Much has been written about how american blogs and Internet sites have acted to counter the mainstream american media. No longer is something true because the Washington Post, New York Times or Peter Jennings says that it’s true.
The most prominent example of how blogs act to keep the mainstream media honest was when Dan Rather presented documents on 60 Minutes that "proved" George W. Bush had evaded part of his National Guard service. Within minutes of airing the documents, bloggers took to cyberspace and convincingly argued that the documents that Rather had could not have been produced by 1970s era typewriters. The Dan was forced to defend himself by arguing that it didn’t matter if the documents were forged as long as the contents were true. Of course the only evidence that the allegations were true was contained in the false documents and Dan disappeared from the CBS Evening News shortly thereafter.
It is reassuring to know that Canadian bloggers are performing the same function as their american counterparts. On July 26, The Globe and Mail ran an article by Jane Taber about the latest idiotic rant of MP Carolyn Parrish. Taber described as Parrish as having been "kicked out of [the Liberal] caucus for her anti-american statements."
Of course the Liberal Party and their cheerleaders at The Globe would love Canadians to believe that Parrish was booted from the party because of her anti-americanism. The only problem with Taber’s description of Parrish’s exit from the party is that it simply wasn’t true.
On the same day that the Taber piece appeared, Kate, of Small Dead animals (www.smalldeadanimals.com) pointed out that the real reason why Parrish and the Liberals parted ways. Parrish was only dumped from the caucus after she said that she wouldn’t shed a tear if Paul Martin lost the next election and then proceeded to say that Martin’s advisors could all go to hell.
Small Dead animals, which referred to Taber’s article for what it was; "revisionist history", also provided a link to an article in a November 2004 edition of The Hill Times that reported correctly on the reason for the outspoken MP’s departure from the Liberal Party.
The mainstream media in the United States are now conscious of the fact that their biases and mistakes will come to light via the Internet. It’s nice to know that the same is happening in Canada.
Keep up the good work, Kate.