The CBC's Rex Murphy.
Photo Credit: National Speakers Bureau

I returned to my favorite blog-site intending to write about the fortunate stupidity of Iranian Mullahs in further undermining their legitimacy this bloody weekend when I found Brian Gordon, yet again railing against the CBC. To recap on Brian’s views, he wishes that media were fact-checked for scientific accuracy and that only scientifically accurate data and historical truths where such truths are held in consensus are reported. Despite our mutual antagonism Brian and I are not, at heart, ideologically opposed. Still, I felt the need to respond to him, again, because the consequences of his “vision” for Canadian media are ultimately totalitarian. There are traditionally two paths to totalitarianism: informed religiosity, and uninformed naivety. The views of Mr. Gordon represent the latter. Regardless, Brian and I both agree that there is an imminent threat to human survival due to global warming and exponential human growth, we both disdain the CBC and Rex Murphy (though for different reasons), and we don’t think much of the supposed intellectual abilities of professing Christians. On the subject of ontology we also agree that there is “truth” and that such truth must be discernible, replicable, and observable. To us it is clear that our species is going to soon run out of space and food, it is clear that gravity is a force, and it is clear that evolution drives all life on this planet. To any thinking and enlightened person truth does not come from the ridiculous and silly texts of sheep-herders, nor does it come from some “expert’s opinion.” There are truths that people don’t like (for example, that generally speaking, men are stronger than women) and truths that they do (for example men generally live shorter lives than women). Truth is held not by people but by evidence.
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Truth or Consequence

In a previous post, I slagged the CBC and Rex Murphy for spouting climate denier nonsense. The response from the CBC was interesting, including the claim that the CBC was not obligated “to determine what is ‘truth’.” Truth was in quotation marks because the writer, the Executive Producer of The National, is of the view that truth is subjective; there is no such thing as objective truth. Several of the commenters wholeheartedly supported this view, which I mocked the lot of them for. It is amazing democracy has survived this long.

Let’s try again. I hold the belief that some things are true, that there is truth. Facts are true. For example: The Earth revolves around the Sun. Or, Smoking greatly increases the risk of getting cancer. Certain principles are also true, such as “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal….” If you don’t believe that some things are true, how do you get through the day?
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Rex in all his controversy...
Photo Credit: National Speakers bureau

As of late anyone reading InformedVote will have noticed the writings of Brian Gordon and his vitriol against Rex Murphy. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are litanies of reasons why I too personally despise the man, but I cannot bring myself as far as Mr. Gordon to demand that he be obligated to report what Brian thinks is the true NEWS.

Before digressing into the whole issue of “what is NEWS”, let us clear up a few things on the topic of Rex Murphy. Like most people from western Canada I find him uncouth, unsophisticated, and possessing of the ranting-ignoramus-fisherman personality us Westerners are often too eager to paint on anyone born east of Riviere de Loop. As unfair as we out West may be at times, the painting of this brush on Rex has, for ontological reasons, been fair. My own problem with Rex is not that he has strong opinions, just that when I look at his analysis it appears that he sets out to take contrarian views (often actually popular minority opinions) simply for the opportunity to intentionally produce a rant that will both offend a predictable opposition, but at the same time not be so extreme as to create any serious blow-back from a unified Canadian front. Let me be clear on this – I believe Rex does this intentionally, calculated, methodically, and simply to be in the spotlight. This is precisely why I, and no one else who takes seriously thought, learning, and writing, can honestly have a soft spot for the man. One cannot purposely be a contrarian; being a contrarian is a burden that one bears BECAUSE one has sought out truth – this is supposed to be an involuntary burden. Now for ontology…
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Fox News: Fair and Balanced?

I recently posted this article: “CBC: Keeping Canadian Voters Confused by Paying Rex Murphy to Spout Nonsense on Climate Change” in response to a diatribe by Rex Murphy on climate change. Murphy thinks a former mining stock promoter and an economist are more credible than Canada’s climate scientists. I think this is a travesty, and I wasn’t the only one. I wrote the Ombudsman and a friend of mine wrote The National’s Executive Producer. The reply he received was absolutely shocking. Don’t count on the CBC for “truth”; they don’t believe it exists.

