by arthur Weinreb, associate Editor,
april 5, 2004
On March 30, CBC correspondent Julie Van Dusen reported on the release of auditor-General Sheila Fraser’s report that was critical of the federal government’s programs to combat the threat of terrorism. Van Dusen’s opening shows how the addition of just one simple word can turn a straight news story into one where the reporter injects her opinion and bias.
Van Dusen said, "even with the billions of dollars to fight terrorism, Sheila Fraser said" and then goes on to cite some of the a-G’s criticisms of the government.
By prefacing her remarks with the word, "even", Van Dusen is giving her opinion that because the government spent so much money, they should somehow be forgiven if there are imperfections in Canada’s security. Of course it is the job of the auditor-General to report on the state of things--not give the Liberals kudos for spending. The implication that by spending vast amounts of money somehow in itself makes Canada a safer country is something that we would expect to hear from Liberal Party spin doctors--not from an objective journalist.
The auditor-General’s report also stated that Canada’s deficiencies in the area of preparedness for disaster is no different that those found in many other countries. In reporting this fact, Van Dusen said: " Sheila Fraser says that similar problems have been found in other countries including the United States, but that won’t stop critics from accusing the government of compromising the security of Canadians and harming Canadian-U.S. relations by raising concerns about border security.
The "fact" that Canada was found to be no worse than other Western countries was an important conclusion made by Sheila Fraser and should have been reported. But by injecting the reporter’s "opinion" that because of this, critics are somehow wrong in criticizing the government, clearly illustrates Van Dusen’s pro-Liberal Party bias. Van Dusen implies that critics of the government (read the Conservative Party) are somehow illegitimate in their criticism simply because security deficiencies have been found elsewhere.
The Canadian government, whether they like it or not, is responsible for the safety and security of its citizens. The fact that the opposition and other critics hold them to account should not be dependent on what is happening in other countries. Julie just can’t stand to see her beloved Liberals subjected to criticism.
Reporting propaganda
On March 29, Mohammad Momin Khawaja, 29, was arrested in Ottawa and charged with offences under Canada’s anti-Terrorism act. Khawaja, a software developer with the Department of Foreign affairs, was the first person to be charged under the legislation that came into force a couple of months after the attacks upon New York and Washington. Khawaja’s father, Dr. Mahboob a. Khawaja, a director at a technical college in Saudi arabia was detained in that country shortly after his son was arrested. The arrest of Mohammad Khawaja coincided with several arrests in Great Britain where large quantities of bomb making material were seized.
Because of the secrecy that surrounds arrests of persons in these circumstances the media is left short on details to report. and these stories have to be filled out somehow.
The easiest way to augment the media reports is by conducting interviews with family and friends to get their reactions. This is not any different from the way other crime stories are reported; you only have to watch the media climb all over each other to reach the parents of Cecilia Zhang, the 9-year-old whose body was discovered in a heavily wooded area over a week ago. So there was nothing unusual about the massive coverage consisting of interviews with Mohammed Khawaja’s family and friends.
But some media outlets, especially those on the left, go further. They elicit responses from those who know nothing about the circumstances or the people involved. The Toronto Star quoted Mohamed Elmasy, the president of the Canadian Islamic Congress as saying that the raid upon the Khawaja family home was "brutal" even though examples of this "brutality" were not given. Nor could they be given as Elmasy wasn’t there.
The Star further quotes the CIC president as saying, "We are a community under siege and we feel that we have been targeted after 9/11". By reporting Elmasy’s remarks the Toronto Star is injecting CIC’s propaganda, that all Muslims like Khawaja that are arrested solely because of their religion, into a news story. This type of propaganda has no place in what purports to be a factual news item.