...it is dangerous to entrench in media a view that you don’t understand what makes a good story

...haven’t a clue what matters to journalists

...believe media are nothing more than obstacles to be avoided

It was a bad move to keep Mr. Emerson away from the media

It made media think he and the prime minister don’t understand that this was an important story

It was a bad move to tell the health minister at first not to react to Quebec’s plans…  It made media think he and the prime minister don’t understand the basic journalistic need to get appropriate quotes in their stories.

It was a bad decision not to issue a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office following the mudslide in the Philippines. It made media think the PMO can’t generate rudimentary communications materials.

It was a bad decision to keep reporters at the curb for the new government’s first cabinet meeting. It made media think the PM doesn’t understand or appreciate their important role.

It was a bad decision to make the first prime ministerial news conference a scrum instead of a formal, sit-down news conference. It made media think he doesn’t respect them.

...it is a mistake to believe that professional media relations are unimportant

[WAG THAT FINGER!] Mr. Harper would be well advised to allow his communications advisers to do what they are good at.

He would also be well advised to immediately assign several of his smarter and more affable caucus members to start talking to reporters, and building some decent relationships.

It will not be enough to fill ministers’ offices with directors of communications who are instructed not to tell journalists much of anything.

[SOUNDS LIKE A TEENAGER]  Journalists won’t leave the prime minister alone just because he or his cabinet or staff won’t talk to them.

...understanding media, knowing their routines, respecting their roles

...media are key to his ability to communicate his message and stay in at least some control of his government’s agenda.

Her efforts are paying off in one respect:  as you might expect, we already have a nominee for this week’s Unwittingly Comedic Quote of the Week Award, for this gem:

This isn’t to say that understanding media, knowing their routines, respecting their roles and using the many communications tools at the government’s disposal will co-opt journalists. Media will continue to resist government spin, to view every utterance of the prime minister as newsworthy, to take a largely adversarial stance with politicians, and to focus on conflict, drama and personalities. Media will always chase the story, regardless of its political stripe.

And the coup de grà ¢ce for our analysis:  “Denise Rudnicki was a CBC journalist on Parliament Hill for more than 20 years.”

Who’da thunk it?

[ Ottawa Citizen (You gotta PAY for this stuff). ]

Posted by Joel Johannesen on   Thu, February 23, 2006 at 7:45:00 AM
• If you think this site is of no value, then don't pay anything for it, and it will fade into the sunset. That's capitalism at work.
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COMMENTS

Pissedoff says:

As I keep saying, is there any Canadian still stupid enought to buy what laughingly passes for a n***paper, with the low life writers they employ.
Posted by Pissedoff  from   on  Thu, February 23, 2006 at 8:37:32 AM

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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) says:

Excellent work, Joel.
She is an example of why more and more people are getting their news through this blog and Nealenews.com.
We don’t need T.V. or papers anymore.  (Or the lies that they spin.)
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  from  Guelph, Ontario  on  Thu, February 23, 2006 at 9:00:07 AM

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wellandboy says:

Denise Rudnicki’s name sent off an alarm bell. I believe her most recent job was Director of Communications for Liberal Minister of Justice Irwin Kotler.
Doesn’t surprise me that anything that comes out of her is pure venom. She’s working diligently awaiting the Liberals ascension to power so she can beacome a candidate for the next Governor General.
Posted by wellandboy  from  Welland Ontario  on  Thu, February 23, 2006 at 10:05:30 AM

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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) says:

Journalism as a profession is well on its way to being looked upon by the average citizen as being on a par with sleezy lawyers and crooked politicians.  Denise Rudnicki, as the saying goes, is just one of those ‘modern’ journalists who should take the cotton batting out of her ears and put it in her mouth.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  from  Winnipeg (Gateway to the West)  on  Thu, February 23, 2006 at 10:18:10 AM

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debsimms says:


Yes, I saw this one today and laughed so hard I cried. Holy whine-fest batman.

Posted by debsimms  from  Ottawa  on  Thu, February 23, 2006 at 11:32:52 AM
— debsimms's   s i g n a t u r e:

Never retreat, never explain, never apologize. Just get the thing done and let them howl. Nellie McClung, via Deb Grey.

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conservativegal says:


Reminds me of Scarlett O’Hara stamping her feet when Rhett Butler didn’t let her have her own way. Temper, Temper!

BTW, a recent US poll taken after the Dick Cheney incident shows the public rates journalists lower than politicians or lawyers.  I think Canadians would rate our MSM the same way.  I know I do.

Posted by conservativegal  from  Vancouver Island  on  Thu, February 23, 2006 at 12:12:19 PM
— conservativegal's   s i g n a t u r e:

“I am a Canadian, a free Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship God in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and for all mankind.”

