Video Transcript:

The federal Conservatives plan to run against the media in next year’s election. Hmm, where could they have got that idea? Definitely not in Canada.

In the last two elections, the Tories almost suffocated under media love. In 2011, every Canadian Anglo daily endorsed Harper except this one, which didn’t support the Liberals. That’s because right wing Postmedia had taken over most of the others. In 2015 it was the same. Postmedia boss Paul Godfrey ordered it. That’s not ancient history, it’s the last election.

Our only newsmagazine, Maclean’s, was bought by Rogers in 1994 and officially went right 10 years later when Ken Whyte became editor and publisher. When Harper refused to participate in TV debates in 2015 — except in formats almost no one could find — no major media challenged him. They let him get away with it.

The broadcast media have always been mostly Tory. Yes, there’s the CBC, but when opinion gets expressed there, it skews right. The panel on The National always had Andrew Coyne, from Postmedia. The main national mouthoff till last year was Rex Murphy, known fondly in Frank Magazine as T-Rex Murphy. I’d also include Don Cherry as the loudest — in various ways — right-winger regularly on CBC.

At least in the U.S., there’s some evidence for Trump’s whining about the media. The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, major networks, the New Yorker, are all pretty clearly committed to defeating him.

The media persecution claims of the Tories, by contrast, are sheer Andrew Scheer wishful thinking, and Trump envy.

Rick Salutin is a freelance columnist and commentator for the Star about all things current affairs and politics. He is based in Toronto. Reach him on email: ricksalutin@ca.inter.net

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