The Press are Going Gonzo

Oldtown News
Vancouver, BC


The Press are Going Gonzo

It is with amusement these last few days that I have witnessed a story circulating like wildfire regarding an unsubstantiated allegation that claims the ruling municipal Vision Party has a hit list on the media it supposedly dislikes.

Since this story broke on Conservative blogger Alex Tsakumis blog, other media are going gonzo over it. Especially the ones who are purportedly on the list.

Without any evidence, a number of media are exposing the story as factual and besides being somewhat amused I am also shocked that without a shred of evidence that they would present this story to the public as fact.

The only press which seems to be ignoring the allegation is the Georgia Straight which doesn't surprise me since the news editor there, Charlie Smith, is the brightest light in journalism in this City today. Charlie tends to report only on facts and this explains why he has not repeated as yet these unsubstantiated claims.

I hope though that Mr Tsakumis who has written the piece on the basis of some anonymous source provides some evidence because these are very serious political allegations and ramifications if in fact there is any truth to them.

I have been critical of Vision in the past but I would find it completely out of character if they resorted to attacks on the press, especially based on something as simple as being portrayed in a less than flattering light.

Compiling a hit list would be an act of lunacy and while I think Vision are many things, being lunatics doesn't seem to fit their profiles.

I'm holding off on judgement regarding this story until there is some clear evidence that these allegations are true.

For our media at this time to be reporting these unsubstantiated allegations against Vision as fact seems irresponsible.

But this is politics right.

Jamie Lee Hamilton
tricia_foxx@yahoo.com