 And
then came Leonard. The youngest child of Izzy Asper, Leonard
is now alone at the controls as the president and CEO of
CanWest. He’s been in grooming since childhood, where
he described the family table as being was “like a
boardroom.” Canadians held their breath when Leonard
took charge: would he and his brother David loosen the clamps
on ideas and viewpoints within CanWest's empire? It appears
the answer is no.
Much like his late father, Leonard is outspoken and opinionated.
Here’s his response to critics about CanWest censorship: "A
few disgruntled and opportunistic journalists who have
been the subject of editing for many years – long
before CanWest ever came along – will, no doubt,
continue to abuse the word 'censorship' and thereby gain
their 15 minutes of fame, largely brought about by their
colleagues."
So, he doesn't like reporters (he has also called them “Marxist” and “anti-Semitic” in
the past). Big deal. But this man controls Canada’s
biggest media monopoly. If he dislikes journalists, what
does that say about his attitude toward news itself? Newspapers,
TV channels and radio stations are supposed to provide
wide-ranging debate and dissent. Leonard’s distaste
for viewpoints outside his corporate-approved checklist
means alternative voices are often lost.
The most disturbing of Leonard’s views those of
the future. Sounding like a Rupert Murdoch wannabe, Leonard’s
buzzword is “convergence.” Through vertical
integration, CanWest has repackaged “content” by
its journalists into websites, TV, print and radio stories.
One view never works all that well at informing the distinctly
different regions of Canada – but media convergence
is cheap. And that of course helps make CanWest profitable,
which is Leonard's first and last concern when it comes
to news.
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