Wafergate story was bogus

Of course we all knew that.

But now the offending publication has issued an official apology – Telegraph-Journal apologizes to Prime Minister.

Just another nail in the coffin of a desperate, dinosaur industry.  (H/T to many readers in the preceding post.)

*   *   *   *

Update: CTV is reporting the story now -Newspaper apologizes to PM for wafer reporting. So far no apology from CTV for running with the bogus story themselves.

Holy editing errorSusan DelacourtEditing error? That’s like saying that the person who added poison to the chef’s dish before serving it just messed up the recipe.

And Russ Campbell asks a good question:

Now that the newspaper, which was the source of the story, has formally apologized, one wonders whether others who repeated the lies and spread them across the nation, including Canada’s main television networks will have the decency and journalistic integrity to also apologize

I won’t hold my breathe.

Saying Sorry to Stephen Harper Isn’t That Painful Phantom Observer

Wafergate: The ResurrectionPaulsstuff

*   *   *   *

Wednesday Update: CTV News: The Liberals concocted the wafer scandal and used Liberal-friendly paper to spread the lie - Steve Janke (H/T Bec)

N. B. newspaper in turmoil after PM wafer story
– Post

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117 Responses to Wafergate story was bogus

  1. paulsstuff says:

    Let’s see if WK has the cajones to man-up and apologize as well. I still think he is the [alleged] culprit to the stories original start.

    [Edited by blog admin.]

  2. Bubba Brown says:

    Fabricating, adding completly false statements to two reporters storys. Fire. The. Editor. nothing less will suffice. As for Fife and the rest well they just became a little more irrevelant, I would like to see the coverage this gets from the “unbiased media” disgusting bunch of a**holes.
    I hate to say it but the agenda was to distract from the Prime Ministers, terriffic performance at the G8 and the fact that his handeling of our economy is the best of all the other G 8 countries. I am not going to buy any more newspapers, I will continue to get my news on the net, I can’t stand CTV or CBC and don’t get me started on “Giggles” NOT HOT!

  3. Fay says:

    I am wondering if Robert Fife from CTV will also apologize? Also waiting for CBC to splash apology on the National tonight. But in my humble opinion it is Roger Smith that has the most apologizing to do.After he ran around Italy acting like a gossipy teenager.At least CBC acted like grown ups!

  4. Mary HInes says:

    Remember when Wafergate broke – CTV had it on every 5 minutes….. Robert Fife was asking how the PM was going to meet with the Pope, having not eaten his wafer!…. All the G8 news was on Wafergate….but now who set this whole thing up – what does the media do – such as CTV – they try their best to hide it. Robert Fife this morning brought it up when Dan was the host of CTV Newsnet – how this story broke in the NB Newspaper – Dan never asked one question about it…. Can you imagine what they would do and say if it was the other-way-around? They are so liberal bias – lets all write and ask that this story receive as much coverage as their incorrect one received…. Let’s have Robert Fife on their investigating how this story happened anyway, as the reporters said the story printed was NOT WHAT THEY WROTE AS THEIR STORY…. and how come it took the paper this long to retract their bogus story? Was it the fact that maybe a law suit was not in their best interest, as there was proof he did eat the wafer? Robert Fife’s only interest to report today was who was going to be the PM pick for the senate?… and suggested the PM making political appointments again, as if he was the only one that did that type of thing…. Ask Robert Fife to check the senate and see how many liberals are there and who appointed them?

  5. Liz J says:

    We now have another example, a glaring one, of media bias against the PM and the Conservatives, all doubts are removed.

    We need an Truth Officer appointed to shoot down all lies as they get printed or reported by these Liberal toadies in our media.

  6. Richco says:

    that’s what the LPOC get for spinning fantasy of their own making…I say keep it up boys because you’re making your leader look worse that he can all by himself.

    Works for me!

  7. Chris says:

    Now what I want to see is all those pundits, editorialists and columnists who earned a pay-check from writing some stupid and snide piece of gibberish about this, make their apologies and rescind their comments in print!
    Fat chance.

  8. Joanne says:

    I think the saddest part of this whole lie is how it detracted from the dignity of Romeo LeBlanc’s passing.

    Whoever is responsible is shallow, mean and petty.

  9. Roy Eappen says:

    I agree with Paulstuff. Will iffy apologize for this [alleged] dirty trick?

    [Edited by blog admin.]

  10. LC Bennett says:

    “We also apologize to … our readers for our failure to meet our own standards of responsible journalism and accuracy in reporting.”

    Does the MSM actually think the public believes that the media have standards, responsible journalism or accuracy of reporting? Journalism’s trust ranking is somewhere below used car salesman. In fact, there should be a rating system for “professional” news organizations with every retraction, inaccuracy and other infraction lowering their rating. Then readers could easily asses and compare the reliability of each news provider.

  11. MaryT says:

    Did all those pretend editors, journalists, media anchors take their journalism courses from Dan Rather.
    Name the editor, then fire him/her/it.

  12. MaryT says:

    Stephen Taylor has the whole story, with edited in paragraphs highlighted.
    Again, why did it take 20 days to get the truth out. We need to hear from the reporters who wrote the original copy, and ask if they complained when their story appeared in print. Or, maybe they don’t read their own paper.

  13. Joanne says:

    Bob Fife says that Jamie Irving’s name is being temporarily removed from the newspaper’s masthead.

  14. JDot says:

    Paulsstuff @ # 1 said…

    “Let’s see if WK has the cajones to man-up and apologize ”

    Nope, Special K is gong the conspiracy theory route.

    These tools over at Liblogs actualy think the government stong armed the papers owners.

    Wow, these Iggiots in Iggy’s inner circle can really dig a hole. But I am sure there will be MSM hacks who will pick up this conspiracy theory.

    It’s not like the MSM has ever fabercated a story on PM Harper before, with he help of liberals…..

