Election Day Five: First Day of Overt Pro-Conservative Media Bias

Several items in the news today would rankle a neutral observer hoping for an objective presentation of Canadian election news.

One must be careful not to jump the gun in proclaiming a pro-Conservative bias, as there is a traditional, somewhat justified, prime ministerial benefit-of-the-doubt bestowed upon the country's leader in office and always has been.

But the time has come to call foul. Among several issues presented unfairly in the media today: the so-called "coalition" argument. There is little doubt that most Canadians with any interest at all in the election have seen Stephen Harper's "coalition" ploy completely debunked. Gilles Duceppe pulled out the letter signed by Harper himself where he agreed to an alliance with the Bloc and the NDP just a few years ago in a secret plan to bring down Paul Martin's Liberal government. The pictures of Stephen Harper "in bed" with the "socialists and separatists" were all over the internet and TV. i.e. - the coalition "scare" created by Harper is a non-issue and has been acknowledged as such in most media.

So why does the "coalition" keep coming up on Day 5, but now presented without the corresponding counter-arguments?

For some reason, the media just keeps merrily playing these coalition-scare sound bites, whether from Harper, pollsters, persons-on-the-street, or media commentators, without regard for the fact that objective reasonable people have dismissed the message as flawed and false, based on the evidence shown. Most significantly, they play Harper's take on the coalition subject without balancing it with the super-convincing counterpoints that exist.

Which may explain why Lloyd Robertson looked like he was having trouble convincing himself of the objectivity of certain parts of his script this evening.

Drudge Report Blacklisted by Co2 Art - Going on 6 Months

"The journalism equivalent of pre-formed food product in every bowl on the buffet"

There was a period of time where a person could have a look at Drudge Report to possibly get an insight into the neo-con mindset on certain issues. Once upon a time, you might even get the rare heads up on a piece of interesting breaking news.

Over the course of the final year maybe of the last U.S. presidential campaign, Drudge became increasingly predictable and more whatever. Call it gratuitously shrill. And with too many links to same old same old - the journalism equivalent of pre-formed food product in every bowl on the buffet..

The site just became less and less useful and less worth spending any time on. Then over the course of the rise of the tea partiers and the whole charade of opposing Obama's health initiative, it got to be too much.

Co2 Art pulled the plug on Drudge about 6 months ago and that POS site has not and will never appear on these screens again. Drudge Report has been blacklisted.

You're GONE!!

Co2 Art's Rating of the Leaders' Performances on Day 1

Harper 3
Ignatieff 6.5
Duceppe 8
Layton 5.5
May 5.5

Overall a very weak and mojo-lacking day for Harper. Considering he should be driving the show. So blatantly hung out to dry for lying, and being in writing to prove it, and being on video... he might as well have been sitting in a glass outhouse half the afternoon... all the day after his government collapses in Contempt of Parliament

Ignatieff didn't show enough moxy to avoid getting sucked into Harper's 'coalition' discussion - his retorts were pretty good but not necessarily shown on all the media.

Duceppe certainly called Harper's bluff and had the line of the day: "they all want to be in bed with me but no one wants to marry me"

Jack looked full of vim and vigour but wasn't his old self - tomorrow may be more his day in B.C.

Liz has got the right idea running in B.C. I want to see more but sure didn't see much.

Looks like every time Harper talks about 'coalition' there'll be pictures of him sitting there all lovey-dovey with the socialists and separatists plotting to usurp power from Paul Martin. haha

BTW the garbola Postmedia poll did not appear in my Montreal Gazette today so I don't know who they're trying to kid.