This Is What It's Come To
Zerb goes huffs and puffs (also see this CTV story) about the fact the Harper PMO doesn't care to grant paparazzi-level access to the Parliamentary Press Gallery.
Don't get me wrong. I can see why the press gallery is pissed off: their jobs just became a whole lot harder. What I don't understand, however, is how this in any way constitutes a misstep on the part of the PMO. Stephen Harper is the Prime Minister of Canada. His job is to govern the country. It isn't to appease the journos who loiter in the lobby, and if this story - a lack of photo ops - is the biggest crisis being discussed these days, it's proof positive that the Tories are doing a bang-up job.
Nobody is complaining about Harper evading questions or avoiding reporters. Nor, for that matter, does there appear to be a whiff of outrage about any of this government's policies. No, the primary complaint of the press gallery is that for some strange reason, Stephen Harper refuses to be the architect of his own demise.
Put yourself in Harper's shoes. How many times has the media played an instrumental role in undermining conservatives? I've lost count, myself. So why would any thinking leader sow the seeds of his own destruction by giving the press any more than is absolutely necessary?
One argument might be an attempt to build goodwill, i.e. treat the press nicely, and they'll return the favour in kind. But hold on one second: isn't this the media we are talking about here, paragons of virtue, deliverers of truth? Isn't their entire argument for access in the first place that they're trustworthy, balanced, unbiased guardians of information, on a mission that is a sacred trust? Apparently it's so sacred that if they get grumpy about no photo ops they're hinting that they might take it out on the government in other ways. That's professionalism for you.
I exaggerate a little, of course. The real story here is that the old party in power did things a certain way and the new party in power does it a different way. Some people will like the way the new guys do things, some will prefer the old ways. Change can be welcome, or it can be an irritant. For the press gallery, this change is simply annoying, and by golly they're letting everyone know about it.
Don't get me wrong. I can see why the press gallery is pissed off: their jobs just became a whole lot harder. What I don't understand, however, is how this in any way constitutes a misstep on the part of the PMO. Stephen Harper is the Prime Minister of Canada. His job is to govern the country. It isn't to appease the journos who loiter in the lobby, and if this story - a lack of photo ops - is the biggest crisis being discussed these days, it's proof positive that the Tories are doing a bang-up job.
Nobody is complaining about Harper evading questions or avoiding reporters. Nor, for that matter, does there appear to be a whiff of outrage about any of this government's policies. No, the primary complaint of the press gallery is that for some strange reason, Stephen Harper refuses to be the architect of his own demise.
Put yourself in Harper's shoes. How many times has the media played an instrumental role in undermining conservatives? I've lost count, myself. So why would any thinking leader sow the seeds of his own destruction by giving the press any more than is absolutely necessary?
One argument might be an attempt to build goodwill, i.e. treat the press nicely, and they'll return the favour in kind. But hold on one second: isn't this the media we are talking about here, paragons of virtue, deliverers of truth? Isn't their entire argument for access in the first place that they're trustworthy, balanced, unbiased guardians of information, on a mission that is a sacred trust? Apparently it's so sacred that if they get grumpy about no photo ops they're hinting that they might take it out on the government in other ways. That's professionalism for you.
I exaggerate a little, of course. The real story here is that the old party in power did things a certain way and the new party in power does it a different way. Some people will like the way the new guys do things, some will prefer the old ways. Change can be welcome, or it can be an irritant. For the press gallery, this change is simply annoying, and by golly they're letting everyone know about it.
4 Comments:
If the Media were all that power Conservatives would never be elected... Oh. They almost never are.
My bigger problem is not with the photo ops (though I'll mention something about that in a sec) but with the idea that Canadians will no longer be informed when Cabinet (OUR Cabinet) is meeting, cabinet ministers can pretty much now avoid EVER being questioned by the press, and the government seems to feel no need to inform Candians when our Prime Minister meets with other heads of government, or foreign Heads of State.
As for the photo ops, they're still going to happen, it's just that the pool photographer won't be able to attend anymore. There have already been a few photo ops since the PMO announced this decision, it's just that only GOVERNEMENT (i.e. Tory) photographers are allowed to attend. It's by no means that the PM will not have photo ops, it's just that photo ops are apparently so dangerous to his government that the PM wants to control them, even more than a stage-managed photo opportunity normally is. Photo ops are fine, they just don't want "outsiders" taking the pictures. Trust me, you'll still see plenty of shots of the PM in the next few years. They'll just all be copyright of the Conservative Party of Canada.
LKO,
You have a point, but I think that's just posturing. It's more to prove a point to the press. To say: we don't have to tell you.
When the House starts sitting again there's no way the government can hide. Why is it unreasonable that Harper would want to keep everything tightly controlled for a little while, since he's working with a team of almost ALL rookie ministers!?!
ALW,
It's certainly logical that the PM would want to keep things tightly controlled in the early days, especially given the relative inexperience of his cabinet. I just don't think this is the kind of open and accountable stance that most expected from a Tory government. All this control of the message, and centralization of power in the PMO was supposed to be what's been wrong with the government for the last 12 years, and I think many expected a Tory government would put a stop to it, not further strengthen it.
But I'm not naive. I realize that the PMO is already fighting the next election, and trying to keep everyone "on message". It's just that a more open and accessible government where MPs have real power, and a real say, and everything isn't controlled from a powerful PMO was pretty much the ONLY thing I was looking forward to from a Tory government. It was, for this lefty, the saving grace that made things not so bad.
Now it seems I'm not even going to get that!
I'm a little worried that, outside the House, all I'm going to hear from my government in this mandate is carefully managed press releases from the PM, statements from staff of the PMO, and a few carefully vetted speeches from those cabinet ministers who have let the staff of the PMO go over their every word. It seems to me that first, cabinet was neutered by the PMO, but that wasn't enough, and so now the PMO is running interference for them by not announcing when they're meeting, and keeping the press at a safe distance from them at all times. I think cabinet is more mine (which is to say ours) than it is Harper's, and I'd like to know what they're up to (scratch that, we never REALLY knew what they were up to, but now, we won't even know when they're up to it, and reporters won't be able to question them about it afterwards).
I'm not asking for Cabinet meetings to be open to the public, but I just don't think telling us when they were happening, and letting reporters question the Ministers after the meeting was so onerous for the government. In do think, however, that it rather keeps them on their toes.
And I like my government officials to be kept on their toes.
But I suppose strictly speaking this could be viewed as a constitutional thing. The PM is entitled to keep us in the dark.
And cabinet is entitled to its entitlements.
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