  15. frmgrl says:

    Joanne,if I heard right, I thought I heard Fife say something about a Liberal being involved too. Maybe a video of Fife’s remarks will be on the CTV website later.

    I thought Fife seemed rather subdued today in his reporting.

  16. Liz J says:

    Joanne @8, so true, so sad and so low down in the grand scheme of all decency and to do it on the heels of a funeral for a former GG. They were intent on making a side show with no consideration for how it would detract from Romeo LeBlanc’s passing. Not a proud moment in our history and not something we should stop talking about any time soon.

    There needs to be a few more apologies and a few to the family of Mr LeBlanc as well. Dominique can’t be all too pleased with the chain of events either.

  17. Joanne says:

    Frmgrl, I only caught the end of the interview but I thought that too about Fife.

  18. JDot says:

    Joanne,

    Fife also reported that a Liberal pressured Jamie Irving to run the story.

    And some liberals are starting to push the narrative(classic distraction in PR circles) that the Government strong armed the Irving family. Which is a load of BS it you know the Irving family, which some might say is very Liberal friendly..

    I think it is almost time to kick away the chair on some liberal hacks…

  19. MaryT says:

    Maybe Fife is afraid of being sent to LA, like Boag. Seems the cbc is setting up a new office in LA. Boag had a story on this a few days ago at NNW. His pic sure looked sad. At least he will still have a Micheal to cover, maybe he will find the fake nose, or where or if MJ has been buried.

  20. Joanne says:

    There is a clip on the CTV site with Fife interviewing Senator Lebreton about the apology.

  21. dillon says:

    Jamie has learned one thing. His sister was right.

  22. Joanne says:

    Dillon, you lost me there.

  23. Joanne says:

    Now this is what you call desperation.

  24. rose says:

    Thank you Joanne for noticing that this fake non-story detracted from the real news that we buried a well loved and respected politician and what did MSM report? Fake news with video that reportedly back up said news but didn’t.

    On a side note what kind of gutter urnalist takes pictures at a funeral mass?

  25. Sandy says:

    I just looked at BigCityLib and that really is pathetic. It doesn’t matter who is putting muscle on the owners or the paper. It was all LIES!!!!!!

    What part of truth don’t these Liberals understand?

  26. Bec says:

    Well if you want my opinion, EVERY single reporter that uttered a word on this bogus story, is responsible for incompetent journalism.
    The Telegraph piece, clearly named the source of the criticism and instead of regurgitating someone else’s story (even though it was BS)the Fife’s and Smith’s etc, should have followed the story and confirmed FACTS!!!

    I am in the camp that believes this may well have been a planted story.

  27. Joanne says:

    Sandy, BCL has really outdone himself this time. Even some of his faithful readers are finding it a stretch.

  28. Calgary Junkie says:

    I’ve seen many examples of the MSM spinning the news in a Liberal-friendly manner. But this outright fabrication of stuff is a new revelation to me. I haven’t felt this outraged since the Coalition kerfuffle.

    But like I wrote over at Maclean’s, there is a silver lining here for us … the next fundraising letter from Irving Gerstein almost writes itself. When Lib MP Pablo Rodriguez and CBC reporter Krista Erickson teamed up to draft questions for Mulroney, that resulted in a record amount of donations for the Party.

    Hopefully this egregious abuse of power by the MSM will go punished in other ways as well.
    Does anyone still wonder why the PMO treats the media with such disdain, and is reluctant to even give them the time of day ?

    CHQR radio on this, Listen here
    Bring up Tuesday, July 28th

    Dave Rutherford @ 11:35 AM
    Charles Adler (with Stephen Taylor and Kate Macmillan) @ 2:35 PM

  29. NeilD says:

    The editor has been fired and the publisher has stepped down.
    Bob Fife reported that a Liberal (unnamed) went to Irving, the Publisher, and told him about the wafer and Irving ran with it.
    I hope the Conservatives use this as the thin edge of a rather large wedge to help prove that Liberal bias exists in the media.
    Wafergate eclipsed the G8 meeting and the meeting with the Pope.
    Being one minute and forty seconds late for a photo op was also presented as yet another gaffe on the world stage and also served to distract from the work our government was doing at the G8 meeting.
    Both of these stories represent attempts by a biased media to present the PM in a poor light in the belief that if they do it often enough the image will take hold and benefit the Liberal Party of Canada in the next election.

  30. Bruce says:

    “What part of truth don’t these Liberals understand?”

    Sandy, that’s why we call the the Lieberal Party.

    Truth will never be part of their lexicon.

  31. Liz J says:

    Joanne @ 23,looks like some, like BCL, just can’t bring themselves to admit the truth even when it slams them in the kisser. That’s worse than desperation, it’s the end of the run on any credibility they may have had. It also proves they’ll stick with a lie in hopes even a few will believe it.

    No wonder they have problems, get all in a rash, over TRUTH ads.

  32. Bruce says:

    “What part of truth don’t these Liberals understand?”

    Sandy, that’s why we call them the Lieberal Party.

    Truth will never be part of their lexicon.

  33. Bec says:

    Charles Adler, has Stephen and Kate on. 2:35 MTN, CHQR. Should be archived. Really GOOD!

  34. Joanne says:

    Comments are interesting at Macleans.

  35. Joanne says:

    Thanks for the Adler tip CJ and Bec.

  36. LC Bennett says:

    Does anyone think that the media will learn from this and reform themselves thereby saving their credibility and their business? Or will it be business as usual as their industry continues to tank and their clients seek out other news sources?

    Of course, its the former. They will just tsk, tsk about this unfortunate but honest “error” and continue on their current path, oblivious to the consequences.

  37. TangoJuliette says:

    3PMEST Bob Fife on Wafergate – ” a liberal said/told …” the big lie. After that, WK et al, volleyed it for close to three weeks. WK today quotes BCL that the apology is just because the mean Conservatives have twisted some Irving arms.

