29 replies to this topic

[VicHockeyFan]

Raised $50,000 for election coverage...

 

http://thetyee.ca/Ty...ers-Hit-Target/

[tedward]

Holy cow!

[willcocks]

And we're still looking for another $15,000 by the end of the day tomorrow. Check out the site - thetyee.ca - and see if you're willing to support independent reporting and analysis on the election issues. We've got some big plans.

[Mike K.]

And we're still looking for another $15,000 by the end of the day tomorrow. Check out the site - thetyee.ca - and see if you're willing to support independent reporting and analysis on the election issues. We've got some big plans.

 

Just out of curiosity, have the donations been received from individuals or are there organizations donating, too? Are unions putting money towards your financing goals?

[AllseeingEye]

Just out of curiosity, have the donations been received from individuals or are there organizations donating, too? Are unions putting money towards your financing goals?

I would certainly think so: go check out and dig into the About Us link as well as the backgrounds of many of their contributors. Pretty hard to make a case IMO that this is a completely unbiased news source....

[Mike K.]

So, in other words, the coverage will be very much in favour of the NDP?

Which makes me me even more curious. How much of the $50,000 raised came from unions? I think it's only fair that we know who's funding the coverage if we're being asked to donate to a media organization.

[RFS]

the ndp won't win an election in BC for the forseeable future mark my words.

[Mike K.]

100%. But unfortunately that just means they're focusing more on meddling in the affairs of municipal politics.

[RFS]

true now vancouver island gets the brunt *ahem* i mean, pleasure of their attention

[nerka]

. Pretty hard to make a case IMO that this is a completely unbiased news source....

Of course it is. There is no such thing as a "completely unbiased news source".  Media companies are influenced by advertisers (don't offend them), political views of publishers, editors and journalists. 

 

In the case of the tyee there is no need to guess at the supporters. Just read the list and note the unions mentioned at the bottom. That said this particular campaign seems to be mostly individuals 900+ contributors for $50K amounts to a pretty small average donation size.

[nerka]

100%. But unfortunately that just means they're focusing more on meddling in the affairs of municipal politics.

You have an extremely dim view of democracy if you view the actions of any elected officials you don't support as meddling.

[lanforod]

the ndp won't win an election in BC for the forseeable future mark my words.

 

I hope you're right. Voters are fickle and unpredictable though.

[Mike K.]

You have an extremely dim view of democracy if you view the actions of any elected officials you don't support as meddling.

I call it exactly as I see it.

The NDP are heavily involved in pushing politicians at the municipal and school board levels. That's inappropriate, and if the party would remove its influence from those levels of politics I'd have a far less dimmer view of the state of our local political system.

[nerka]

I call it exactly as I see it.

The NDP are heavily involved in pushing politicians at the municipal and school board levels. That's inappropriate, and if the party would remove its influence from those levels of politics I'd have a far less dimmer view of the state of our local political system.

Inappropriate? Trying to get candidates elected? Isn't that what parties do?  While the municipal candidates don't usually bear the NDP label it's not exactly a secret who the NDP is supporting so anyone that objects to the NDP will know which candidates to avoid. 

 

Plus it happens on both sides. Look at Vancouver. NPA is farm team for whatever centre right party is currently dominating the province. COPE is farm team for NDP.

[AllseeingEye]

Of course it is. There is no such thing as a "completely unbiased news source".  Media companies are influenced by advertisers (don't offend them), political views of publishers, editors and journalists. 

 

In the case of the tyee there is no need to guess at the supporters. Just read the list and note the unions mentioned at the bottom. That said this particular campaign seems to be mostly individuals 900+ contributors for $50K amounts to a pretty small average donation size.

