Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance report and CBC story are false

The Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance published the 2009 National Report Card on Energy Efficiency with false information. CBC Charlottetown then broadcast the story on Compass August 23rd, 2010 without checking the facts.

It’s hard to believe that a national energy advocacy group and CBC would get together to mislead the public but they have.

Viewer feedback on CBC indicates that most people accept the story as gospel truth. Read the rest of this entry »

Adventures in Press Release Journalism – your bill is still going up

Journalism label by Tom Scott

CBC News – Charlottetown – Household energy use in Prince Edward Island has dropped in the past two years, according to a national watchdog group. The Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance rates how each province encourages energy conservation. Results are released every two years, and this year, P.E.I. improved its grade from a D to a B.

The Alliance said household energy use on the Island dropped 20 per cent thanks to programs implemented by the Office of Energy Efficiency. Read the rest of this entry »

Renowned political journalist finds happiness in giving back to others

Frank Sesno

By Frank Sesno, Posse Foundation, Washington Post – During my work as a reporter, I went around with cameras and looked at what was wrong. One of the things I’m doing now in life through teaching and philanthropy is trying to fix those problems.

My heart has always been in education.

I have a disabled sister with Down’s syndrome. I saw the fight to get her access to quality education. When she was born in the ’50s, people with developmental disabilities would be warehoused. When the doctor told my mother that her daughter was “mongoloid” and encouraged her to place my sister in an institution, my mother threw him out of the room. She was not going to institutionalize her daughter. She was a crusader. She believed in standing up for what mattered. Now my sister lives semi-independently.   Read the rest of this entry »

Departure of Peter Stursburg as English network chief will not change CBC

The head of CBC’s English language programming quit or was forced out depending on who you read. Senior management were quick to send out comfort memos to staff – nothing will change.

That’s good news for CBC Charlottetown were corruption and arrogance rule the day.  In a leaked memo from Inside the CBC, we learn that the “renewal of our journalistic policy book and how we do our journalism” will not be be effected.

That means CBC journalists will continue to be able to receive secret, low or no interest loans and grants from the government or major businesses they cover.    Read the rest of this entry »

Winning George Gershwin Prize and charming everyone

There is some amazing television this summer on PBS. Last night’s performance at the White House featuring Paul McCartney was one of the best.

Dave Grohl singing Band on the Run (the intro is weak but wait until Dave starts rocking!)

As a Canadian I keep asking myself: why can’t our public broadcaster give us more quality programming like PBS?

McCartney was receiving the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song and performed many of his hits, along with musical friends Dave Grohl, Jack White, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, EmmyLou Harris and others.  You have to sing for your supper when at the White House apparently.
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What’s worse, the cop who pushes Sandy to the ground once or Canadian society keeps her on the ground for her whole life?

In June a woman with a disability was pushed to the street in Vancouver by a police officer. He walked away without helping her up.

While the Vancouver police department claims the incident was under investigation, the officers are still on the beat.  We expect some official response that exonerates the officers will appear many months from now.

It’s clear from the video the woman has a disability. She has Cerebral Palsy (CP) which gives her a distinct walking pattern and affects her speech. She may sound intoxicated however anyone who has experience with CP can easily spot the symptoms.   Read the rest of this entry »

While slightly endearing as an icon, parading children with disabilities on TV for fund raising pity is degrading

Bruce Rainnie, Colton Matheson (Ambassador) and Matt Rainnie, all smiles now but will they disappoint him later

CBC have been threatening to drop the Easter Seals telethon for the past 4 years and now they’ve dropped the axe. Curtain falls on Easter Seals telethon.

While CBC may be thankfully moving on, Charlottetown Rotary will work to resurrect the telethon with some other network like Eastlink.

I hope Rotarians find a new way to raise money without degrading the dignity of children with disabilities although I have my doubts they are interested in reform.

Society and people with disabilities are trying to get beyond stereotypes of “cripples”, “handicapped kids”, and the pity that those labels create.