    3PMEST CBC carries story of Teneycke’s stepping down. Story implies that the “bad -press” pm gets seems to be Teneycke’s fault.

    They cite the pm’s “bad year:”

    1.) Last Year’s G20 Outhousegate farce – pm allegedly “misses” photo op.

    2.) This year’s G8 Lategate farce – pm allegedly “late” for photo op.

    3.) This year’s Politically-driven, very Partisan, sectarian farce, the Liberal Sacrement Farce, with Lib biggie-buffons trying to smera&score political points at the Leblanc funeral where they accuse the pm of allegedly “palming & pocketing” the transubstantiated body of Christ, as if PMSH was some sort of conjuring & blaspheming, malevolent magician.

    This last bit was aired many hours AFTER The Irving Daily Liberal Rag issued it’s apology to the pm. Though, to be somewhat fair, eariler editions of the CBC news did manage to carry some little coverage of the paper’s debacle.

    I think that this deal was really nothing more than a lib smear job from the get go. I also think that all the msm braintrust bafflebumph notwithstanding, “Republicans for Ignatieff” is the twisted brainchild of the lib war-room. This way, they get to air out all the anti Iggy facts, but they also get to try to difuse these facts, all on their own time, at their pace.

    If there is no “Reps for Iggy” in a french edition for Quebec, you can almost bet that this is a liberal snow job.

    tj

    t.e. & o.e.

  38. JDot says:

    LMFAO, listen BLY.

    BCL,Bowie, and special K, going after the Irving family, is just amazing…

    Grab your popcorn. Some out eastern liberals no doubt will not be to happy over some “Toronto libs” attacking the Irving family(This family is not really a major CPC supporter, some would say).

    But that is just my thoughts, just what I am feeling at this time..

  39. Jeff says:

    No moral compass.

  40. maz2 says:

    Funeral announced.

    Buttcrack Karl gets no respect from the LibLieblogs?

    Funeral details at the PET Cemetery for the Oliphant Commish TBA.

    Oration by IggyOiving.
    Wafers and German noodles supplied free by WKatMeat.
    …-

    “Schreiber-Mulroney inquiry enters final day” (cbc)

  41. I don’t think it *is* a matter of moral compass. It’s just that they have so much emotionally invested in the idea of demonizing Harper that they *cannot* bring themselves to admit that they followed a fraudulent path.

  42. Liz J says:

    Waiting to hear from Special K or any of the Liberal gang may take a while. They have to pick their asses off the floor and concoct excuses, of course there are no legitimate excuses for this disgusting performance, certainly none for such low level journalism.

    Methinks this is going to be a long winter for the Liberals.

    If I were the LeBlanc family, I’d be very disappointed, in fact I’d demand they all apologize for playing politics at a funeral. That’s exactly what they were doing, who would even bring up such a matter under any circumstances at a funeral?

  43. MaryT says:

    There is hope for an increase in the Conservative vote next election, in Saint John, NB. My g/daughter just moved there from AB and is very pro PMSH. She is also interested in politics, so am waiting for e-mails from her on this story. She is the one in the Katimavic program, and got 100 flag pins from Monte Solberg and discreetly pinned them on backpacks, jackets, and every bill she received in restaurants etc. There were no cdn flags where she worked in Quebec, and as she said, they might not wear them, but they had to touch them if they wanted their money. And you should have heard her after being forced to attend a Suzuki rant. However, the 90 days she spent in Fredericton were great. She will convert some young people.

  44. MaryT says:

    I think the best response of the LeBlanc family would be for Dominic to cross the floor, and denounce the liberals and the biased media.

  45. Sammy says:

    ProudtobeCanadian has a great post up on this topic!

  46. Liz J says:

    I must apologize! I feminized Dominic, calling him Dominique!

  47. Sammy says:

    Hey Jo,must read ProudToBeCanadian’s blog post on this!

  48. Liz J says:

    Special K’s apologists seem to be in a frenetic state, the more they talk the deeper into the mire they go. Have a read of comments by the resident Liberal troll “terry1″ on Stephen Taylor’s blog on the issue. Sad.

  49. Joanne says:

    Sammy – Joel nailed it!

  50. Alberta Girl says:

    Interestingly, the very media who jumped on the story, made it headline news for days are now attempting to shove the apology under the carpet as this report in the Ottawa Sun shows.

    The proof is in the last paragraph which, of course, has nothing to do with the story?

    As I said in an email to Kathleen Harris….shame on Canada’s media.

    “OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief spokesman is stepping down after just one year on the job.

    Kory Teneycke, who replaced Sandra Buckler as Harper’s director of communications in July 2008, confirmed he is resigning to pursue other career opportunities and spend more time with his family.

    “It’s a personal choice – many reasons,” he told Sun Media. “I’ll say it’s a popular decision at home.”

    Teneycke called the chance the serve the PM “one of the best experiences” of his life, but said terms for public life should be limited. He said friction or conflict with other government insiders is not behind the move.

    “I’m leaving here with a lot of good relationships and feeling very positive about the experience,” he said.

    While his predecessor Buckler was known for prickly relations with reporters fellow staffers, Teneycke forged amicable ties with the media and even in rival political camps.

    “While Kory and I fundamentally disagree on the direction this country should be taken, I respect him as one of the best conservative communicators in Canada,” said NDP national director Brad Lavigne.

    Teneycke would not divulge his next career move, but said he will remain in the PMO to facilitate a transition. His replacement will be named soon.

    Meanwhile, Harper received an apology from the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, which had published an article suggesting the PM stuffed a communion wafer in his pocket during the funeral for former governor general Romeo LeBlanc. The daily newspaper said the report was inaccurate and that there was no credible evidence to support the allegation.

    kathleen.harris@sunmedia.ca

  51. Moebius says:

    In the past, I’ve been quite skeptical of the grand MSM conspiracy against the CPC, assuming the media just reports what will sell papers/ads.

