In terms of effective activism, signing an Internet petition is about as useful as joining a Facebook group or blowing bubbles at the police, so we’re at a loss to explain why an on-line petition against the as-yet hypothetical Sun News TV is causing so much fuss in Canada. But it is: yesterday, none other than Margaret Atwood found herself in a Twitter argument with Sun Media reporter David Akin and conservative blogger Stephen Taylor over her signing of the petition.
According to the Globe and Mail:
“So disappointing you would put your name to what is an anti-free speech movement,” Mr. Akin said. “You’re smarter than that.”
…Like many Tories, Mr. Taylor also takes issue with the government funding of the CBC. As such, he asked Ms. Atwood: “Is the CBC and its compulsory funding essential to ‘free speech’ or against it in your view?”
But the author held her own, firing back with a quip about Munir Sheikh, who resigned as head of Statistics Canada over the government’s changes to the census.
“Naughty Stephen,” she said. “We’re not talking about the CBC but about the coercion of an arm’s length person, like Census head.”
Maybe it’s because the image of Margaret Atwood calling anyone “naughty” leaves us with confusing feelings, we can’t help but wonder why the anti–Fox News North crowd is so eager to give its nemesis so much free publicity. We hadn’t heard anything about Sun News in weeks—no new hiring announcements, no big shows teased—until this petition business came up. The whole thing seems like an own goal.
Of course, when one of the legends of Canadian literature finds herself stooping to win an argument on Twitter with a blogging Tory, it’s safe to say that even if the anti-Sun forces win, they’ve lost.
• Margaret Atwood takes on ‘Fox News North’ [Globe and Mail]
• Anti-Sun TV News campaign in U.S. [Toronto Sun]
• Kelly McParland: Margaret Atwood’s selective support for press freedom [National Post]
• Atwood tweet on Sun News TV sparks Twitter battle [CTV News]
UPDATE: Apparently, the only thing Peggy hates more than Fox News North is the picture accompanying Jane Taber’s article on the whole incident: “I look like all 3 witches in MacBeth (and pregnant too),” she tweeted.
Anyone signing this petition should be deeply ashamed of themselves. When did it become “Canadian” to deem anyone you disagree with as a “Hater”?
Just because you vote Liberal or NDP or Green and your next door neighbour votes Conservative doesn’t mean that s/he is the Devil Incarnate and needs to be shut up at all cost. Such a mindset is truly totalitarian and very un-Canadian!
September 2, 2010 at 11:35 am | by Robert W. (Vancouver)The media is already overwhelming biased towards the Conservatives –Sun, Can-West Global, Globe-CTV. Now the corporations are using their money to extend their dominance over what we are allowed to hear and read.
If we had TV and newspaper chain that supported the NDP and the almost 20% who voted for them, we would be getting closer to fairness.
September 3, 2010 at 7:12 pm | by Will CAtwood got it right when she wrote the letter to Mcguinty opposing
September 4, 2010 at 4:07 pm | by J Watsonsharia law for Ontario. What does this have in common with a petition opposing Fox News?
Both are propaganda with consequences.
stopping free speech is an important Canadian value.
January 22, 2011 at 11:37 pm | by mikeShe is a has been who never was…..and this rag seems to be a left wing waste of time..Shame!
August 9, 2011 at 11:46 am | by Elizabeth Maybenot