Tip of the hat to Andy Walker and Halifax Chronicle Herald

Yes Virginia there is a free press but not on PEI

The bad breeding of the PEI media is hard to ignore when they show little but ignorance and bigotry. However, our faith in a free and unfettered press was returned when the Halifax Chronicle Herald corrected a story this week.

As readers will know, I am not the darling of the PEI press gallery. PEI press gallery hold kangaroo court to oust rebel blogger.

The fact that I have criticized most of PEI’s media for bias, corruption, and just plain terrible journalism had nothing to do with their 11 to 2 vote to exclude this journalist from their hallowed midst. After all, NJN Network is a competitor. Can’t let that happen.

When retired PEI journalist Andy Walker wrote the story up for the Chronicle Herald I was pleased. Press gallery votes to suspend blogger. My 89 year old mother lives in Halifax and she likes to see my name in print. At least it wasn’t in the court report.

In PEI’s incestuous media circles, Walker’s report was a refreshingly straight forward account.

The CBC had earlier decided to not report the story by implying I was some sort of evil twin. The Charlottetown Guardian used the occasion to write derogatory remarks that we consider defamation. The Guardian pulled their story after we served them notice of court action. Pate serves legal notice to sue Guardian and CBC

Get the facts, get the names and get a picture of the dead boy are the rules of the news business.

Walker had a few material facts wrong in his story so I sent both the Chronicle and Walker an email with the details. Andy Walker Chronicle got most of story on bloggers.

You never expect much to come of those correction notices. Unless you sue the Guardian they don’t correct anything.

CBC manager Henk Van Leeuwen had been watching too many re-runs of Jason Robard as Ben Bradlee in “All the President’s Men” when he told me over the phone “We stand by our story.”

Friday being my media review day, I browsed on over to the Chronicle and low and behold they had corrected the story. Hats off to you gentlemen.

What was fixed

Postcards of my hanging

Walker’s original story made it appear the satire, Government announces solution for disabled access to Confederation Library, was written after my election as Secretary of the Press Gallery.

The corrected version clearly shows I wrote the satirical parody 21 days before the PEI Press Gallery began its life and its kangaroo court.

This fact is the part of Paul MacNeill’s charge that the PEI media was unjust in trying me on trumped up charges with no procedures legally in place. Media wrong in Pate-gate

The Chronicle also corrected that I have printed 2,900 articles in three years, not 1,900 articles in five years. For any journalist, three stories a day seven days a week is prodigious output.

The Chronicle didn’t correct that I asked for an adjournment due to my disability but that’s OK – I have the tape. They also didn’t cover the legal notices to the CBC and the Guardian but some court reporter will eventually. Pate serves legal notice to sue Guardian and CBC

And that the Press Gallery didn’t follow any due process. The Eastern Graphic reported that part of the story in Media wrong in Pate-gate.

Two out of five suggested corrections. Not bad and a tip of the hat to Walker and the Chronicle.

If anyone has a copy of the Chronicle Herald or Mail Star with the old cartoon for Rainbow Haven “Tip of the Hat” drop me a line. That’s the graphic I need for this story.