The election is over, the votes are counted and I lost.
It’s time to move on, but I can’t, because while Mayor Clarke claims the recent mayoralty campaign was the dirtiest of his career and Rankin MacSween remains stoically baffled by Clarke’s accusations, nobody is taking responsibility for the deplorable shenanigans directed against the Dr StrangeJob for Mayor campaign.
Not only did my opponents collude to keep me off the ballot, my attempt to ask a question during the mayoral debate sponsored by CBC Cape Breton and the The Cape Breton Post was foiled when I found Bill’s Lucky Green Hat stuffed with duplicate questions. (You can see it for yourself if you watch the debate. The Doctor even noted the times the duplicate questions surfaced, you’ll see it happen at the 30:50 and 49:30 marks.)
Moreover, local media refused to acknowledge my candidacy. Let me be frank (not the magazine): the real issue here is not vindictive winners or poor losers, the real issue is biased media. Dr StrangeJob, a self-declared candidate, was not invited to that mayoralty debate and I have a bone to pick with both sponsoring organizations.
This is not the first time the CBC has been criticized for excluding a key candidate from an important political debate. Remember the backlash it received as part of the broadcast consortium that refused Elizabeth May a podium in 2011? To my dismay, CBC Cape Breton has learned nothing from the dissing of May.
Of course, accusing the Cape Breton Post of being pro-Clarke is like calling the New York Times anti-Trump. The Post’s MacSween blames Clarke for flooding story was a clear shot at MacSween and a godsend for Clarke. I don’t know which is worse: The Post’s pro-Clarke bias or the gullibility of CBRM voters who fell for the story. (I am not alone in voicing concerns over The Post. A recent goCapeBreton.com article raised similar issues and as of this writing received over 5,000 views.)
Is it wrong for media to show political bias? Some argue that it’s a good thing. In the US, for example, The Atlantic magazine argues that print newspapers are rising from the dead do defeat Donald Trump. The long, honorable tradition of editorial support for candidates isn’t the same as biased reporting but let’s face it, media editorial policy may be influenced by advertisement dollars or political affiliation. Perhaps the issue is not so much bias, but bias against your candidate. CBRM’s problem could be that there is only one print source of candidate bias!
It’s all politics and media is a key player, which is why the Doctor writes for The Cape Breton Spectator rather than The Cape Breton Post (that’s my bias).
Until next time—that’s my two cents’ worth.
Dr. StrangeJob is a local satirical blogger, retired educator, social activist, and developer of the world’s first 12+1 step self-help group, Incompetents Anonymous.
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