March 29, 2011 Day 4 of the Federal Election Campaign
Yesterday, I spoke to “The light of day” as a concept that keeps democracies alive, accountable and focussed on its citizens. We examined 3 ways in which Canadian citizens are able to keep informed about what their government is doing, what they are spending, what they are planning and the whys behind their initiatives. Openness from the elected to the elector is required to ascertain if the government we’re getting is what we had in mind when we elected them.
Today’s post examines ‘the press’ as an important method for the flow of information from the government of the day to its citizens. My observations of the Harper Government™’s performance in the area of the press are provided in conclusion.
As you will see, they add up to more reasons I Want An Election.
The Press: A potentially ideal method for an open and engaged democracy.
Political affairs journalists, editorial writers and columnists can function as our educators, inquisitors, observers and interpreters. Freedom of the press is so vital to good democracy that their rights have been enshrined in constitutions. In anti-democratic regimes media offices are bombed and journalists killed, disappeared or assaulted.
Reporting is not immune to many of modern society’s challenges — corporate concentration and integration of traditional media outlets, technological delivery methods, pandering to the superficial and worshipping at the altar of celebrity. The Press is not without fault, in my opinion, for the decline of democratic vibrancy in Canada. Political reporting, in particular, seems to have sunk to an unending round of “Gotcha” journalism, inane trivia and the unearthing of scandals. A thoughtful discourse on matters of public policy appear to have taken up residence in museums with the dinosaurs.
Compared to Joe/sephine Average Canadian, the press is still generally better informed, better positioned to ask questions of politicians, better skilled at communicating and has access to cheap-to-consume media outlets (achieving fairly wide access to the public). When the Press does a good job they ask the tough questions, they attempt to break through the spin, they pursue the line of reasoning and analyse the big picture. The press can be an important tool for citizens wanting a healthy democracy.(A topic for another day: Why do we/don’t we consume, interact with and demand better of our press?)
To accomplish any of the above functions, the media need access. They need to have the Prime Minister sit down and take questions, they need to be able to interview Cabinet Ministers about policies in their departments, they need access to experts within the public sector.
Here the Harper Government™ has been most blatant in its lack of openness. Sitting in front of the bloodthirsty National Press corps is never any Prime Minister’s idea of a fun day or necessarily a productive one. But it is a cornerstone of democratic government. Even the President of the world’s democratic superpower regularly stands in front of the White House Press Gallery and fields their questions. Why doesn’t Stephen Harper?
Why are the location and times of cabinet meetings kept secret under Harper? Journalists would say it’s to avoid their pesky questions when they leave the meetings where all major governmental decisions are discussed and made. Why are some national affairs reporters left off the list for access to the Prime Minister? Because their questions or their media outlet’s political leanings are disliked by the PM?
Why are all departments mum on all matters unless a Message Event Plan (MEP) has been constructed and approved by the political appointees in the Prime Minister’s Office? Is this to stifle all Ministers of the Crown and further subordinate them to the PM? Or are they all incompetent fools who can’t be trusted to speak to the matters within their departments? Or is this just another tool to slow down government business to better reflect a far right agenda of much smaller government? We cannot know. We do not have the information.
I cite one small example of this stanching of information flow from the government. The Current, the CBC Radio One national morning news affairs program, requested air time or comment 57 times from Conservative Cabinet Ministers in its 2010 season. They were granted 6, of which one was a no-show, for a total number of 52 refusals by the government of the day to comment on matters before the public. Does this seem like open and accountable government to you?
I imagine politicians of various stripes will point to the gotcha style of journalism as a reason they have taken media relations courses, hired spin doctors and eschewed press conferences. No one wants to be made to look the fool, or be quoted out of context or lied about. But this cascade of actions and reactions becomes a self-perpetuating cycle — without access, journalists must fill their pages and airwaves with something. If they get ticked off enough, they’ll dish up lots of dirt. Until one side declares a detente and a fresh start, the press — politician relationship appears unable to fulfill their respective roles in the openness and accountability function of our democracy
The Harper Government™, in particular, has undertaken a deliberate, coordinated strategy of NOT communicating with the public about its governance. I find this to be extremely frightening and a massive failure to participate in the openness and accountability vital to democracy.
Yesterday and today’s posts add to the list of reasons I Want An Election.
What do you think?
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