    I’m starting to wonder a bit…..

  52. Mary HInes says:

    Remember Roger Smith at the G8 – trying his best in any way possible to put negatives against the PM – saying when he quoted what was told to him about Iggy – Roger said – “they never thought about checking to see if the story was correct – that is Harper and his way – do anything to get a jab at the Opposition”. Now what can we say about him – his whole time at the G8 was to bring negative toward the PM……. not report the news. Well Roger, I guess you should of checked your facts, it is now time for you to apologize, if you have the back bone!…. it is now you that looks more liberal bias than usual, and I will repeat your words – do anything you can to get a jab at the PM!. If you call Roger a reporter….you sure are stretching the facts!

  53. Karol says:

    Hi Joanne,
    Poor catsmeat Kinsella must have fits reading this apology. He and his minions never apologized to anybody before. Kinsella made a point out of the fact that he smeared a KKK supporter and won libel lawsuit ten years later.
    It seems to me like we have entered new era in journalism in Canada where nobody can be trusted anymore. If it goes like this and all MSM outfits have to employ and pay fact checkers for their services they will all soon go bankrupt.

  54. Joanne says:

    I think all of MSM lost a little credibility today.

  55. cantuc says:

    Today the wolf they’ve been yelling about bit them on the ass. I hope the wolf got his rabies shot before he bit the rabid retards. I like wolves.

  56. Squiggy says:

    I think the classiest comment in this whole ordeal was Dominic Leblanc thanking the Prime Minister for attending his father’s funeral…The lowest point was Katsmeat using J.C. as a pawn in this political ploy to embarrass our Prime Minister…..I trust J.C. made a note in the Big Book for future reference….as an aside I just read that the chinese are making big efforts to eliminate cats from cantonese menus….this is good news indeed

  57. JDot says:

    This is what we are up againts BLY,the MSM will just make up stories to smear our PM and CPC/Government.

    Don’t ever forget this(The CBC giving questions to libs during the mulroney affair) smear job by the MSM. Well to be fair, I think most commentators at BLY know this. But still, this is what the PM and the CPC/Goverment has to deal with. MSM just making sh!t up.

    Now look for the PM Harper smear job from the MSM soon, or Iggy puff articles to cover there tracks.

    But this should be a lesson for all, we are up againts a media that will just make up stories to smear PM Harper. So they don’t have to report on the good job the PM and the CPC/Government is doing.

    PS:Look for Journalist picking up special K and Iggy’s spin on this issue. B/c it is coming….

  58. Bruce says:

    That would be the last little shred of credibility that the MSM had left Joanne.

    Now they are all exposed for what they are, they all ran with that story, it’s nobody’s fault but their own.

    Live by the sword, die by the sword.

  59. frmgrl says:

    What I think is this will reinforce in the public’s mind that you can’t trust the media.
    The MSM might cool it for awhile but come fall they will fall off the wagon and go back to their old habit of gotcha journalism hoping that the people have short memories and will buy into their “so called stories.”

  60. Bec says:

    I turned the TV on today to specifically gage this story.
    What coverage, I ask? Shame, shame on all of you!
    To pick this venue in the first place to plant a story, despicable but to spend days going on, at nauseum and then merely a whisper today?
    They should all be hanging their head and see a disgusting reflection, when they pass a mirror.

    I hope someone with integrity stays on this and uncovers the WHOLE story.

  61. maz2 says:

    MSM/CBC Hypocrisy.

    MSM’s Muslim/Islam denial here*.

    MSM avoids Muslim/Islam*:

    *”Minister: society can’t accept honour killings
    By Elizabeth Thompson, National Bureau, Sun Media”
    http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2009/07/28/10294411-sun.html
    …-

    >>> MSM/CBC also avoids Muslim/Islam here*:

    “Harper — an evangelical Protestant”.

    “Christian”.

    *http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/07/28/nb-wafergate-apology-harper-1049.html

  62. Honey Pot says:

    The wafergate story, even though a lie, was excellent publicity for Harper.

    It just added to the mystery of the holy host and what does a non-Catholic do with one when offered it.

    I come from a long line of Catholics that got a real good chuckle out of it, and the jokes that followed were priceless.

    The liberal liars, and their pretend Catholics cut their own throats, trying to make this non-issue into an issue.

    Catholic’s can be sensitive when it comes to their faith, but most have a good sense of humor. Harper and his holy host dilema, only endeared Harper with the Catholic crowd.

  63. Bruce says:

    Chris Selley: The crumbs of wafergate

    http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/07/28/chris-selley-the-crumbs-of-wafergate.aspx

    by herringchoker7
    Jul 28 2009
    8:55 PM

    I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the “smoking gun” theory Chris. Missing from your story was a rather salient point: the T-J’s publisher until yesterday, the aforementioned Jamie Irving, is the nephew of a certain Paul Zed. You may have heard of Mr. Zed, he works in Ottawa these days, as Michael Ignatieff’s chief-of-staff.

  64. Joanne says:

    I think Connie Woodchuck nailed it way back when:

    But what makes it a story of any kind is simple: (a) it’s July and (b) it’s Stephen Harper.

  65. Joanne says:

    the aforementioned Jamie Irving, is the nephew of a certain Paul Zed. You may have heard of Mr. Zed, he works in Ottawa these days, as Michael Ignatieff’s chief-of-staff.

    You’re kidding! Zed was an MP right?

    Mmm… Now the dots begin to connect.

  66. Bruce says:

    Liberal profiles
    Paul Zed, MP, Saint John
    Official Opposition Critic for Cities, Communities & Infrastructure
    Federal Liberal Caucus Advisor to the LPC Leader’s Advisory Group for New Brunswick
    New Brunswick Federal Liberal Caucus Chair

  67. Bruce says:

    Paul Zed was defeated by Rodney Weston in 2008.

