Mike Duffy slams journalism schools for thinking critically
PAUL MCLEOD
METRO HALIFAX
Senator Mike Duffy has attacked the University of King’s College and other Canadian journalism schools for exposing students to Noam Chomsky and critical thinking.
In a speech Saturday to Conservative party members in Amherst, Duffy reportedly slammed journalism programs for churning out leftist graduates.
“When I went to the school of hard knocks, we were told to be fair and balanced,” Duffy was quoted from his speech in yesterday’s issue of the Amherst Daily News. “That school doesn’t exist any more. Kids who go to King’s, or the other schools across the country, are taught from two main texts.”
According to Duffy — a former CTV News journalist appointed to the Senate last year by Prime Minister Stephen Harper — those two texts are Manufacturing Consent, Chomsky’s book on mainstream media, and books about the theory of critical thinking.
“When you put critical thinking together with Noam Chomsky, what you’ve got is a group of people who are taught from the ages of 18, 19 and 20 that what we stand for, private enterprise, a system that has generated more wealth for more people because people take risks and build businesses, is bad,” Duffy is quoted as saying.
Duffy then told Conservatives they have nothing to apologize for because most Canadians are not “on the fringe where these other people are.”
Kim Kierans, head of the King’s School of Journalism, was surprised to hear Duffy’s comments.
She said Manufacturing Consent isn’t part of the curriculum, though students do read some Chomsky.
She made no apologies for teaching critical thinking.
“We’re trying to teach people to have critical thinking skills, to hold accountable anyone who is in any way in authority,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s the Conservatives, the NDP, the Green party, they’re all fair game in the sense that they have to be able to be transparent.”
Throwing stones
Kim Kierans, head of the King’s School of Journalism, said she can’t remember Mike Duffy making a visit to the school since she started there in 1997.
“I think you need to come and see what people are doing before you throw stones,” she said.
Teaching future journalists to actually question the people they report on is bad? Well, for Harper and his cronies, it is.
Hear hear! You Canadians need more journalists and reporters who are nothing more than glorified stenographers. Just like here in the United States.
When ballots have fairly and constitutionally decided, there can be no successful appeal back to bullets.
—Abraham Lincoln
People pray so that God won't crush them like bugs.
—Dr. Gregory House
Oil an emergency?! It's about time, Brigadier, that the leaders of this planet of yours realised that to remain dependent upon a mineral slime simply doesn't make sense.
—The Doctor "Terror Of The Zygons" (1975)
So... all that critical thinking may endanger my ideology? Really, is that the problem?
They say, "the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots." I suppose it never occurred to them that they are the tyrants, not the patriots. Those weapons are not being used to fight some kind of tyranny; they are bringing them to an event where people are getting together to talk. -Mike Wong
But as far as board culture in general, I do think that young male overaggression is a contributing factor to the general atmosphere of hostility. It's not SOS and the Mess throwing hand grenades all over the forum- Red
I lost track of what happened to that Conservative cocksucking assclown after he left CTV, I can't say I'm surprised Harper gave him a Senate seat after the decades of pumping & fellating he did in the media for the PC party. The guy had a spot on one of our major news networks where he'd analyze daily political events. This "analysis" was basically a daily propaganda piece for our conservative party.
aerius: I'll vote for you if you sleep with me. Lusankya: Deal!
Say, do you want it to be a threesome with your wife? Or a foursome with your wife and sister-in-law? I'm up for either.
I find it hilarious that he used the words "fair and balanced" in a completely serious manner. This is, unfortunately, all keeping in line with the Conservative Party's stance on the media, particularly Steve's. Least media-friendly PM ever, AFAIK.
Critical thinking and Chomsky aren't terribly compatible with rule by corporate overlords. It's no wonder they get upset; read enough of that and people might start complaining about civil rights and other inconveniences.
All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain...
