Covid Journal, May 28, 2020
Canadian Media Fund Allocations WASTED
Canadian media companies are a wreck.
That is, the large conglomerate mainstream types are in a state of ruin.
Small, nimble and local publications (that aren’t controlled by a single centralized office) are actually blossoming.
Over the course of the last two years, the Trudeau government has been handing out Canadian taxpayer money to the media company owners and senior executives, hoping upon hope that they stay afloat.
These companies are the likes of TorStar, the Sun Media chain, Bell, Rogers, Shaw and various medium-sized players.
They publish newspapers that no longer have massive regular advertisers or classified ads.
They repurpose American TV shows and other content and slap their own ads up as interuptions to on-screen entertainment.
They shout at us from commercial radio with a slew of ads sandwiched between 2-3 minutes of music.
They have failed to adapt. With the mountains of cash that these companies once corraled, they have failed to invest in new technologies and delivery systems that Canadians want. That the world wants.
And yet, they’ve got their hands out, begging like paupers, complaining that Canadians need to support ‘local’ media and if they don’t get funding, they’ll disappear and our culture and society will disappear with them.
BULL SHIT.
After very quietly spending almost $600 million in taxpayer funds to these media companies, I’m sure the Trudeau government got a jolt the other day when the Toronto Star announced that it was being taken private.
Honestly … after giving the folks with TorStar millions in funds, they could have just bought the company instead and had a partner / sister print company to go with the CBC.
Instead, a pair of folks from Toronto with very deep links to the Conservatives will be steering the ship now.
This is what we get when we don’t give money directly to Canadians.
They Said, We Said: Media At A Crossroads
For the record, let’s try to all admit that even though many indicate their level of specialty with certain things, there’s not a single person on the planet that can claim that they are an expert on everything and anything related to managing Earth during a global pandemic. Lots of people – nearly 8 billion, give or take a few – will have an opinion on things and discrediting or discounting those thoughts simply because you have a predisposition towards a different doesn’t make them wrong. It makes them ripe for education.
I stand before as being in that latter category. I have a lot of resentment when I question the motives of certain actors on a global level, but I also acknowledge that if there were a small handful of evil geniuses out there, maybe we’d all be better off if we did give in and let them have our way with us because if they DID pull this off as a small group, they’re IMMENSELY more intelligent and taking leadership of the planet under their wing.
Is there a ‘fake news’ invasion?
There’s been a barrage of predictable ‘fake media’ stories with the ‘mainstream media’, including attacks on conspiracies like never seen before and avoidance of topics that are actually relevant to most humans living in lockdown:
- A path forward, as opposed to a return to the same asinine abuse of our planet
- A broad discussion about the range of cures and treatments for the disease and not just a blanket ‘one size fits all’ (and not good for anyone) vaccine being pushed by certain software celebrities (who could never build software that was virus-free so why should I trust him to bring a vaccine to market that won’t do more harm than good?)
- A sense of balance concerning deaths related to Covid compared to other contagious diseases
People keep telling me to focus on the facts. Absolutely! Of course, when our various media outlets are still spewing stories with leads like ‘the science isn’t complete’ and then telling us to do things a certain way regardless of this little oversight, I get a little confused, so forgive me for being a touch on the obstinate side.
Trust me – I want to get back to ‘life as normal’ as quickly as possible, but if we’re making rash decisions brought to us by a pharmaceutical company, count me out. I want the science to speak for itself, not for the shareholders.
Social distancing is based on flawed models.
Will Social Distancing and Lockdowns EVER Work?
Our assessment now, and I find that there is a broad consensus in relation to the reopening, was that one could probably achieve the same effect – and avoid part of the unfortunate repercussions – by not closing. But, instead, staying open with precautions to stop the spread.
Other comments from The Spectator article:
Norway’s statistics agency was also the first in the world to calculate the permanent damage inflicted by school closures: every week of classroom education denied to students, it found, stymies life chances and permanently lowers earnings potential. So a country should only enforce this draconian measure if it is sure that the academic foundation for lockdown was sound. And in Stoltenberg’s opinion, ‘the academic foundation was not good enough’ for lockdown this time.
More here about the effectiveness and impact of lockdowns.
As I’ve said before, inconsistency in planning and delivery of requirements is what will kill us.