Thursday, February 25, 2010

Gossip Girl

I admit, some reservation when I first heard Jane Taber would start offering a daily "Ottawa Notebook" for Canada's flagship publication. The reasoning was simply, already prone to chasing gossip, expanding the frequency would just lead to more trivial pursuits, in an effort to fill space. I think it fair to say, my initial hesitation has been vindicated, as I've read a slew of the most superficial of postings, amounting to an embarrassing display of tabloid journalism on a paper that supposedly has "standards".

Jeff posts today on a column from yesterday that was entirely offensive. With a touch of irony, readers are left "stupefied" with each successive offering that really offers nothing at all, except fabricated storylines. Jeff highlights the sequence of events, wherein this entire discussion about who Ignatieff would cheer for last night, was entirely a one person show, feeding on itself.

The whole "issue" of Ignatieff's background- the underlying premise that his nationality was in question- was a manufactured presentation. First, you posit the absurd, then you have the audacity to actually ask Ignatieff who he's cheering for, then you follow up on your initial absurdity with ANOTHER column. Ignatieff on the defensive, all because some bored pseudo-journalist, decided it was to juicy to pass up. As Jeff points out, not ONE, but TWO entries devoted to a topic that is so AMATEURISH it hurts. That this tripe appears in the G and M, a LITERALLY sad commentary on the state of journalism in this country.

7 comments:

A reader said...

Gotta agree with you, 100%, Steve.

It's an embarrassment. I shudder to thin what they're paying her for it, that could be better used putting a couple of young enthusiastic journalists to work instead.

Steve V said...

"Gotta agree with you, 100%, Steve."

I saved that line ;)

CanNurse said...

Just read another of her columns last night (have no idea why I subjected myself to that?!) where she babbled about how Canadians will consider the entire Olympics an utter failure if our athletes don't "Own the Podium" with gold medals. It was offensive, stupid, & just plain insulting to all the athletes at the Games. My comment there was simply, "Why is Jane Taber writing?" A sad state of affairs when our supposed "National" newspaper is publishing dreck that wouldn't get a pass Grade from a high school English teacher. Blechch!

A Eliz. said...

For all they say about Ignatieff, for god's sake he was born here , his father was a Canadian ambassador. Does taber think Michael was born in Russia....all I can say is she is very ignorant.
I think Harper went up a tad in the polls because he mentioned "Owning the podium".

Jerry Prager said...

Disown the Odium

RuralSandi said...

Geez, I've got German, British, Scottish, American and a slight bit of French in my background - where the hell do my loyalties lie?

What an insult Taber is.

She wrote another article saying everyone in Canada wishes they were with Harper (sitting with Gretzky) for the ladies hockey.

By the way, where to Gretzky's loyalties lie? Obviously he has Polish background, has lived in the US for 20 years, an American wife, coached an American team, etc.

How does she keep her job? She's a "senior" columnist and does Question Period - what hold does she have?

xyz said...

Jane Taber seems like a bigot and racist. To attack the loyalty of a leader is shameful and she should be ashamed of herself. She is trying to become Canada's Glen Beck by hurling these outrageous ideas.