    Zed was previously related to New Brunswick’s Irving family through his ex-wife, Judith Irving, the granddaughter of K.C. Irving.

  68. Bruce says:

    Paul Zed was defeated by Rodney Weston in 2008.

    Zed was previously related to New Brunswick’s Irving family through his ex-wife, Judith Irving, the granddaughter of K.C. Irving.

    Paul Zed, the 52-year-old former MP acting as Ignatieff’s chief of staff

  69. Joanne says:

    JDot @#18 said – Fife also reported that a Liberal pressured Jamie Irving to run the story.

    Mmmmm…. Maybe it wasn’t WK.

  70. Joanne says:

    Wow. JDot was onto this on July 8th!

  71. Joanne says:

    Jdot makes a technical correction here.

  72. Joanne says:

    Maybe a video of Fife’s remarks will be on the CTV website later.

    Frmgrl @ #15 – Have you been able to find that video? I haven’t.

  73. philosoraptor says:

    Ummm, there is a video that shows, as clear as day, that he pocketed it and then filed away.

  74. Bec says:

    Joanne @ #71

    That was pretty cool and then if you read down, we have a clairvoyant named Ted that messed up this batch of tea leaves, big time.

  75. frmgrl says:

    Joanne @ 73, I tried to look for that video. Couldn’t find it anywhere. Wonder why they didn’t post it.

  76. ed says:

    Looks like that newspaper has a few problems:

    http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/07/28/nb-wafergate-apology-harper-1049.html

    “Professors begin boycott of Telegraph-Journal

    The apology comes on the same day that a dozen professors from the University of New Brunswick, Mount Allison University and St. Thomas University issued a news release stating that they will no longer talk to the newspaper because of its decision to fire a student intern over factual errors that appeared in a story.

    Tom Bateman, a political scientist at St. Thomas University, is one of the professors leading the boycott.

    “From my point of view, this has nothing to do with the Irvings, this has nothing to do with the size of the family business. It all has to do with the editorial integrity of the newspaper, the health of civic debate and what looks to me like a bit of an infringement on journalistic independence,” Bateman said.

    In May, Matt McCann was fired after writing a story about a faculty protest against Premier Shawn Graham receiving an honorary degree from the University of New Brunswick.

    Richer said McCann’s story was unbalanced and contained three errors.

    The professors joining the boycott include six from St. Thomas, four from UNB and two from Mount Allison university. They say they will reconsider the boycott when McCann graduates in 2010 or if he is reinstated at the Telegraph-Journal.

    It was another in an embarrassing string of events for the Telegraph-Journal.

    Saint John Mayor Ivan Court dared the newspaper’s publisher to a debate and temporarily imposed his own ban on speaking to the Telegraph-Journal in January over his belief that the paper was too negative in its coverage of city hall.

    Court then said in late June that Irving and several senior newspaper staff members had told him in a private meeting that if the city cut taxes and replaced its manager, the tone of city hall coverage would change.

    “I and our former manager met Jamie Irving and his editorial staff in the manager’s office. And we were told that unless we did what they wanted, they would continue what you see daily in the paper. And we saw the result of that: We no longer have a city manager,” Court said.”

    BTW, Premier Shawn Graham is a Liberal. Surprise, surprise!!

  77. Joe says:

    Of course the next question is, “Where will the fired editor and publisher re-appear in the Liberal establishment?”

    They did their job by giving the MSM an excuse not to cover PM Harper at the G8. Until the libs take their rightful place there will be no senatorial appointments for them so…..

  78. Calgary Junkie says:

    I think the video you ladies want is here

    Fife’s report on the T-J apology starts at around the 10:25 mark. Excerpt …

    “… so WHAT happened ? Well, I’M told the Liberals passed the story on to YOUNG Jamie Irving, who is the publisher of the paper. HE passed it on to the editor, who PUT it in the paper without checking it out. And today, the editor has been fired …”

  79. Bec says:

    Joanne, ‘Angry’ has the CTV link up.
    http://stevejanke.com/archives/290239.php

    I hope that you are feeling a wee bit better!

  80. maz2 says:

    These words of PM Harper [10 July 2009] are the essence, the substance of his faith.

    God Bless Stephen Harper.
    God Bless Canada.

    “”First of all as a Christian I’ve never refused communion when offered to me, that is actually pretty important to me,” Harper said.”*
    urlm.in/cumb

  81. east of eden says:

    I like the way the paper says “what Catholics call the Host”. I was raised Anglican and we also called it the Host. But, that aside, the story should NEVER have been published, period. Whether the PM dissovled the Host under his tongue or not is not news. The same sort of thing happened to Adrienne Clarkson years ago when she attended a service at a Catholic church and a big deal was made about her being Anglican and, thus, not being allowed to celebrate Communion in a Catholic church.

    For one thing – Christ did not specify who or who could not take part in His body and blood. Christ did not discriminate. The Catholic rule is a church rule and not that of God or Christ. However, it should not be news whether Clarkson is or is not “permitted”. If there is a problem, then the church could have handled it.

    The media is way out of line publishing this type of “news”. I also am not in support of the media being at a funeral and inside the church. Church is no place for cameras and reporters – period. It is a House of Worship and should be treated with respect; whether an attendee is a believer or not.

    I’ve noticed that the media doesn’t seem to broadcast from mosques, synagogues, Hindu temples, etc.

    And the media wonders why Mr. Harper is so unfriendly and unavailable.

  82. east of eden says:

    You know what’s hilarious? In some Montreal grocery stores, you can buy a snack called hostie. It’s large wafers which are pretty much the same as the Host. You don’t see the media jumping on that one, do you.