The Easter Seals Telethon is a 1950s version of charity that objectifies the child and stigmatizes them. They are not seen as human beings but as trained monkeys in a suit.   Read the rest of this entry »

Maybe Beck will learn that disability is part of life and not something worthy of his right wing scorn

Glenn Beck, the Fox commentator, has admitted through tears that he is going blind. He has been diagnosed with macular dystrophy and may be blind within a year.
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Best moment of show was Twitter “Try the Curry” at Churchill Arms

Sunset at Regis' Clambake on PEI

As PEI watched, two New York celebrities poured on the charm. Regis was unrepentant in his disdain for oysters but liked lobsters and clams. Kelly was charming and teasing.

The best line of the show was about Kelly’s dinner at Churchill Arms in Charlottetown. She and her family were watching the soccer match and enjoying the fish and chips (good choice).

Kelly likes to Tweet so she tweeted her location. Fans tweeted back “Try the curry.”

Of course try the curry at Churchill. She sampled five different kinds and loved them so told the audience.

We love to watch ourselves and our province being toasted by celebrities but will more tourists come?

View from the cheap seats at Regis and Kelly on PEI (image @darlenes)

Wow! PEI on daytime TV in Canada and the US. We’re so proud of our home province. Everyone within distance of their TV was watching and the rest are recording it at home.  This is bigger than the Canada Russia hockey game, at least for Islanders.

Regis Philbin, who seems like  a nice guy for a celebrity, opened the broadcast up to at least 10,000 people to watch. Smart move for them and priceless for Ghiz. He needs a shot of popularity and this will be a hit with the female demographic Regis and Kelly aims at.

It’s a lot of press all at once for PEI, which is the goal. Canada AM covering it is a nice touch.

But will it mean people come here this year? Probably not. In this crazy world, next year is a long shot.

Most of our tourists don’t come from the US or the ROC. Surprising eh? They come from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and the numbers are going down ever since 1997.  Read the rest of this entry »

Propaganda machine in overdrive as government and fawning media try to convince Islanders of benefits to throwing a million bucks on American talk show land on the Island

Regis and Kelley doing the Hail Mary and barfing up muscles

By Paul MacNeill, Eastern Graphic – Both The Guardian and CBC are taking lead roles in non-critical promotion.

The Guardian published a love fest story proclaiming how wonderful it will be to be invaded by B, C and D list entertainers. The story repeated exaggerated statistics about viewership for Live! With Regis and Kelly. The claim of 6 million viewers a day is a dream. Reality is closer to half that.

Still, with nary a bit of critical thought, the paper quoted an entertainment promoter as gushing: “If only 0.01 per cent of those people, or one one-thousandth of them, come to PEI, that’s 15,000 people. That’s a huge impact.”

Well it would be but it won’t happen.  And there are very valid reasons why it won’t happen.   Read the rest of this entry »

Privacy Commissioner’s ruling will be challenged in court

Supreme Court of PEI Justices Taylor, Mitchell and Matheson image: Nigel Armstrong Guardian

CBC is taking the recent ruling of the Acting Privacy Commissioner for PEI to the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island.

A judicial review is the next step in the process under PEI’s oddly named Freedom of Information and Privacy Act or FOIP.  The FOIP website shows two previous judicial reviews, which were split 50/50 for and against the Commissioner.

The ruling appeared to us and the public to be pure PEI politics. Twice before the same Acting Commissioner had released loan and grant information despite protests from the business it would impact their reputation. This ruling does not appear to be consistent with those previous decisions. See PEI ordered to release information on Island business loans and PEI Lending Agency ordered to release details of loans and grants.
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Journalists to refrain from acting like bloggers

From:W. Thibodeaux (w_thibodeaux@guardion.ca)

Sent: June 25, 2010; 2:17 pm
To: Brendon Elliot (brendon_elliot@cbc.ca)
Cc: twrite (t_write@guardion.ca)

Subject:  Special disciplinary meeting of PEI Press Gallery

Please be advised that your attendance is required at a special disciplinary meeting of the Press Gallery of the PEI Legislature to consider sanctions against yourself for “blogging” and “social media” activities.

The special meeting called by T. Wright and myself under our powers of the Executive to conduct such investigations of journalism conduct as may cause the public to hold PEI journalists in disrepute.
Read the rest of this entry »