The Right Honourable John G. Diefenbaker, Prime Minister of Canada, House of Commons Debates on the Cdn. Bill of Rights, July 1, 1960

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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) says:

PM Harper needs to take this golden “window of opportunity” to issue PROGRESS REPORTS during the transition period.  A select priority few have been released via his communications dept and in his initial address to Canadian public within hour of being sworn in:  Emergency aid to grain farmers within two weeks, daycare aid to families, televised coverage of SCC nominee question/answer session, photo-op meeting with gold medal winner, his statement with regards to cartoon controversy urging calm and the appropriateness of non-violent response, etc.
He’s showing as “on-top-of-policies” and methodical in application as they make the transition.
He should, however, disengage from former Mulroney regime influence and association. Should very firmly establish “his own man image.”  And I believe he will stemming from a basic common sense and decency position.
Politics for the people, not the media, right?
However, Agricultural Minister Strahl’s answer to angry, rightly concerned farmers is weak at best.
Regards, anna
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  from  london, ontario  on  Thu, February 23, 2006 at 1:15:52 PM

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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) says:

Wellandboy:
You are correct.  Rudnicki was Cottler’s Director of Communications, and the fact that this was not indicated in the article, is a clear case of misrepresentation and another gross example of agitprop by the Liberals.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  from  Ontario  on  Thu, February 23, 2006 at 5:23:16 PM

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Joel Johannesen says:


Just for the record, it was in fact indicated at the end of the article that she was Cotler’s D of R.

Posted by Joel Johannesen  from  Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada  on  Thu, February 23, 2006 at 8:11:14 PM
— Joel Johannesen's   s i g n a t u r e:

I could hardly believe “ProudToBeCanadian” was available when I was looking for a web site domain name.  No liberal thought of it?  It took a true blue CONSERVATIVE to think of buying that name and starting a web site built around it?  What does that tell you?  ...  Please remember to support this site.

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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) says:

It is astounding that these people can assume such self - importance . The implicit understanding is that any utterance of a PM or anyone in his cabinet must be translated by the MSM , interpreted and explained , spun and properly displayed as it was meant to be by the speaker. Only then can it have meaning , relevance and gravitas. Proper compliance to this axiom is assumed to be the natural state of affairs in their brave new world of ’ oopenness and taaalerance ’ .
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  from  Ont.  on  Fri, February 24, 2006 at 6:04:14 AM

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Joel Johannesen says:


Exaclty right, Dave, (#10).  That’s why I often just post news releases, untouched, from Prime Minister Harper’s office, and from other such sources.

Posted by Joel Johannesen  from  Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada  on  Fri, February 24, 2006 at 7:21:45 AM
— Joel Johannesen's   s i g n a t u r e:

I could hardly believe “ProudToBeCanadian” was available when I was looking for a web site domain name.  No liberal thought of it?  It took a true blue CONSERVATIVE to think of buying that name and starting a web site built around it?  What does that tell you?  ...  Please remember to support this site.

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irish1949 says:

I believe the MSM is in fear for its own existence as more and more Canadians look for their news in excellent blogs like this one.
The left - from the dark age of Trudeaupia until recently has “guided” and “spun” the news in its own liberal bias. This is ending and the lefties are outraged that people trust them less than used car salespeople…
Posted by irish1949  from   on  Fri, February 24, 2006 at 9:30:24 AM

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N'Hampsha Yankee says:


The newsette twit sez:

Stephen Harper could never expect an easy ride from journalists, but ignoring them will make things much worse

Aw jeez. And to think that if I really care to evaluate this threat further, I’ll have to pay to read the rest of it.

Excuse me while I snarfle.

Posted by N'Hampsha Yankee  from  Manchester, NH  on  Fri, February 24, 2006 at 1:44:22 PM
— N'Hampsha Yankee's   s i g n a t u r e:

A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take it all away.

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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) says:

#12 IRISH 1949:  Your signature caught my attention.  I’m an Irish Canadian.  My father arrived on last voyage of Aquitania in 1949.  Worked long and hard years in the aircraft simulation industry—specifically Boeing 727, 747. Mother’s family four generations Canadian—My grandfather, chief accountant for Canadian Pacific Rail, my great uncle opened first businessmen’s club on James St. Montreal. Talking about proud to be a Canadian drew me to this site where attention to the “minutiae” of corrupt, valueless content proffered up on CBC programming is being “dissassembled” systematically.  Welcome to what I cite as a significant public pressure platform to hold them to their mandate.  Our Canadian youth are exposed to and being influenced by what can only be classified as a menu of “filth”.
Are you Irish, how does 1949 apply to you?
Post back if you wish.  Very glad you’ve joined the arena in support
Regards, anna keightley
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  from  london, ontario  on  Sat, February 25, 2006 at 12:34:04 AM

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