Mr. Harrison, the Executive Producer, correctly points out that the CBC has covered climate change fairly extensively. However, read some of the quotes from Mr. Harrison’s email and see if you think the CBC is a trustworthy source of information – or worthy of your tax dollars. [Note: I have pasted the full email here.]
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Rex Murphy's View of the Earth

In a recent post, I pointed out that Rex Murphy is spouting climate denial based on the testimony of two self-annointed climate ‘experts,’ McIntrye and McKitrick. Quack #1 is a former mining stock promoter, and #2 is an economist. But who knows more about the science of global warming than stock promoters and economists, eh?

Rex can’t handle the truth because it contradicts his economic beliefs. Like many, Rex doesn’t understand that the economy is part of the environment, not the other way around. Rex Murphy is a modern-day inquisitor, terrified that a new view of the world will upset his privileged place, and I say the CBC should not be paying him to propagandize. I’ve discussed the deniers in greater depth on my climate change blog: The Great Global Warming Inquisition: Where Scientists are Galileo and the Church is Market Fundamentalism.
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The other day on Power and Politics, Evan Solomon discussed sexism in the House of Commons. This was in response to accusations by opposition members that when women stand to speak in the House, they are shouted down even louder than when a man stands up. Shocking! Predictably, the panel discussion didn’t get anywhere as this isn’t a new story – nothing has changed over the years. Ironically, this new CBC political program, discussing sexism, is a replacement show for Don Newman, who everyday for many years, with his dervlish masculinity, opened up his show with the famous lines, “Welcome to the BROADcast”.

I will never forget the episode when Newman had a very animated female MP from Quebec on the show, and for some odd reason the CBC cameraman zoomed in and out on the gap in her front teeth. She was large, wore blue eyeshadow and red lipstick. She was no Madonna. It was obviously no technical accident as a CBC cameraman on that show has as much seniority and skill as Santa does on Christmas.
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When I was growing up on the prairie, there was one way I could cure my fix for political knowledge and that was to watch the CBC nightly news and specifically Barbara Frum as she hosted The Journal.

Ms. Frum, the mother of David who south of the border crafted those three infamous words for George W Bush, “Axis of Evil”, provided thirty minutes of grilling questions to the issues of the day by hosting famous political figures and leaving none unscathed from her skill and curiosity. She was known as an exceptional journalist and her profound passion and commitment to that profession dictated her style. She was smart, tough and smart.

Now a days, and with the launch of yet again another attempt by CBC at redesign, we see Evan Solomon and Kady O’Malley trying to truncate the network’s need to pull in new, younger, savvy political fiends. I applaud their attempt, I just don’t think it will work.
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With the CBC facing a $65 million revenue shortfall, the federal government shows no signs of offering a lifeline – and that has me both worried about the fate of the CBC and disappointed in the Canadian government.

According to CBC president Hubert Lacroix, the corporation is facing the shortfall due to decreased advertising revenues and increased programming and administrative costs – not to mention the prospect of reduced revenues from licensing and rebroadcasting rights.

The CBC has requested a loan, or an advance on their funding, to cover the shortfall but Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has argued that the CBC already receives $1 billion in funding, along with $60 million in non-recurring funding.
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The budget released last month by Mr. Jim Flaherty and the Conservatives has left out any word of financial appropriations for the CBC’s annual budget. This, coupled with a projected shortfall of $65 million in annual advertising revenue is leaving the CBC in a fiscal scramble.

Traditionally the CBC is given unspecific details about its total appropriation from the Federal Government. However, the CBC has regularly received an allocation of $60 million in government funds. The remainder of the $1 billion annual operating budget of the CBC is made up primarily from CBC Television advertising revenue.
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