    You know those cinnamon rolls that your mom used make with left over pie dough? They’re called pettes (sp?) de soeurs in Quebec – literally, nun’s f*rts. Where is the media on that one? You’d think they’d deem them to be disrespectful to nuns.

  83. fh says:

    let’s all demand these lies be investigated by the RCMP every news outlet that reported these slanderous lies about our Canadian Prime Minister
    as Canadians we will not tolerate Yellow journalism
    we are mad and we aren’t going to take it any longer
    smirking and lying about our Prime Minister will not be tolerated

    fh

  84. Joanne says:

    Thanks for the links, CJ, Bec, Ed and others.

  85. Bec says:

    “Fife’s report on the T-J apology starts at around the 10:25 mark. Excerpt …”

    That just blew me away! (btw, Janke’s link has it at 10:15 mark)
    Imagine it taking 15 minutes to FINALLY report this lying piece of drivel?
    When it occurred, it was the TOP STORY and the retraction, nothing more than a 1 minute clip.
    Fif-ie, probably had to take an Ativan to get through it.
    It is disgusting but carry on CTV,your sheep’s clothes are falling off, thread by thread.

  86. Joanne says:

    Philosoraptor said:

    Ummm, there is a video that shows, as clear as day, that he pocketed it and then filed away.

    Really? I would love to see that video. Do you have a link? I saw one that had other people in front so you couldn’t see what happened but I never saw a video of him actually putting the host in his pocket.

    So you’d better have something concrete to back up that statement or I’m blowing your comment away.

  87. Liz J says:

    This was a funeral for a soul departed and the low down, stinking media and friends of the LPC were at work spotlighting the PM?

    If we want to go on a crazy, convoluted rant we could say it was all orchestrated. In that case, we’d have to say the Priest who served communion was in on the act, the cameras were on the PM at just the right time and angle to give some doubt about what he did. That would give the media something to fabricate and the PM could deny it, allowing a typical dirty political game of gotcha, leading to “who ya gonna believe” and believe what you will according to your political bent.

    There should be more than a few heads bowed in shame over this one but in Liberal land they’re already shifting the blame. A Liberal apologist on another blog calls it New Brunswick politics.
    No shame from the desperate, they keep digging themselves in.

  88. Joanne says:

    I wonder where Iggy stands on all this? Especially concerning the lies on his strategist’s blog?

  89. Liz J says:

    BTW, is this sad episode not proof of the depths some are willing to go and who they drag with them to sully Stephen Harper? It’s all dirty politics, what else can it be called?
    Given all the comments from Liberal apologists on the blogs is further proof they intended to make political hay with this and it has backfired with a big boom. Why are they making excuses and shifting the blame?

  90. Alberta Girl says:

    I want every reporter who gleefully jumped on this and made it headline news for days to also apologize. I want this story to be headline news for days. Most Canadians don’t read the back pages, or read to the end of one story to find the last paragraph talking about the apology, or listen to the whole newscast.

    Where is the ticker tape running across the bottom of the screen. Where is Craig Oliver and Jane Taber discussing how dirty this trick was? Where is Roger Smith breaking into another story to report this?

    They should all be ashamed of themselves! But no, they all report it quietly and then move on to something else, hoping that Canadians don’t catch it.

    They all make me sick.

  91. Bec says:

    Any self respecting politician or strategist for that matter (especially ones that are PERSONALLY connected to the deceased being honored)should have SHUT DOWN this faked scandal out of respect for the family.
    That is WHAT a respectful, Leader of the Opposition should have done, immediately.

    Instead, it took Mr LeBlanc’s son, to show the only morsel of class in this whole thing.
    He deserves a lot of credit for that and he should be disgusted with his party, the paper, the media in general and the person (s) that did this to dishonor his Dad.

    The PM, spoke immediately once informed and that SHOULD HAVE been enough.

  92. Liz J says:

    Wonder where Iggy stands? Looks like he stands hiding in a corner somewhere. Being the Liberal leader and with a penchant for putting his foot in his mouth the media will leave him alone.

    BTW, was he at the funeral at which they decided to play political games? Did the cameras lose him in the crowd and only the PM was covered?

    Why was the PM being watched so closely?

  93. Lycan Stark says:

    This will be a hallmark example, along with the incident allegedly involving Pablo Rodriguez and the CBC, of a Liberal biased MSM.

    I find it telling that the apology for this blatant fabrication doesn’t get anywhere near the same level of coverage as the original “story”.

    Everytime that a Liberal tries to claim that there is no MSM bias on their behalf, I’m simply going to laugh dismissively, because this so aptly proves otherwise.

    Isn’t it rather interesting how hard Kinsella is fighting on to this? No matter who is apologizing or what principle players involved are saying about this story having no legs in the first place, one thing I’ve now noticed is that the more wrong Kinsella is, the harder he fights. Kinsella has committed himself so thoroughly to this “wafer scandal” that there really is no choice now but to go to the wall with it. Scorced earth and all that.

    Remember when the PM got the wrong information staffer recently and apologized? Yes, that was embarrassing. As Iggy’s war room guy, a retraction on this farce’s continuation now would be a likewise embarrassment. The Liberal (I forget who it was now) who said Kinsella was “human shrapnel” couldn’t have coined a better term.

    The names of the Liberal(s) directly involved in this outright fabrication need to be exposed. This latetst Liberal farce isn’t over, no by a long shot.

  94. Liz J says:

    Why not start a rumour that Dominic LeBlanc is thinking about crossing the floor, see if the media will pick it up?

    It would be nothing but a lie, at best speculation or wishful thinking, but they enjoy running with lies when put out by Liberal operatives, hoping some don’t ever catch up with the truth. So, if they want to appear neutral, we could give them an opportunity…….

