Comments on: Guardian didn’t cover paratransit assault conviction

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Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:01:42 +0000

[...] Guardian didn't cover paratransit assault conviction | NJN Network [...]

By: Oliver Moore

Oliver Moore — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:56:13 +0000

Last comment didn’t go through. Would like to chat with Friday about press gallery situation. What’s your name?

Cheers

By: Stephen Pate

Stephen Pate — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:33:54 +0000

Only at the end of the day, that’s no fun, I was hoping they were laughing over their Cheerios.

You do it your way – for a guy who gets the Guardian’ sit down – who are you?

Why did Mrs. Gillespie not get any help from the Guardian? She is a friend of Jim Day. I didn’t know her from Adam; however, she did ask for my help when everyone else turned a blind eye.

As someone who works at this 7 days a week, I submit you are talking through your hat. You are either not working on anything important …

By: Chris McKenna

Chris McKenna — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:24:34 +0000

As a disabled person myself, The Guardian has always answered or sat down with me when an issue came up. As far as i know, they’ve always been helpful with the COD.

At the end of the day, Islanders will continue to laugh at you and you’ll continue to give us disabled people a bad name.

As such, the only person your advocating for is yourself and not for the disabled.

By: Stephen Pate

Stephen Pate — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:18:31 +0000

Chris I appreciate that you commented.

The messenger is often the one to catch the arrows.

I advocate strongly on behalf of those with disabilities because otherwise the stories don’t get told. The CBC reported the story after pointed them to it, one of the first real disability stories they have done in ages.

The media like two types of disability stories
1. Happy talk – you won the special Olympics, you pushed on through the pain, they built 2 accessible homes/apartments, P&E got new vans
2. The disabled are crooks – someone cheated on their disability supports and got caught

The media rarely if ever tells the true story.

PEI has a history of sweeping bad news stories about the disabled under the carpet.

In 2006 when the Binns government cut $1 million from the PEI Disability Support Program all of the disability groups refused to say “boo”. CBC reported it after I started blogging. PEI Council of the Disabled was chaired by Trisha Clarkin and the board muzzled her. The PEI Paraplegic Association refused to comment and were rewarded with a $240,000 donation spring of 2007.

I am a disability advocate. If you don’t like advocacy, it is not a popularity contest.

The Guardian doesn’t give a rats ass about the disabled. All they want is publicity from the Easter Seals abuse of children with disabilities.

Don’t worry, I’ll keep plugging away.

By: Observer

Observer — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:58:14 +0000

It’s a shame. The editor likes to pontificate on what is newspaper is and what constitutes journalism, yet his rag consistently falls far short of the minimum requirements.

I assume the circulation continues to fall. It deserves to.

By: Chris McKenna

Chris McKenna — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:35:25 +0000

Just like every other Islander, if The Guardian see’s Stephen Pate’s name attached to it, they will go the opposite way. He is hurting disabled persons on PEI as he drags their names through the mud.

Good on The Guardian for caring about us disabled.