Grex Agora41 Conference

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Grex Agora41 Item 275: Canadian leader in press freedom row
Entered by polytarp on Tue Jun 18 22:15:46 UTC 2002:

The publisher of a daily newspaper in Canada's capital says he has been sacked
for printing an editorial critical of Prime Minister Jean Chretien. 
The sacking has renewed concerns about the relationship between the country's
largest newspaper chain and its governing Liberal Party. 


Russell Mills says he was sacked as publisher of the Ottawa Citizen at the
weekend for printing an editorial calling on Mr Chretien to resign. 

Mr Chretien and some of his senior ministers have been facing increased
pressure over allegations of conflicts-of-interest and misuse of government
funds. 

But the Ottawa Citizen is owned by CanWest Global Communications, a company
controlled by long-time Liberal supporter Izzy Asper, who has previously
instructed his papers to run editorials sympathetic to the Prime Minister.


CanWest Global controls the vast majority of Canada's daily newspapers as well
as one of the country's two national private television networks, leading some
to charge it has too much influence on public opinion. 

But other papers in the chain have also been critical of Mr Chretien, who has
been accused of interfering with a government loan in his Quebec home town
of Shawinigan. 

Mr Mills said he did not know why he was being treated differently. 


The Liberal government has denied allegations that it was involved in the
firing or that Mr Chretien met with Mr Asper at the weekend. 

"I am not aware of the prime minister having had any meetings," Deputy Prime
Minister John Manley said in the House of Commons. 

"In any event, decisions about internal matters in an organization like
CanWest Global are taken by the corporation itself." 

But opposition MPs said the affair smacked of censorship. 

"Russell Mills was fired because the prime minister's buddy happened to be
his boss," New Democratic Party leader Alexa McDonough charged. 

'Dangerous to democracy' 

"That is downright dangerous to democracy. We need a full public inquiry into
media concentration, ownership and convergence," she said. 

Canada's official opposition Canadian Alliance party and the Progressive
Conservative Party have also said the sacking raised concerns about freedom
of the press. 

CanWest has refused to discuss Mr Mills's sacking, saying it was an internal
matter.

3 responses total.

#1 of 3 by mcnally on Wed Jun 19 01:26:00 2002:

  So basically the accusation is that an editor was fired for printing a
  politically provocative editorial that was in direct conflict with the
  stated editorial preferences of the paper's owner.  How is this supposed
  to be shocking?

#2 of 3 by gelinas on Wed Jun 19 02:32:00 2002:

The Freedom of the Press belongs to the man who owns one.

#3 of 3 by gull on Wed Jun 19 12:49:47 2002:

Re #1: I think the difference here is that the paper's owner is essentially
the government.  That puts a slightly different face on things.

I see your point, though.

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