Operation Maple takes on Globe & Mail. Number 6 in Gang of Seven.

Operation Maple has been doing a yeoman’s job in pointing out the main pillars of Canada’s Conservative media monopoly. So far OM has grappled with the following behemoths of industry:

1. Sun Media Corporation
2. Bell Canada Enterprises
3. The Rogers Dynasty
4. Irving Media
5. Shaw Media

And now at number 6, OM tackles the most elusive of all the Conservative-serving media operations. Known as Canada’s ‘grey lady’ (a nickname taken somewhat preposterously from the far more deserving New York Times), the Globe & Mail has the surface of a ‘fair and balanced’ newspaper.

Dig a little deeper, right down to the editorial board, and you have probably the most Conservative of all elite media companies in Canada – and judging from the above list, that’s saying something. From supporting Bush and Iraq to promoting every Harper initiative, Globe editors have buried any pretence of objectivity under their abject servitude to the Conservative party.

The Globe is owned by the Thomson’s. They’re the one per cent of the one per cent. They care about staying on top, no matter the cost.

So, when Mr. Harper arrives on the scene, slashing the public sector*, cutting the corporate tax rate, and breathing cash into anything that makes money, the Thomson’s took notice. We were, after all, in a recession, and Harper was indeed ‘bullheaded’: he defied public opinion, favouring financial sector opinion. And this meant he favoured The Globe, pandering to the Bay street suits…Thomson included.

The “You scratch our backs, we’ll scratch yours” mentality quickly set in. And The Globe’s 1 million plus readers were inundated with pro-Harper news bites. No longer were The Globe’s subscribers absorbing fair, transparent journalism. Instead, they were made into an unwitting audience for Harper ‘commercials’.

Please, read the whole thing and ponder all the entries on this list. I can only guess what’s next. What do you think? I can only surmise Torstar but that seems like a pretty harmless choice, with little relevance to the national scene other than Harlequin and Workopolis.

X-posted at Let Freedom Rain. *(In the comments for this post at LFR, Alison notes “Just a wee correction, Harper actually increased the public sector by a significant number.”)