  95. Peter says:

    Go to http://www.630ched.com/Other/audiovault.html which is the audio vault for CHED in Edmonton that carries the Adler show and you will get today’s (Tuesday July 28)interview Kate had with Adler – great job Kate.
    Go to the 2:35 P.M. segment of the show

  96. frmgrl says:

    Steve Janke on Rutherford right now talking about this.

  97. ed says:

    Philosoraptor said:

    “Ummm, there is a video that shows, as clear as day, that he pocketed it and then filed away.”

    As you can see by the above statement, the Liberals will continue to lie, lie and lie. The only hope for the Liberals is that they are devastated at the next election forcing them to renew themselves with new blood. The cancer in the present Liberal party cannot be stopped.

    For the record, Liberal Senator Noel Kinsella said he saw the PM consume the host. So, Philosoraptor, you’re actually calling one of your own a liar.

  98. NeilD says:

    Senator Marjory Lebreton was interviewed by Bob Fife yesterday and never mentioned CTV as being complicit in spreading the story across the nation. The closest she came was to suggest that the national media should do some soul-searching (not her exact words).
    What she should have asked Fife was how it was that his network so eagerly decided to make the story the lead item in their newscasts.

    Honestly folks, the Conservative Party has to get some balls (apologies to the good senator).
    Maybe the Communicatiions Director could have mentioned a certain frustration with the biased media and ‘gotcha’ politics when he announced his resignation.

  99. Lorraine says:

    Starting a rumour that the Liberal media then gleefully pick up and run with IS Liberal strategy . Why? Because it has worked for years. The Conservatives are constantly fighting straw men. WK has , in fact, bragged about this strategy in his disgusting expose book – Kicking AXX in Canadian Politics. The book promotes ammoral tactics that worked for Chretien, Martin and still work for Ignatieff. BUT, ONLY with the insider help of the media. The Liberals have all the majors in their pocket.
    Here is a recent example of starting a rumour and the media may soon start giving it legs – Liberal bloggers are saying that “anonymous” sources have told them that John Baird will not run in the next election.
    Let’s see how long it takes for that to be a headline.

  100. Rich says:

    Neil D further to this outstanding piece of journalistic reporting by the Telegraph it is more of the gotcha reporting by liberal friendly media like ctv, cbc etc. The Telegraph-journal is a New Brunswick newspaper that is owned by the Irving family. One memeber of this family is a defeated liberal mp Paul Zed; this gentleman actually stood up at the liberal convention in may and stated that this economic crisis was not a world crisis but a Canadian crisis purpotraded by Stephen Harper. So any idiotic reporting by liberal friendly media does not suprise me.

  101. Bruce says:

    Gomery was one hundred percent correct when he called the LPoC “criminally organized.”

    Speaking of which a certain Benoit Corbeil of ADSCAM fame did a plea bargain deal and is giving evidence to the authorities concerning other, possibly political, figures who have yet to be charged in that scandal;

    Blowing the whistle?

    A judge ordered a pre-sentencing report for early September. The Crown wants Corbeil to do jail time but Corbeil’s lawyer says he should stay out of jail because he never made a penny from the fraudulent transactions.

    However, Corbeil says he will reveal who profited from the scam, suggesting more names will come out in connection with the scandal that helped to bring down Paul Martin’s minority Liberal government in 2006.

    http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090602/corbeil_charges_090603/20090603?hub=TopStories

  102. jt says:

    If the media is caught “lying” about news, what else are they lying about?

    Full, factual, unbiased reporting of financial news in our media becomes suspect as well, if the “regular news” is found out to be fabricated.

    As conservative supporters, do we now find all Liberal-friendly media suspect as well? Finacial statements, BNN reportage, Financial Post articles and financial news now becomes suspect? Who do you believe when the media is found out to be less than truthful with the news? Trust ‘em with your last dollar?

    Reputable news media of all stripes had better begin to appear to be on the up and up and call out those who aren’t, or we’ll be looking at a lot more of “Madoff” stuff in the news in this country. The Liberals and their supporters just don’t get it on this. Keep digging boys, see you at the polling booth.

  103. Richco says:

    all partisanship aside anyone who uses a man’s funeral to spin politics is a lowlife in my book.

    That Fife said the “Liberals passed” the fantasy story on to the publisher, “Liberals” in the plural could mean more than one, or Liberals as a collective party.

    Whichever it is, the public should be asking if Mr. Ignatieff gave permission for his team to used this man’s funeral to score cheap political points, or was he left out of his own party’s loop? Either way it looks horrible for Ignatieff and helps Harper out tremendously in the ways Honey Pot #63 suggests.

    It’s becoming clear that Ignatieff still can’t get himself out of the starting gate.

    As L.Ian MacDonald suggested in his column today
    Ignatieff’s poll nos. are tanking outside of Quebec “from his weak performance as Hamlet at the end of the spring session.” From Hamlet to the Emperor with No Clothes, to the Invisible Tourist. “Harper enjoys a significant advantage – being prime minister. He should play it for all it’s worth.”

  104. Joanne says:

    Frmgrl @ #97 – Sorry I missed that.

    Perhaps I can try catching ‘in the vault’ later on.

  105. Soccermom says:

    The Liberals are looking more and more like the DemocRATS in the U.S. (or DEMONcrats, as I read the other day, LOL!)

    They own the media and the media does their bidding.

    I’m really very surprised the newspaper apologized. But pigs will indeed fly when the disgusting Liberal Party apologizes over this. This, the party who screams at the truth ads. Well, at least the ads are true! Liberals have to make stuff up to try and get ahead.

    They truly make me sick.

    Dominic LeBlanc needs to address this pronto.

  106. Lorraine says:

    Here’s another maybe Liberal rumour:
    Liberal Paul Zed, puppet of the powerful billionaire Irving family and Ignatieff Chief of Staff is planning to step down as such to run in the next election in St. John’s (the seat he lost in 2006).
    His replacement as CofS to Ignatieff? Alex Himelfarb, formerly Privy Council Clerk to Chretien, Martin and for a short while, Harper. He was ousted by Harper and sent to be Ambassador to ROME – capital of Catholisism.
    Remember Himelfarb from the Gomery gong show? He was riduculed for his blatant coverups – claiming HE saw Sheila Fraser’s damning report but, um, didn’t tell Paul Martin about it even while the topic was exploding in the HofC.
    Loyal Liberal that guy.
    So, Ignatieff would not have been in Canada to have known that his possible new CofS is a discredited laughing stock. He just looks at the, ahem, academic credentials and the fact that the Liberals gave him an honourary doctorite in 2004.
    So, Liberal Paul Zed connects to the Irvings who run the paper with the Catholic story while his reploacement prepares to return from uber Catholic Rome. The plan maybe to discredit Harper to all Catholics and scoop up the Liberal votes? Who knows how slimebags who can’t run on smarts or policies plot strategy huh?

  107. Soccermom says:

    “Ignatieff’s poll nos. are tanking outside of Quebec “from his weak performance as Hamlet at the end of the spring session.””

    Well then, it seems Quebeckers like limp-wristed easily pushed-over leaders.

    He’s a perfect match for them. Let him be King of Quebeckistan and leave us the hell alone, please.

  108. Bruce says:

    This will make an excellent “truth ad”, but this time it will be about the LPoC’s culture of corruption, not Iggy’s Iggiocy.

  109. maz2 says:

    A found quote.

    Seems to be relevant?
    …-

    Quote:

    $$$ “(A retired KGB officer recently told me that “nobody is easier to buy than a Western journalist.”)”

    “Marina Kalashnikova’s Warning to the West

    Meet Marina Kalashnikova: a Moscow-based historian, researcher and journalist. Last August she criticized foreign “experts” for suggesting that a conflict with Moscow will not happen because Russia’s elite is too closely associated with the West. According to Kalashnikova, “The West does not care to wake from the dream of its wishful thinking, even when Moscow turns to … reanimating Stalin’s cult of personality together with the ideology of the Cheka [i.e., the secret police].”

    I’m afraid that Marina Kalashnikova is right. The West has been dreaming, and the West will suffer the consequences. If the Kremlin likes Stalin, then there will be trouble. If KGB officers have established a sophisticated form of dictatorship in Russia, they have done so for a reason. We should remind our politicians, with their short memories, that Stalin and his secret police did not run a Sunday school. Furthermore, the recent trail of blood and radiation leading back to the Kremlin is like a finger pointing to the greatest danger of our time – nixed from the news media’s prattle of the hour. (A retired KGB officer recently told me that “nobody is easier to buy than a Western journalist.”)”
    http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2303702/posts

  110. east of eden says:

    Philosoraptor and others like you: You do realize that by making such an issue out of this indicates a number of things. It indicates that, by making this an issue, you can find no fault with how our PM is running the country. It indicates that you are small-minded because you jump on this one issue which has absolutely nothing to do with running the country. It indicates that you are sheep – you are following the lead of a Liberal-leaning, lying media publication and cannot actually think for yourself.

    It indicates that you are not employed but, rather, living off of somebody else or off the taxpayer because…if you were working and productive, you’d be far more concerned with how the economy is doing, the state of your finances, your career future…etc. rather than this non-issue.

    Even after Dominick LeBlanc spoke up, sheep like yourselves are still bleating about this false non-issue.

    You know, it makes me sad to know that I share a country with people like yourself. Hopefully, one fine day, you’ll learn to think for yourself.

  111. Joanne says:

    Adler’s talking about this on CJOB right now.

  112. Liz J says:

    Folks, if you wish to read the worst name calling and drivel on the blogosphere, wander on over to Stephen Taylor’s post on this wafer subject, read some sickening comments by “Terry1″.
    The LPC and their operatives are trying to pin everything on the PM, some saying he shouldn’t have even been at the funeral!

    There has to be a line drawn somewhere regarding how much vitriol, pure lies and hate people can spew, even on blogs without being called to account.

    Besides being our PM, Stephen Harper is a decent human being, he deserves much better, including respect. I’m old enough to remember when people treated PM’s with respect, and we could rely on news people tell the true facts.

  113. Diane says:

    More proof that the Liberal party is the party of the establishment, using billionaires and editorial contacts to create propoganda. The conservatives are the party of the masses.

    ITs obvious the libs still haven’t accepted that they have lost eh last two elections.

  114. maz2 says:

    PET Cemetery Announcement: TBA.

    A “journalist” has lost a Liberal “source”.

    Would have made “a fine Senator”.

    “late Liberal policy adviser and procedural expert Jerry Yanover”.
    …-

    “Readers remember
    ‘His life was Parliament’”

    “Bob Bott, Calgary:

    I knew Jerry when I worked for UPI in the Parliamentary Press Gallery from 1969 to 1974.

    He was a font of knowledge on the parliamentary system, and although partisan, provided huge amounts of objective background even when it did not necessarily aid his cause. He was probably the most accessible of all the political aides and spokesmen I have known. He was also a fine raconteur and conversationalist.

    We were never quite sure how serious he was about his ambition for a Senate appointment. He claimed he was looking for some property, maybe in Quebec, so he could constitutionally qualify. I always thought he would make a fine Senator and was disappointed he never made it there. He is presumably now in some other, higher body – hopefully enjoying some single malt with Alan J. MacEachen. Stanley Knowles might join them later for tea.

    So let’s lift a glass to a fine young man (it’s a shock to realize he was two years younger than me, since he seemed so wise when I knew him).”
    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/his-life-was-parliament/article1234085/

  115. Joanne says:

    Adler’s on the Calgary station now talking about this. I think Mike Duffy will be on too.

  116. Pingback: Wafergate aftermath – A few questions need to be answered - Blue Like You -

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