Metro News Answers my Question: When a comment isn’t a comment.

I don’t like to read Metro News, nor the Toronto Star and these are my long-time choices because I do not agree with their views on many things.  Granted, I appreciate many of the journalists at these organizations and hold nothing personal against any of them, I just don’t like the way they handle comments which are contrary to the views they publish, as was the case this morning when I commented on an article that I felt was inaccurate and biased.

Take for example this article in the “Urban Compass Toronto” section, written by someone named Matt Elliott regarding childcare in Toronto; “Next election Let’s Make Childcare the Issue and the Legacy“.  The article makes mention of 150 people protesting at Toronto’s City Hall asking on the municipal government (actually the article makes this Mayor Rob Ford’s issue – more on that later).  On the surface I agree that more can be done to help low and middle-income families and single parent families deal with child care so they can work and support themselves, but the last time I checked my list of responsibilities of the levels of governments here in Canada, the responsibility for child care falls in Provincial jurisdiction – under current un-elected Premier Kathleen Wynne and her tax and de-list Liberal party.

So in order to be sure that this wan not an oversight, I reread the article, then went to see what else Mr. Elliott has written and if his slant on this article were genuine or anti-Ford as seems to be the mandate of these publications, and it would be clear to me that the latter was correct.

With articles titled;

• Three things Rob Ford lied about in his Conrad Black interview
• Let’s end Rob Ford’s war on math
• Memo to tough-minded media: Five things Rob Ford says that aren’t true, and
• How do we make sure Rob Ford never happens again? Bring in the parties

I firmly believe that either Mr. Elliott is being told to slam the Mayor with every article – sells papers – or maybe he is just not a believer in being fiscally Conservative – both totally fine – but he really should be clear upfront about this, shouldn’t he?  There is nothing wrong about being left-wing if you are willing to back it up, be clear to your readership and not write articles which represent “Urban Toronto”.  Urban Toronto does not agree with your views, Mr. Elliott.  Some may, but not everyone does.

So I took the time to craft a response.

I chose my words clearly and I used supporting documentation from the Government of Ontario website which stated that in 2010 the responsibility for childcare in Ontario was moved to the Ministry of Education.  I also pointed out that maybe if the Liberals were more fiscally responsible, they would have the funds to subsidize middle-class childcare and provide free child-care for the poorest and most in need in Ontario.  I think that is fair and a good use of our taxpayer dollars, do you?  Surely if the Liberals could have balanced a budget in the past 7-years without needing to raise taxes or de-list services they would be able to do exactly what Mr. Elliott, the defender of Urban Toronto, suggests.

I posted my comment for moderation.

It was deleted.

I am disappointed, yet not surprised.

I am not going to hold my breath waiting for a story about the 5 (or 15) ways Kathleen Wynne lied, or for a detailed look into George Smitherman who was reported to be a user of drugs, whose husband was found laying by the side of train-tracks and who blew a billion dollars of taxpayer money, yet was endorsed by the Toronto Star as being the best choice for Mayor, and I am not going to wait for someone to do some digging into Olivia Chow’s campaigning for Toronto Mayor while employed as a member of the Federal government who may or may not be using her office to support her future desire to be Queen.

Those investigations will never come from the Star, or from Metro.  Not when it’s way too easy to post an unflattering picture of the Mayor, a man with serious addiction problems, and make fun of him…