...and the Award Goes to...
Oscar season is upon us, and I am sure the above phrase will be abused by the media many times in the coming days. Reluctantly, I use it today to bestow a personal award. Deciding upon the lucky recipient of this award has been a tough challenge for me this year, but I believe we finally have a winner. And so close to awards night - what a coincidence!
I am talking about my award for "Most Insignificant Headline News Story". This prestigious award goes to the news item that has had the honour of gracing either the front page of a national newspaper or the headline of the website of a national newspaper, and yet is of so little consequence to anyone that it barely deserves to be called news at all. The kind of story you read on the back page of the Classifieds and then think "Slow news day eh?".
I found this year's winner just a few moments ago - listed as the top story on globeandmail.com.
But I won't hold you in suspense any longer.... and the winner is...
"Pearson's Nobel Prize left in dark"
If you haven't read the article, let me summarize it briefly. Some dignitaries from the U.S., Mexico and Canada will be holding a press conference and photo-op in the lobby of the Foreign Affairs building, where Lester B. Pearson's Nobel Peace Prize medal is on display. Preparations for the events have resulted in the display beingbehind the flags and backdrop for the press conference. That's it. Really.
Some Liberal clowns - Keith Martin and Mark Holland - have accused the government of hiding the medal for partisan reasons so absurd I can't bear to repeat them here. Of course, the point of this post is not to criticize these fellows for their faux outrage - we all know how the game works and partisans can find blame in their opponents for everything from cloudy days to the Spanish Inquisition. My criticism falls squarely on the media outlet(s) that actually think this is news. It is, I contend, so far from news-worthy that I would sooner read about the antics of Mr. Nibbles, the dog that can bark tunes vaguely resembling 80s pop hits.
Here's where I am confused. Where is the news here? I assume it must be in the "scandal" of the display being covered up. Right. These guys want to hold a press conference. Press conferences have flashy backdrops with flags and pictures and all matter of other camera-friendly paraphernalia. It wouldn't matter whether it was in Buckingham Palace or in a van down by the river, the medal wasn't part of the backdrop. That aside, since when did any ministry or official acquire the duty to make Pearson's medal a prominent, or even noticeable, component of their government business? To read into this some conjecture about a shift in the government's foreign affairs strategy, as Mr. Holland and Mr. Martin suggest, is nothing short of a laughable conspiracy theory. Hence, the absurdity of it making headline news. I didn't know the Globe was now competing with the National Enquirer.
I now leave this year's winner to bask in its victory. I look forward to next year's competition, though, knowing some of the stories coming out of Ottawa these days we may need to hand these things out a bit more often.
I am talking about my award for "Most Insignificant Headline News Story". This prestigious award goes to the news item that has had the honour of gracing either the front page of a national newspaper or the headline of the website of a national newspaper, and yet is of so little consequence to anyone that it barely deserves to be called news at all. The kind of story you read on the back page of the Classifieds and then think "Slow news day eh?".
I found this year's winner just a few moments ago - listed as the top story on globeandmail.com.
But I won't hold you in suspense any longer.... and the winner is...
"Pearson's Nobel Prize left in dark"
If you haven't read the article, let me summarize it briefly. Some dignitaries from the U.S., Mexico and Canada will be holding a press conference and photo-op in the lobby of the Foreign Affairs building, where Lester B. Pearson's Nobel Peace Prize medal is on display. Preparations for the events have resulted in the display being
Some Liberal clowns - Keith Martin and Mark Holland - have accused the government of hiding the medal for partisan reasons so absurd I can't bear to repeat them here. Of course, the point of this post is not to criticize these fellows for their faux outrage - we all know how the game works and partisans can find blame in their opponents for everything from cloudy days to the Spanish Inquisition. My criticism falls squarely on the media outlet(s) that actually think this is news. It is, I contend, so far from news-worthy that I would sooner read about the antics of Mr. Nibbles, the dog that can bark tunes vaguely resembling 80s pop hits.
Here's where I am confused. Where is the news here? I assume it must be in the "scandal" of the display being covered up. Right. These guys want to hold a press conference. Press conferences have flashy backdrops with flags and pictures and all matter of other camera-friendly paraphernalia. It wouldn't matter whether it was in Buckingham Palace or in a van down by the river, the medal wasn't part of the backdrop. That aside, since when did any ministry or official acquire the duty to make Pearson's medal a prominent, or even noticeable, component of their government business? To read into this some conjecture about a shift in the government's foreign affairs strategy, as Mr. Holland and Mr. Martin suggest, is nothing short of a laughable conspiracy theory. Hence, the absurdity of it making headline news. I didn't know the Globe was now competing with the National Enquirer.
I now leave this year's winner to bask in its victory. I look forward to next year's competition, though, knowing some of the stories coming out of Ottawa these days we may need to hand these things out a bit more often.
posted by Brad Nicpon at
2/23/2007 01:31:00 AM
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