 Perhaps
the most unknown of the Aspers, David is nonetheless part
of the charge in the media empire's race to the bottom.
On CBC’s “Inside Media,” journalist
Susan Ormiston confronted him about the National Post’s
scrappy “CBC Watch” column. “We don’t
have a CanWest watch,” said Ormiston defensively.
”You could if you wanted,” replied David.
Good idea!
David Asper has made dissenting journalists feel rather
unwelcome at CanWest since the day the Aspers arrived.
He once suggested journalists could “exercise your
freedoms to work elsewhere.” He’s also called
them “riff raff,” “bleeding hearts,” and
people who engage in “childish protest.”
Former CanWest journalist Patricia Hickey alleges that
upon asking David to pose for a photo at a company event,
he produced a finger from his zipper and wiggled it around.
Hickey complained. She was later fired. She has recently
launched a $405,000 wrongful-dismissal suit. Oh, David.
While brother Leonard is largely in control of CanWest,
David’s influence cannot be ignored. He is CanWest’s
executive vice-president; he is also chairman of the board
at the National Post. When David started, several higher
ups were quickly fired. Soon after, many of his popular
columnists jumped ship.
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