Opinion: The Toronto Sun has provided unfair coverage of the Ontario election
The Toronto Sun aka. the Doug Ford Editorial team have their wheels spinning in full motion.
Since early April when Canadaland released the Sun’s editorial plans for the 2018 provincial election, their public biases towards Doug Ford and the Ontario PC party have only increased.
The leaked plans show the Sun believed it was Liberals they would have to fight against in 2018. As the election has progressed, they have focused on a new target-Andrea Horwath and the Ontario NDP.
As election day nears, it is evident they are working hard for angles and trying to broadcast information that they think will hurt the NDP and keep them from being elected. The newly launched lawsuit by Renata Ford seems to be a topic that the whole Sun team is working hard to discredit.
Most recently, the charged up Sue-Ann Levy has arrived on the scene — posing questions to Andrea Horwath regarding the past social activism of NDP candidate Jessica Bell.
To Bell’s credit — she stood with the media and answered questions — even providing further information. The Ontario PC twitter account hopped on this fast- trying to spin the footage as horrendous.
Sue Ann’s hard hitting investigative journalism also most recently involved a story on the NDP candidate Tasleem Riaz and her Hydro Bills in her two bedroom apartment. Her source – “Bill the Landlord.” You can watch the video of Sue Ann badgering Tasleem here.
In additon to her many columns aimed at attacking the NDP (that’s almost all she has written about recently), Sue Ann has launched a twitter crusade- seemingly answering anyone who wants to comment on her reporting and showing her anger towards the NDP and it’s supporters.
At the end of the day this reporting is only further solidifying the Ford base (which actually might be their goal) and not necessarily deterring people from voting for the NDP.
In addition to Sue-Ann, the Sun’s other writers/columnists Joe Warmington, Lorrie Goldstein, Anthony Furey, and Editor in Chief Adrienne Batra are all marching to the same beat.
Lorrie Goldstein has been very active on twitter during the election. Electing to respond to almost everybody and never missing an opportunity to paint the NDP and their supporters as crazy. One of Lorrie’s most recent attack piece is titled “Horwath fails the test of leadership” — is another example of the Sun working hard to discredit the NDP who are the only chance at stopping a Ford majority.
In the column Lorrie mentions all the blunders of NDP candidates but fails to mention anything about the troubles facing PC candidates other than a single line about Andrew Lawton, the racist homaphobe who cited mental health issues. Goldstein, like his fellow Sun colleagues Anthony Furey and Adrienne Batra- seems to think Andrew Laughton’s apology and excuse was genuine. It would be interesting to see how they would react if the tables were turned.
Nonetheless, how Lorrie can say Horwath has failed the test of leadership but not mention the many shortcomings of Doug Ford is quite confusing. Lorrie has been hard at work to discredit the most recent Renta Ford lawsuit.
Anthony Furey and Adrienne Batra’s weekly appearances on AM640 are also a must listen to display of contradictory hypocritical political analysis. Here- Anthony, Adrien, John Oakley, and a few other panelists can be heard blindly defending Ford and PC candidates no matter what the issue- while working hard to condemn every aspect of the NDP campaign ( as well as the Liberals). It sounds like a Lyndsey Vanstone — Ford TV production.
Joe Warmington, the anti Black Lives Matter, pro police , and pro carding Toronto Sun reporter has also been working hard doing PR for the Ford campaign. His crusade started when he pushed the story about NDP Candidate Laura Kaminker’s comments regarding the poppy. He hasn't stopped, most recently writing a story about “Hippie NDP Candidate” David Szollosy.
Warmington recently attended a Rebel Media panel event and seemed to love his experience. He spoke on a panel titled “ The Fords”.
Warmington — like many Ford supporters, seems to be blind to his own hypocrisy. He recently sent out a now deleted tweet regarding Renata Ford, electing to label her as “troubled” and someone being “directed”.
When called out by a twitter user for trying to discredit Renata’s story Warmington tried to clarify he wasn’t trying to discredit anyone. When the twitter user probed further — Warmington played aloof and then admitted that he could see how his carefully chosen words could be taken that way.
Warmington- like his colleagues, continues to push story lines that cast doubt on the legitmacy of Renata Ford’s claim to his followers.
Although the election is almost over- the Sun’s clear bias and unfair coverage has not gone unoticed to many following the election.
Their coverage simply does not come across as fair as you look at their failure to fairly assess all candidates over this election period.With their fondness for tabloid like headlines- there were certainly a few Ford campaign stories that they failed to capitalize on. A Sun journalist recently wrote and broke the negative news about Doug Ford being sued — a rare negative spotlight on Ford in the Sun.
The failure of many Sun columnists to be even somewhat neutral through out the election undermines their credibility and certainly makes the papers endorsement of Doug Ford laughable and not to be taken seriously. As Toronto Star columinst Robert Benzie points out- an election endorsement should be seperate from election coverage. Many fail to see the seperation in the Toronto Sun’s coverage this election.
The people at the Sun certainly have been exposed to too much Rebel TV and Jordan Peterson clips — and this reflects in not only their coverage of this election, but their coverage of all current events in Canada.
A Press Progress investigation shows that between January and April of 2018, the Sun had 323 news articles, columns, and editorials that featured often used right wing words such as diversity, political correctness, identity politics, social justice, free speech, virtue signalling, white privilege, feminist and racist.
As the Sun aims to create a negative narrative pitting the left against right this upcoming election - it’s clear: You do not even need to be left leaning to be scared of Doug Ford as Premier of Ontario.
With no real platform released, and his failure to be open and answer questions that Ontarian’s want answers to — his “For the People” slogan fails to ring true to voters on all sides.
Doug Ford has said he wont balance the budget in the first 3 years- so why exactly would Ontarians vote for Doug? an $18 increase on their tax return? $1 dollar beer?
The Sun should be called out for their one sided coverage provided to voters this election. They traded in fair, critical, unbiased coverage to advance their own ideological goals; to elect a conservative. Even though the leader and the party have no real plan.
