Home › Town Hall ›

Doug Ford calls Toronto Star "a bunch of socialists"

Jul 04, 2011 - Posted by Lauren McKeon
ShareThisToronto city councillor Doug Ford spoke on AM640's the John Oakley Show today about Canada Day, Pride, his time at the cottage, and, what else, the Toronto Star.

Needless to say, after the Toronto Star showed up on his cottage doorstep, Ford isn't any more impressed with the paper than he ever was. Here's how he responded when Oakley asked what he made of the Star paying him a visit:

"Well you know something the Toronto Star, as far I'm concerned, they practice Soviet-era journalism. For them to show up at our cottage and start interrogating [my] daughter, because Rob and I were up in Huntsville ... wanting to know where he was, what store he was in in Huntsville, was totally unacceptable. They're the only media outlet that bothered us all weekend and it's no surprise. We just do not see eye-to-eye with the Toronto Star whatsoever. They're a bunch of socialists as far as I'm concerned."

Ford went on to say the Star is also the most ruthless newspaper in the country.

What do you think? Was showing up at the cottage fair game?

Comments

Submitted by Melissa Wilson (not verified) on July 4, 2011 - 1:03pm.
Ford's a public figure, and this was a huge story. Assuming Doug is being liberal with his use of the word "interrogate," I'd say, yeah, the move was fair game.
Submitted by Howard Markson (not verified) on July 4, 2011 - 1:56pm.
It's outrageous to bother him at his cottage. He had the right to make the choice he did, just like the people who chose to take part in the parade. So how does journalism excuse such a breach of common decency?
Submitted by Merv Unger (not verified) on July 4, 2011 - 4:05pm.
As a retired long-time journalist I am confounded on what passes for news nowadays. Attending or not attending any particular event is a non-story. Who cares, whom does it impact, why "manufacture" news? Today's media are a far cry from real journalism like it used to exist.
Submitted by Claude Adams (not verified) on July 5, 2011 - 12:48pm.
There is one of those rare instances when a reporter, assigned to ferret out a local politician at his cottage, even if it means interrogating his daughter, to inquire why he didn't attend a parade, can justifiably say "No, I won't do that" and defend his/her decision on grounds of impropriety, inconsequentiality and a whole lot of other bases. To argue that this story is "huge" is goofy. It's huge only in the hyperactive imagination of an assignment editor trying to fill a paper in a slow summer. It's a parade, for heaven's sake! (Although what this has to do Soviet-era journalism is unclear.)
Submitted by Yahya (not verified) on July 15, 2011 - 9:39am.

Oh, oh, can I be next- I want to be called a socialist too-- please!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment Policy

J-Source invites comments on any content items or on any other topics relevant to journalism. Those posting comments are expected to adhere to standards of accuracy and fairness that would be recognized by those who practise, teach or study journalism.

  • Comments are restricted to registered users. You must register with your full first and last name in order to be eligible to comment.
  • Please communicate as effectively and intelligently as you would in a professional or academic forum, focusing on the issues at hand rather than the characters or characteristics of those involved.
  • This forum is intended for discussion of the craft of journalism, not of the issues of the day that journalists cover; please do not post story tips or press releases.
  • We moderate the forum for adherence to these standards of discourse, and reserve the right to decline any comment or restrict any user from commenting without giving reasons. Every effort is made to approve valid comments within 24 hours of submission.
 Donate Now Through CanadaHelps.org!Support
J-Source
 
 
 COPA finalistBest online-only
article or series

 

 

J-Source and ProjetJ are projects of The Canadian Journalism Foundation in collaboration with leading schools and organizations
across Canada.

Editor-in-chief, J-Source:
  Janice Neil
Ryerson University

Rédacteur en chef, ProjetJ :
Jean-Philippe Cipriani

 

Recent comments

Peter Worthington: 10 facts about the journalist who wrote his own obituary

  • pcalamai

    Peter Worthington would have known that there is a venerable tradition of journalists writing...

    2 days 22 hours ago

Opinion: Why all journalists should study public relations

  • Sherwin Arnott

    I like this. It's very important to see the closeness of public relations and journalism....

    3 days 2 hours ago
  • Claude Adams

    Do journalists really need to take a course to learn that practitioners of PR are working for...

    3 days 5 hours ago
More »