A Big News Corp. panel demonstrates inadvertently on stage the "future of news"

I think you need to tune up your headline.  It's confusing.  I think what you're trying to say is, "Media panel inadvertently affirms corporate control of media".

...my 2 cents.

Pretty cool post dude.

Gaulois, I was at the meeting and completely agree with you. After you left there was a small opening and I was given an opportunity to ask a question. I pointed out that there was a big elephant in the room. Vancouver, with Canwest, has the highest level of media concentration in any G8 country. More, Canwest is widely known to sue people with whom it disagrees, creating a chill throughout the community and media. One example is the case of three political activists being sued because Canwest did not like the The Vancouver Sun parody produced to satirize its support for the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Not only that, but most other major media, especially CBC, have refused to cover the story. In some cases reporters expressed interest but were told by their editors that they were afraid of being sued. Ian Hanomansing indicated he has never known CBC to not cover a story because of concerns about being sued, if the facts were all proven. In a conversation after the meeting, he offered to talk to Mordecai Breimberg, one of the defendants, but so far has not responded to an email sent last night. For more information on this case go to www.seriouslyfreespeech.ca

Thanks Brian and others for the kind welcome. I wonder what is the financial contribution of CanWest to the CMRC in order to understand why Lasn&Potvin were not invited or why Hanomansing did not bother...

There are so many stories that CBC(&SRC) has refused to cover that it is not funny anymore (meaning it is hilarious for warped minds but most debilitating for normal ones). The Radio-Canada Ombudsman has invoked the "freedom of the press" on me too many times by now. CBC has become a lame duck that Harper&Co. are of course delighted to cut after years of threats and cutbacks. The French side "hors-Quebec" is particularly unreal operating in an (almost!) totally unchallenged monopoly. I have challenged them back escalating one of their most blatant blunder with le Conseil de presse du Québec. Their decision is due by month end.

The BC rail privatization scam story is my favorite one. Never mind the SLAP fear of being sued, the story would have deserved the Campbell government to fall. And then this one on the Glenn Clark balcony media "leak" never really covered by these medias. Although I have absolutely *no* sympathy for the NDP, what an embarrassment that was for everyone.  Note too that Big Media Corp. decline is happening everywhere. An other of my favorite (in French) is the sponsorship scam where the medias in Quebec were actually privy early on to the scam unfolding right under their eyes through these bogus event press releases. Big Media Corp. never properly covered that one either in spite of all the money spent on this Gomery commission, the federal government falling and the Libs going off the map, etc. Big elephants allright in the room...

I gagged too when "moderator" Hanomansing pointed out the case of David Baine at CanWest to defend Big Media Corp. Sure he has done a great job catching small time stock scammers on Howe street. But let's not forget that Forbes redflagged the entire exchange earlier on. In addition, there are however not too many Baine left or entering the business to deal with the bigger time scammers. And look at the legal councils that CanWest must carry to support his writing. I sure would like to see their ROI spreadsheet...

The evening made me worried about what they are really teaching to these kids trying to enter journalism via the mainstream "institution". They were quite right to ask what jobs they are going to get. Sosnowski cheers for "new internship positions" in the field sounded like a cheap promotion for the UBC journalism program. I am sure there is still a need for a formal journalism track, a public broadcaster as well as some private/commercial ones and "social enterprise" ones, but denial is certainly not the way to go forward. The smarter ones as Tippet pointed out have already all figured that out and the suckers will be left holding the bag once again. Hanomansing will definitely be ready for CanWest when CBC goes off the map.