True. However my point being if you are going to call down mainstream media for being too this or that - meaning in plain language too pro-Trump, too pro Stephen Harper (to cite an old ghost I note so-called "progressives" in this country still harp on over a year after he left office!),  too pro-business, too influenced by international corporatism etc - and then in the same breath hold yourself up as something completely different, a new kind of media, dedicated to *real* and honest journalism that gets to the root of the issue without undue "influence" - presumably that of Big Bad Business - then while you're at it come right out and say what it is you do stand for - and above all who(m) it is that is supporting you. Otherwise you are being rather disingenuous, to be charitable....

 

You can't seriously believe the Tyee with all that labor backing is going to present *real* news without its own inevitable slant or viewpoint? Of course it will - and all you have to do is look at the library of previous articles and that tells you all you need to know about their "angle" and their own biases. Which is fine: just don't come off as the proverbial White Knight in Shining Armor in the process....

[http]

100%. But unfortunately that just means they're focusing more on meddling in the affairs of municipal politics.

 

What an interesting use of the word.  Coming from you, that I suppose that interpretation should carry weight - I mean, you are running this forum and the citified news site, are you not?

[nerka]

the ndp won't win an election in BC for the forseeable future mark my words.

I'd actually say we are overdue for an NDP government. That said 2017 is NOT their year barring some truly epic Liberal scandal.

 

BC's default government is a centre right coalition by a variety of names. But there is always an NDP government in waiting with a stable base of 40% so that if the centre right coalition becomes seen as too tired or too corrupt a few percent of voters shift and bingo - NDP government. 2013 was eminently winnable for the NDP.

 

Christy Clark is an excellent politician. She has moved the centre right coalition enough to the centre that there isn't a lot of room for the NDP. At the same time she hasn't opened up enough space for a right challenger. Since Clark has moved to the centre that leaves the NDP to either (1) propose policies that are too left for most British Columbians, (2) propose much the same policies and convince British Columbians that they'll just do a better job, (3) keep their heads down and wait for the Liberals to screw up.  So far none of these are working.

[nerka]

You can't seriously believe the Tyee with all that labor backing is going to present *real* news without its own inevitable slant or viewpoint?

My post above that you were responding to opened with: " There is no such thing as a "completely unbiased news source".

 

How could I make that any clearer?

 

You object to the explicit and disclosed bias of union support for the Tyee.  I object to the implicit and undisclosed biases of mainstream media sources. Doesn't stop me from being an avid consumer of the mainstream media, though as I think the key to being informed is to read a wide variety of informed sources including those with a slant you don't agree with.

Edited by nerka, 12 December 2016 - 02:09 PM.

[lanforod]

I'd actually say we are overdue for an NDP government. That said 2017 is NOT their year barring some truly epic Liberal scandal.

 

BC's default government is a centre right coalition by a variety of names. But there is always an NDP government in waiting with a stable base of 40% so that if the centre right coalition becomes seen as too tired or too corrupt a few percent of voters shift and bingo - NDP government. 2013 was eminently winnable for the NDP.

 

Christy Clark is an excellent politician. She has moved the centre right coalition enough to the centre that there isn't a lot of room for the NDP. At the same time she hasn't opened up enough space for a right challenger. Since Clark has moved to the centre that leaves the NDP to either (1) propose policies that are too left for most British Columbians, (2) propose much the same policies and convince British Columbians that they'll just do a better job, (3) keep their heads down and wait for the Liberals to screw up.  So far none of these are working.

 

That is one of the best assessments I've seen of the BC Liberals and the current state of BC politics. Completely agree.

[Mike K.]

Inappropriate? Trying to get candidates elected? Isn't that what parties do?  While the municipal candidates don't usually bear the NDP label it's not exactly a secret who the NDP is supporting so anyone that objects to the NDP will know which candidates to avoid. 

 

Plus it happens on both sides. Look at Vancouver. NPA is farm team for whatever centre right party is currently dominating the province. COPE is farm team for NDP.

 

The situation is even worse in Vancouver.

 

The NDP is a provincial and a national political party. They overstep their provincial and national roles by focusing their resources at the municipal level. Partisan politics should have no bearing on the affairs of my municipality, but unfortunately, thanks to the NDP Machine, they very much do.