Wanker of the Day: Brett Mitchell of Selkirk Record

Or, how being good at one’s job in journalism is a firing offence. The Jill Winzoski story.

If you’re looking for a story to represent the true nature of our 90 percenter Conservative media, this one would be considered a masterpiece (emphasis mine).

It was almost as if James Bezan had become the young girl in The Exorcist. Somebody else was doing the talking, and Bezan’s personal take on something as important as a major government policy was unwanted. Or maybe his office had just figured out who “Jill” was. In any case, Jill didn’t realize that just like writing about politics or forwarding petitions, asking questions was also forbidden.

“Dear James,
This is very different from your first response. Why? Your constituent, Jill”

Of course, there was no direct reply. But the MP did find time to write an email to the Selkirk Record. It was not a booster letter for Jill, but word that he was through dealing with the paper because of what he deemed to be biased coverage. A day after Jill forwarded that petition, she was sacked by the partner who manages the Selkirk Record, Brett Mitchell. During their termination meeting, Mitchell read from an email the MP had sent him, which included Jill’s petition letter to the PMO.

I’m not blaming Bezan – he’s just being a Conservative (see CC tweet below) – but the editors at the Selkirk Register, what a bunch of pussies. As for Brett Mitchell, he’s worse.

What drives the media in Canada? If you answered, a ‘fealty to conservative policies and the Conservative Party in particular,’ you wouldn’t be wrong. Another in a long line of ‘ liberal bias , my ass !’

UPDATE: I just looked at the Selkirk Record webpage. The logo! It’s Rolling Stone’s logo with an MB twist. Talk about paradoxical positioning.