Cathie from Canada

Real journalist David Akin is slamming supposedly-fake journalist Sixth Estate for doing the job that Canada's news media and press gallery are just too busy to do.
And he implies in passing that Sixth Estate is really just a shill for the Liberals or NDP.  Where ever could he have got that idea?
So here's what I wrote to David Akin in his comment thread:

There is, as far as I know, no law that prevents David Akin or any other journalist from compiling and maintaining a lengthy list of hundreds of government appointments and then determining whether these people are CPC supporters.
Of course, doing this would be a lot of work, much of it without any immediate benefit because it wouldn't result in any stories.
Meanwhile, an editor would be breathing down the journalist's neck wondering why he is sitting there checking google and updating a chart, instead of going to the latest press conference or following up on the latest press release to generate a news story for the late edition.
So be glad, Mr. Akin, that Sixth Estate is doing this, so you and other real journalists don't have to.
By the way, who told you about Sixth Estate's list? It doesn't sound like you have been following his blog the way the rest of Canada's progressive bloggers do. Why did you focus your article almost exclusively on questions about Sixth Estate's identity and funding sources, while apparently not asking these questions of Sixth Estate before publishing your article? If you are going to imply that he is just a sleazy political tool of the NDP or Liberals, and that they are secretly supporting his research, wouldn't it have been more ethical to give him an opportunity to respond to your accusations before publishing?

As a fake journalist myself, of course, I have no obligation to ask Mr. Akin these questions before publishing them. It takes one to know one.
UPDATE: *spelling corrected -- sorry Mr. Akin.
Recommend this Post at Progressive Bloggers | 5 comments

5 Comments:

Nice post. There are no real journalists anymore. The ones who call themselves real journalists have been corrupted by power and money, The only real journalists are the fake journalists. Through a glass darkly, face to face, you know, that kind of thing.

By  Anonymous, at 5:40 AM  

I like how Sixth Estate asked me to give Aiken a break for working for SunTV... because the Globe, etc. aren't much better. Ha.

By  Saskboy, at 9:10 AM  

Sheesh. Can you at least spell my name right?

By  David Akin, at 11:25 AM  

I remember the Sixth Estate defining what fake journalism was a while back, noting the number of corporate fluff pieces published in Canadian news outlets. Mr. Atkin's news outlet contains quite a number of prominent fluff pieces, it seems to me, even if he calls himself a real journalist.

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