News and Politics with a Local Voice
By the time this article posts, our annual year end awards show will be over. In case you missed it, or you want to save the results for posterity, here’s the breakdown of how the Open Sources Guelph team saw the year that was… Continue reading “Adam’s Award Winners for 2016”
This week on the show we talked about the recent issues around fake news, and whether these fake news industries that have arisen, websites that create posts that are sold as news but are barely related to actual news happening anywhere, had an effect on the U.S. Election. Fakes news is obviously a problem, but as we pointed out on the show, the problem has been significantly affected by the fact that few people seem to know what real news is anymore. That’s not a problem created by Russian oligarchs, alt-right provocateurs, or unemployed post-grads, it’s being caused because there are times when our local news stations don’t know what real news is. Continue reading “The Weekender: Fake News Isn’t Our Only News Problem”
A few months after he secured the nomination, and several weeks after he was official made the Republican candidate for President of the United States, it seemed like Donald Trump finally made the pivot to the general election this week. Of course, if he waited much longer, the November election would have looked more like a coronation for Hillary Clinton, but as the man said, better late than never. While Republican party heavyweights like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell may be the most relieved ,or – if only for a moment – slightly less concerned about a full GOP repudiation in three months time, the most relieved must be Trump’s spokespeople, who get a break from having to defend the insanity. Continue reading “The Weekender: Don’t Hate the Player, Hate His Pawns”
Last week will go down as the seven day stretch that saw the passing of both David Bowie and Alan Rickman, but there was another “death” last week that portends very tough times for this increasing shattered and intangible media landscape. In Canada, and the United States, media companies once again had their knives out as the hammer fell on hundreds of media jobs on both sides of the border. (I know we’re mixing metaphors there, but it’s been that bad.) Continue reading “Well that Was a Terrible Week for Media”
It’s Friday, so let’s celebrate with some videos to take you mind off that long wait till 5 ‘o’ clock. Continue reading “Friday Videos: Obama Thriller, GOP Loves Science, and Referendum Remembered”
Canada may be five hockey rinks surrounded by bears, but we have feelings too. It’s always big news when Canada gets a mention on an American political satire show like The Daily Show, it’s like we made it, but usually it’s when the bus goes completely off the cliff, like with the case of a certain Toronto mayor. And that’s why it was surprising that our little senate scandal got the attention of John Oliver, and he remarked on the Canadianness of our political scandals on his show Last Week Tonight. Continue reading “Uh-Oh. Someone Told John Oliver About the Senate Expense Scandal”
Yesterday, Bell Media held its upfronts for all CTV and associated cable channels. For those of you not in the know, the upfronts is a chance for TV networks to show off for advertisers and the audience what new shows they’re bringing to their stations in the upcoming season. Typically, in the case of CTV, it means revealing what American network shows they’re buying and simulcasting here in Canada so they can make millions without investing significantly in homegrown talent.
If that were the extent of CTV and Bell’s crimes against media this week, then it wouldn’t have made much news beyond the obvious, but what really got under people’s skin was win Bell Media head Mary Ann Turcke used the occasion to slap the wrists of Canadian TV viewers who are accessing American streaming sites like the U.S. version of Netflix, and circumventing Canadian copyright laws. Turcke calls it stealing, but fans of streaming content call it out-dated thinking. What Ms. Turcke doesn’t understand is that she’s the one to blame for consumers looking for accessible services elsewhere rather than investing in her own substandard service. Continue reading “Head of Bell Media Proves that She, Like Her Company, is a Dinosaur”
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