Saturday, February 25, 2012

Is It News If The Media Refuse To Report It?

Media once again running with the newest supposed scandal, this time robocalls. Almost every story from every media source quotes a story about someone named Carolyn Siopiolosz, who claims to have received a call instructing her to vote at the wrong polling booth. In fact, it was reported at the time of the 2011 election, and even acknowledged by the Conservative Party that indeed it was them who called and gave the wrong polling booth information.

So it is more than fair for the media to include that information. What isn't fair, no, what is sleazy and disgusting is what these supposed journalists seem to omit from almost every story when mentioning this incident:

"The Conservative party released a statement Tuesday that said the call Carolyn Siopiolosz received was a mistake. It said the party has Siopiolosz registered in both her actual riding of Kitchener-Conestoga (won by a 17,000 vote margin) and the riding of Kitchener Centre, in which the phone call told her to vote. The party claims the marketing firm RMG, which was charged with placing the calls, accidentally contacted her about voting in Kitchener Centre. "

By the way, I also received a call prior to the 2011 election, that directed me to the wrong polling booth, stating I was to vote at a polling booth in north Ajax, rather than the appropriate one walking distance from my house on Pickering Beach. Given that I'm a card carrying member of the Conservative Party, and volunteered on MP Chris Alexander's campaign, had a lawn sign, attended two appearances by the PM in Ajax, I think it's safe to say the Conservative Party would not try and misdirect me to the wrong polling booth.

If any member of the media wishes to do a story on this phone call and the possibility the Liberals or NDP may have been involved, feel free to give me a call. In the meantime, I won't hold my breath.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent post, Paulsstuff.

John Ivison, who's usually pretty balanced and fair, may have unwittingly sent out an invitation to the rabid anti-Conservative part of the Power & Politics audience to come out with their own stories about calls they received during the election campaign.

Ivison probably did not intend any mischief but when he said (paraphrasing) "we don't yet know if the robocalls were orchestrated because otherwise there would be more people coming forward ..." that may have urged some to recall or even invent calls they may or may not have received. Can those calls be factually checked, i.e. that they actually took place?

Also, I found this in a NP story rather strange:
http://natpo.st/wv8P9r
«Then, on the afternoon of April 11, a phone in Volpe’s own campaign phone bank rang. Volunteer Marsha Sands described the call in an affidavit.
“I picked it up and said hello several times. No voice responded but I could hear voices in the background. I then said, ‘Hello, speak please. You’ve called me.’
“A female voice, soft and young-sounding, said, ‘Are you going to vote for Joe Volpe in the up and coming election?’ I responded, ‘Who are you? Where are you calling from?’ several times.
“The caller said, ‘The Conservatives.’ I said ‘What? Who are you?’ Response: ‘Um, we are conducting a survey.’ ”
The caller asked if Sands would like a Volpe lawn sign and hung up when Sands pressed her to identify herself. Sands said she could hear muffled coaching and other voices in the background.»

If the Conservatives intended to surreptitiously mislead voters, why would they 1. call a Liberal candidate's campaign phone bank and 2. identify themselves as Conservative?

Pure speculation on my part ... but what if one or more overly zealous participants in the "Vote mob" movement http://bit.ly/hNrY4i dead set against a Conservative victory participated in calls similar to the one described above?
-- Gabby in QC

Jen said...

It is ironic to hear the opposition parties rail on the different things the cons spend the taxpayers money on. they go into how where the money is on by that particular business etc.
BUT NEVER EVER will you hear them discuss how where into and for what nor do they have the books of each of their salaries or any of the information pertaining to the CBC where $1.6 BILLIONS OF TAXPAYERS DOLLARS GO INTO.

I don't see ndp Julian, or any of the liberals financial critic 'frothing' at the mouth talking for hrs days wks even months about CBC expenditures like on travels, hotels, food, parties etc, have you? Me neither.
Apparently they are making use of CBC.
I wonder if taxpayers funded CBC is giving money to the opposition parties.