Welcome to the New Journalism Where Media Mob Mentality rules.

What are our expectations of the media? Mine are rather simple; fact check before printing because in this age of instant messaging you can't take back an error; and base editorial opinions on facts-facts that are relevant to the argument.

The RCMP announced Canadians will soon see the Jihadi video produced by Zehaf-Bibeau last October, the one he made just before he murdered Corporal Cirillo at the War Memorial in Ottawa and his attempt to murder our politicians. It seems there is still a question about Zehaf-Bibeau's motive: was he a terrorist, or was he mentally ill, as the mainstream-media in its wolf-pack mob mentality mode reported in the aftermath of this attack on the symbols of our Western democratic culture? The CBC, National Post and the Globe and Mail all came to the conclusion that he was mentally ill, despite similar "lone-wolf" terrorist attacks at the same time in New York and Israel and despite the fact the Prime Minister of Canada had declared that these were the actions of an Islamic terrorist. The Globe and Mail editorial board had written on October 25:

"The unspoken issue in this week's events is the link between mental illness and radicalization. Studies have shown that people suffering from anxiety or depression are more prone to sympathize with violent protest and terrorism than those not afflicted by mental illness"

I have yet to understate how mental illness became the "unspoken issue." I pressed the Public Editor at the Globe and Mail, Sylvia Stead, for "the studies." She finally sent them after I threatened to go to the Ontario Press Council.

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The "studies" came from England.

"This paper describes a new method of assessing vulnerability to violent radicalization, and then investigates the role of previously reported causes, including poor self-reported health, anxiety and depression, adverse life events, poverty, and migration and socio-political factors."

I was shocked. The editorial left out that the studies were conducted on "a population sample of 608 men and women of Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin, of Muslim heritage, and aged 18-45 recruited in Britain" It was clear to me that the editors had played on the fear Canadians have of the mentally ill by suggesting that those of us here in Canada with depression and anxiety could more prone to sympathize with terrorists than those who are not mentally ill. When I pointed out that the study had nothing to with the situation in Canada, Ms. Stead replied that the editors never said they were Canadian. Oh. So I supplied this Swedish study. I found it through Google.

"It is sometimes argued that terrorists in general should not be regarded as suffering from any identifiable psychopathology. However, case studies and quantitative studies of lone wolf terrorists show that they do seem to have a higher incidence of psychological disturbance than other terrorists (and the population in general)... Importantly, the nature of the psychological disorder or social ineffectiveness typically does not cause them to become cognitively disorganized, or lose touch with reality. The mere fact that they are capable of planning and carrying out acts of political violence speaks against any severe psychological illness. If anything, it speaks or a higher degree of self-efficacy."

In the middle of a storm, when we should be able to trust our media to research and fact check, our media had no problem attributing these heinous crimes to the mentally ill, despite contradictory studies easily obtained and a dearth of facts. When the Globe and Mail refused to publish a retraction or apology I contacted the Ontario Press Council. Mr. Don McCurdy, Executive Director of the Ontario Press Council finally responded this week to my complaint. The Press Council will not hear it. He said "You point out that the Globe reached a premature conclusion to link the radical jihadist-like actions to the mental health of the men involved in the killings, however the Globe utilized sources at its disposal and many of them were quick to express concerns and link mental health issues to some extremist behaviours." These sources were quick to make a connection between mental illness and terrorism. If the sources were anything like the "studies" to which they referred, I have to wonder about their sources and their conclusions. He added: "Ms. Bederman questioned the validity of the Globe citing studies which showed people suffering from anxiety or depression are prone to acts of violence. She claimed the Globe used outdated studies to defend its statements that the terrorists suffered from mental illness that made them attracted to radicalization." In fact I did not say out-dated, I said unrelated. The studies were specific to Britain's young Muslims turning to terrorism. That the Globe and Mail stood by that study is to me a gross failure of journalistic ethics that happened at a time when we needed our fourth estate to take the time to research, fact check and share with us in a calm manner. Mr. McCurdy also added this: "The complainant describes herself as 'a mental health advocate' working as a chaplain in a hospital environment. She also offers commentary on mental health issues. She used her knowledge and experience to argue the Globe's editorial lacked substance and drew unfounded connections between those suffering from mental health issues and attacks by radical Islamic terrorists." Well excuse me for using my knowledge and experience to point out the flaw in the editorial. There are millions of people in this country with mental illness. Many of us have anxiety and depression. Suggesting that we are more prone to violence on the basis of a study on a relatively small group of Muslims in Britain is disingenuous and casts aspersions on all of us who work hard to live good and productive lives. Dec. 4, 2014 The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) came out with a new study on depression: "2.2 per cent -- over 230,000 Ontario adults -- seriously contemplated suicide in the last year....'We are noticing higher rates of self-reported poor mental health among young adults,' said Dr. Hamilton. 'This is a troubling trend and is generally consistent with what we're seeing in the research we conduct among Ontario adolescents. This could be an indication that young adults and youth transitioning to adulthood need more support from family, friends, and health professionals when it comes to their mental health and overall wellbeing.' Stigma is the reason so many people with mental illness fear coming forward so they live in the shadow. How will the rush to judgement by Canadian mains stream media that terrorists are mentally ill,affect our young people? The mainstream media decided that it was alright to re-stigmatize the mentally ill despite the paucity of facts, rather than suggest that the culprits were Islamic extremists. Perhaps they believe that those of us with mental illness are weaker and less likely to raise a fuss. Perhaps. But not me. And then came this bombshell. "The Council decided that the editorial comments made by the Globe were acceptable given the events which shocked Canadians and produced similar comments from highly-placed officials and the public which were widely reported by media as the debate unfolded following the incidents." And: The Globe and Mail was "expected to offer almost instant comment on the events and there was wide-spread belief immediately following the deaths of the soldiers that the attacks were largely to blame on the mental state of the assailants." The need for speed superseded the obligation to fact check. And belief, feelings, were prioritized over facts. Because the mainstream media mob all agreed that it was mental illness, the Globe and Mail cannot be faulted for following the pack? Speechless.