Categories: Need to know

CBC? Not for me!

Stephen Harper says he prefers American news broadcasts to Canadian ones

by macleans.ca on Friday, October 23, 2009 2:30pm - 42 Comments

You might assume that Prime Minister Stephen Harper would be one of Canada’s most devoted news watchers. But you’d be wrong. Speaking in front of a Toronto business audience on Wednesday, Harper admitted that he prefers American news broadcasts to Canadian ones. “I tend to watch mainly American news,” the prime minister said, “because I don’t like to watch Canadian news and hear what Allan [Gregg, a pollster and CBC pundit who was in the audience] and everybody else is saying about me.” Unsurprisingly, NDP Leader Jack Layton was quick to contend that “Canadians ought to be concerned” that their leader “likes Fox News better than Canadian news.” Liberal MP Bob Rae also chimed in, calling the report “quite shocking,” because Harper has “an obligation to know what’s going on.” Industry Minister Tony Clement, on the other hand, thinks Harper may have been “exaggerating.” “We’re all news junkies, all of us are,” he said. “Come on. You know what we’re all about.”

Toronto Star

Tags: Canada

http://skinnydip.blogspot.com Skinny Dipper

Stephen Harper must not be a real Canadian.
ProfR

Maybe the PM is onto something. American media reports less, questions less, and is more likely to be co-opted than any other media in the free world! A blessing for a Bushie like him.
http://intensedebate.com/people/TwoYen TwoYen

I should hope my prime minister, from whatever party, doesn't spend his time watching TV. A prime minister has work to do. Mr Harper, like all prime ministers, has staff to watch and read the news and to provide summaries.

As for TV news, I would not be surprised if his favorite newscast is PBS Newshour. It is probably the highest quality news program along with the BBC world news.
http://www.mindtreehealth.com Lauranimist

This article assumes that Harper (or anyone else) would get the real news from watching either Canadian or American television…
http://intensedebate.com/people/john_g2708 john g

Who cares. What's forgotten in all of this is that Harper doesn't need to watch the news himself. He has a team of people who watch the Canadian news, and he likely gets a digest of the highlights on his desk every morning.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Thwim Thwim

You mean like he did for Suaad Hagi Mohamud where he didn't even know what his own minister was saying?

linlou

I'm hoping this little tidbit of info negates the percentage points he gained in the pollsbecause he tinkled the ivories in public! Every Canadian should feel a sense of unease re this disclosure, we are hardly a blip on the American news network.
mike

i want to know if he watches "little mosque on the prairies" or not.
Jeet

I hope he watches Fox–they are the ONLY ones in North America who base their news on the facts and not emotion and propaganda. Migfawd, does that mean Bill Oreilly could be the next governor-general given this countries penchant for giving those jobs to the CBC.
Such is the trouble with Layton and the rest of the left–they don't know what the truth is.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Thwim Thwim

Uh. Not on emotion? Is that what it means when O'Reilly is yelling and cutting people's mics?

http://intensedebate.com/people/Thwim Thwim

Given Suaad Hagi Mohamud, evidence suggests otherwise.
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But people still have the choice on whether or not to follow what he prefer.