Saturday, November 29, 2008

 

Paul Battershill (continued ... )

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Many daily newspapers are braying about who did what to whom in Victoria Police Department. I've provided only one link here, the most unexpected (Financial Post) and also the most complete. - BC Mary.
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Financial Post (Nov. 29, 2008) Police sergeant accused of leak that sank chief. By Rob Shaw.

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Comments:
I'm pretty sure this exact story is in the TC this morning. Isn't Rob Shaw from the TC?

All my life I have had no interest in reading financial news, thinking it must be boring as hell, so I've never even looked at the Financial Post. Who knew it reports on such things as the Battershill case? How stupid of me. Obviously such cases are related to money.
 
There seems to be an awful lot behind the scenes with all of this, presumably one employee didn't act alone. Perhaps finally light will be shed. Very disturbing if a conspiracy is established.
 
It will be interesting to see if he is set up as the Fall Guy!
 
The article seems to be carefully crafted leaks focussing away from a conspiracy and trying to portray the individual as a whistleblower. It won't work once the actions of the individual and a wider group come out and will in fact backfire. The manipulation and cooption/involvement of specific reporters is evident. The conflict of interest when reporters report on stories involving leaks they are involved in (S. Andrew and Mack from A Channel) is odd.
 
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Anonymous 8:04,

Thanks for what you just said. The first time I ever heard the term "shopping the story around" was in connection with the 2007 - 2008 news reports about Paul Battershill.

There definitely is a story in there somewhere but i.m.o., it's a revealing story about the BC media itself.

I mean, show us the department, government ministry, office, hospital, school, church, whatever ... that doesn't have its office romances. If one of these affairs becomes a big deal, then show us why. But the shop-around concept seems to rely upon the fact that there was an office romance and that it was some sort of crime, like it was maybe 100 years ago.

On the other hand, it's no crime, certainly not even a sin for a journalist to listen to a member of the public wishing to air a grievance. But if that's the whole story, the journalist is nothing more than a stenographer taking dictation. At this point, the journalist stands out as part of BC media's failure.

I could tell you another half-revealed story about a big BC daily which sent a journalist and photographer to the scene of an office break-in to get the story. So far, so good. They got the interview. Got the photos. But the story never appeared. Plus: they were the only CanWest newspapers to send anybody so they had a real scoop. But no, that story was silenced.

It wasn't my story to tell so I made a promise which protects 3 other people. But I sure as heck haven't forgotten the incident, and I bet the victim hasn't either. Or the journalist. Or the photographer.

It will be this way as long as news media is owned by large corporations who must concern themselves with business profits not public service (advertisers make up 80% of their revenue) and debt (CanWest's debt is between $3 and $4Billion), with precious little time for their subscribers. Note their "new" format, unveiled today. Gone is the headline scan which enabled me to search every page for anything related to Basi-Virk or BC Rail. Instead, the reader must rabbit all over the place, looking for whatever is sprinkled around. Is it worth my $20. monthly subscription? I don't think so.

But of course, prominently featured are selected comments praising them for their wonderful innovation. Phhttt.

So, imo, this is the NEWS you've uncovered, 8:04.

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