Thursday, July 25, 2002
Letters to the Editor’s - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER -- It’s apt that after posting my previous column (“Further to CanWest and Rafe,” Tuesday, July 23, 2002) I get letters from the Editor’s-in-Chief of The Vancouver Sun and The Province. Neil Reynolds and Vivienne Sosnowski, respectively, wrote to express regret over the cancellations got by the controversy over CanWest’s editorial policy. I passed one of the letters on to Rafe Mair himself, who told me their letters were “bullshit.” Seems earlier today he too got similar letters and has gone on to respond publicly. I have done the same and in this space today, I’ll post the two letters I wrote to Mr. Reynolds and Ms. Sosnowski. Mair’s letter is more verbose, angry and full of vitriol. I’ve also taken the liberty to forward them to Dennis Skulsky, their boss at the Pacific Newspaper Group.
First, the letter to the Editor-in-Chief of The Sun, Neil Reynolds; followed by my missive to his counterpart at The Province, Vivienne Sosnowski (note too, that there are some similarities to both, as I didn’t have time to write two original letters):
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Dear Neil,
I appreciate your letter of the 27th of June, which I got this past Tuesday. I thank you for the invitation to converse further on this, as you well know, very serious matter. I appreciate also your realisation that my cancellation of The Vancouver Sun (as well as those several hundred others), stems from an abiding belief that the papers we consume and care about must remain unfettered by their owners’ influence. Know too that whilst recognising your own personal commitment to “the principled pursuit of journalism,” the main impetus for the recent spat of subscription cancellations was to send a message to your owners, CanWest. Being that your paper is a player in the free market, you will appreciate that cancellation was the mere consumer’s most potent tool in sending CanWest a message. I am somewhat pleased that the actions of many have resonated, and hopefully they have to your CanWest bosses as well.
I do miss reading The Vancouver Sun and I sometimes long to be a regular reader again. However as someone who would like to go into journalism one day, I am wary that the further patronage of a CanWest product may be construed as endorsing your owners’ belief that Russell Mills, as publisher of the Ottawa Citizen, should have (as Leonard Asper has said on the CBC’s The National, June 20, 2002) vetted editorials with your bosses in Winnipeg.
In writing this letter to you, Neil, I wish to ask what the latest is on the negotiations undertook with Gordon Gibson and the fate of his column in the National Post. I would also like to ask whether you thought a dedication to free expression was displayed when the Pacific Newspaper Group undertook steps to halt any promotional work with CKNW and the Corus Entertainment company, in an effort to silence the vociferous pronouncements of Rafe Mair? I would also like to know why, if The Sun remains committed to fair and balanced reporting did this attempt to silence Mair not represent a story in newspaper pages of The Sun, whilst other media considered it a major story?
I thank you again for writing to me, and I hope all involved have been able to learn from this situation. I know I have, thus I continue to remain steadfast in continuing my cancellation of The Vancouver Sun. I look forward to the day when I, and many other former readers, can consider renewing my subscription to your paper.
Sincerely,
***
Dear Vivienne,
I appreciate receiving your letter of the 27th of June, which I received yesterday. I also appreciate your understanding that I, as well as many others, feel strongly about protecting the freedom of the press in this country. Also know that whilst recognising your strong feelings towards the freedom of the press, the main impetus for the recent spat of subscription cancellations was to send a message to your owners, CanWest. Being that your paper is a player in the free market, you will appreciate that cancellation was the mere consumer’s most potent tool in sending CanWest a message. I am somewhat pleased that the actions of many have resonated, and hopefully they have to your CanWest bosses as well.
Vivienne, in your letter you state The Province’s editorials are not approved or vetted by your head office in Winnipeg. Leonard Asper, on the CBC’s The National on June 20th, stated that the editorial space in CanWest’s papers is the space of the proprietor. Thus would you as the Editor-in-Chief, be duty bound -- should a contrary opinion result in a Province editorial -- to “consult with [your] proprietor[s]”? As someone who one day would like to enter the field of journalism, I find this practice of self-censorship frightening. Perhaps I may be naďve, but you will recognise that self-censorship does not encourage public debate, nor provoke contrary opinion, which you say “represent[s] the essence of a free and democratic society.”
I am sure that you and your staff at The Province are committed to providing informative and accurate news reporting “in a non-partisan, unbiased manner.” However, I would question that in light of the Pacific Newspaper Group’s plan to halt co-promotions with CKNW and its owner Corus Entertainment, in an effort to silence the vociferous criticism of your former columnist and CKNW talk show host Rafe Mair. The Province had failed to report that unbelievable action, and I am naturally dismayed considering you have said you are committed to “informative and accurate news [reporting] in a non-partisan, unbiased manner.”
I thank you again for writing to me. I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss further your thoughts and my reasons for cancelling my subscription; as well as to let you know of my continued belief that I should not subscribe to your paper at this time. I do miss your paper, and I look forward to the day when I and many others will be able to consider taking out a subscription to The Province again.
Sincerely,
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An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .