national editorials
CanWest’s national
editorials showed the potential for media monopoly abuse – and
the strength of opposition outside the Asper’s inner
circle against their diktats.
Started late in 2001, every major daily, save
the Vancouver Province, was forced to run them.
Most of the pieces, quickly labeled “Aspertorials,” were
focussed on pet issues of the Asper family, such
as their pro-Liberal party leanings during Jean
Chrétien’s reign, and pro-Israel bias.
The Aspertorials raised a stink inside CanWest
and tweaked the ears of media watchdogs from as
far away as The New York Times. CanWest backtracked
on their promise of three national editorials a
week and they haven’t run an Aspertorial
in more than a year. Still, as Leonard Asper commented
on CBC’s Inside Media, that’s because
they just ran out of things to talk about.
Read worldwide reaction to the Aspertorials here:
The
Montreal Newspaper Guild
Haroon
Siddiqui, The Toronto Star
Columbia
School of Journalism, New York
City
The
Economist magazine, United Kingdom
International
Federation of Journalists, Brussels
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