas Hirst is ceo of Winnipeg based television and film producer original pictures inc. Nicholas Hirst Canadian press handout / Csc a scene from Little mosque on the Prairie a Csc program that by Canadian standards is doing extremely Well. I am feeling increasingly vulnerable right Wing conspiracy theory ridiculous a Canadian made drama attack on fund for to shows threatens Homegrown Content ;