This was the headline the
New York Post ran in Thursday’s article about former Toronto mayor Rob Ford. Underneath the headline it prominently says “By Fox News.” But Fox used another headline that read, “Doctors trying to determine next steps in ex-Toronto mayor’s cancer treatments.”
During the latter part of his term as mayor that ended in October 2014, Ford became embroiled in scandal that made news around the world. It included drunken stupors in public and videos that purported showing him smoking crack cocaine and associating with unsavoury people.
A little over a month before the election, Ford was diagnosed with cancer. He dropped out of the mayor’s race and was replaced by his brother Doug who finished second to John Tory. But Ford did run for his old council seat which he won handily even though he did very little campaigning.
Last October, Ford experienced more abdominal pain and new tumours were discovered. He has been hospitalized since earlier this year and although this current hospitalization was duly noted by the Toronto media, it was not big news. The former mayor has been in and out of Mount Sinai Hospital for treatment since the cancer was first detected and his current hospitalization was not major news. All of this changed last Thursday.
During the late afternoon of March 17, rumours began circulating on Twitter and Reddit that Ford was dead. This prompted a statement from his office that he was still alive and his family were by his side and asking for privacy. What was said in the release implied his condition was more serious than many people thought.
The statement from his council office also led to international media, including the
New York Post, picking up the latest developments in the Rob Ford saga.
The
headline used by the
Post was despicable. It seems in the age of the print media dying a slow death, the
Post is having a contest with the
New York Daily News to see which publication can sink the lowest. And there is no doubt the
Post, by referring to a former Toronto mayor who may very well be dying, as a “crackhead” definitely takes the honours hands down.
For example the
New York Daily News has
featured several front covers mocking Donald Trump. One shows Trump with Sarah Palin with the words, “I’M WITH STUPID.” Another one shows Trump made up as a clown, accompanied by the words, “DAWN OF THE BRAIN DEAD.” Another Trump as Hitler cover has Trump holding his right arm up, accompanied by, “A NEW FUROR.”
As objectionable as these headlines are, they pale in comparison to how the
Post described a seriously ill human being. Ford is no longer the mayor of Toronto, but even if he was, unlike Trump, whatever he does has virtually no effect on New York or the United States. His relevance to politics outside Toronto is minimal at best. And no one other than the depraved editors at the Post would think their catchy headline was funny.
Trump, on the other hand, is in good health and not lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by his family and possibly near death. The Donald can defend himself. And these “Trump as Hitler” headlines are such that a lot of people can be pleased with them. Trump-haters will be happy because they agree there is no difference between the two and Trump supporters will love them because the more Trump is referred to as Hitler, the more his poll numbers will rise. It’s a win-win. You have to be totally heartless and cruel to find humour in the Post headline.
There is no shortage of Ford-hating media outlets in Toronto, most notably the
Toronto Star. But it is hard to imagine any of them coming out with the headline the Post ran. No doubt the powers-that-be at the
New York Post think making fun of somewhat who is seriously ill with cancer will sell newspapers.
And the
Post probably cannot understand why mainstream journalism is on the way out. Hint: it’s not just because of the Internet.
