NayBore(ly) News
Hasn't it been ever thus? Haven't Canadians always remarked wonderingly, resentfully, that Americans know so little about Canadians, yet Canadians appear to be all too-aware of the country contiguous to itself. The United States, after all, is larger than life, its pop-scene culture, its movies, its politics (most particularly when its various agencies, overt and covert, stray abroad) its vaunted lifestyle is the envy of all other nations.
Well, perhaps envy is a little strong, but perhaps, in a certain sense, not. Certainly the Americans envy themselves, they preen and praise themselves, they croon and celebrate their way of life, a beacon they feel, for the rest of the world. And doesn't the rest of the world sit up and take notice! They most certainly do; if not the governments, then the envious populace who would like most sincerely to emulate that very same lifestyle. (Isn't that, after all, the sincerest form of flattery?)
It hasn't escaped citizens of the United States that theirs is a country which encompasses all that is good about civilization and, sad to say, in equal measure, much that is questionable about it. From the scientific and industrial and technological know-how, to the excesses of celebrity-worship and resource-depletion, from the democratic ideal made live to the capitalist system without check. Not least, by any means, a mission of responsibility to the rest of the world when needed.
Us? We're the tag-along little brother, shushed up, ignored with the hope we'll just fade away into the background - and we generally oblige, happy to remain in the shadow of our next-door successful big neighbour. Still, we'd like it a bit more if our neighbour were cognizant of our presence over and above the current status of...we're there, and a neat little trade reservoir, but an even more succulent resource depot yet to be fully tapped.
We're the Great Frozen North, and that's about all that's worthwhile knowing about Canada. On the other hand, most halfway intelligent Canadians know a great deal about U.S. politics, business, popular culture and geographic/tourist designations within the U.S. In comparison, zip for the Americans. Which makes it all the more infuriating to learn that American news corporate entities have seen fit to close many of their Canadian bureaus recently.
Who knew they even had any to speak of? Judging from the contents of most American news sources when rarely is it seen fit to include Canadian news of any content beyond the truly bizarre, little seeps through to an American audience of news readers, for scant little is ever printed about Canada. Yes, funding cutbacks and declining profit margins, a double scourge for news corporations anywhere, are cutting into the bottom line and something has to go.
But why is it deemed so handy to cut Canadian news coverage? Nothing ever happens here in dull old Canada? Hell, Canadians think there's a whole lot going on here, not all of it good, but we've news aplenty. We're next-door neighbours, for goodness sake, shouldn't our news be of some moment? Yet the Wall Street Journal has seen fit to close its Canadian bureaus; a cost-cutting exercise.
Time magazine saw fit to do likewise, and while Time will still put out a (ha, ha) Canadian edition, it plans to focus less on Canadian news. How's that again? A Canadian edition of Time magazine plans to focus less on Canadian news. What then, pray tell, designates it a Canadian edition? What kind of miserable double-speak is that?
And while the New York Times and the Washington Post remain the sole major U.S. news sources maintaining foreign correspondents in Canada, that too is about to undergo change. These news corporations bemoan high taxes which make it too costly to maintain an American correspondent in Canada. Has no one ever informed these companies that this is the cost of doing business?
Seems much has been invested in installing news correspondents elsewhere, say for example, in the Middle East, covering the Iraq war, for example. But hasn't it always been like that? Haven't foreign correspondents always been dispatched to war zones or other points of geographic interest to report back to their home sources? Most certainly catastrophic news of one sort or another should be covered and people be well informed.
But dammit, people should also continue to be informed about the state of affairs within the countries nudging up to one's borders as well. Hello? This is Canada, and we're your next-door neighbour. Remember us?
Well, perhaps envy is a little strong, but perhaps, in a certain sense, not. Certainly the Americans envy themselves, they preen and praise themselves, they croon and celebrate their way of life, a beacon they feel, for the rest of the world. And doesn't the rest of the world sit up and take notice! They most certainly do; if not the governments, then the envious populace who would like most sincerely to emulate that very same lifestyle. (Isn't that, after all, the sincerest form of flattery?)
It hasn't escaped citizens of the United States that theirs is a country which encompasses all that is good about civilization and, sad to say, in equal measure, much that is questionable about it. From the scientific and industrial and technological know-how, to the excesses of celebrity-worship and resource-depletion, from the democratic ideal made live to the capitalist system without check. Not least, by any means, a mission of responsibility to the rest of the world when needed.
Us? We're the tag-along little brother, shushed up, ignored with the hope we'll just fade away into the background - and we generally oblige, happy to remain in the shadow of our next-door successful big neighbour. Still, we'd like it a bit more if our neighbour were cognizant of our presence over and above the current status of...we're there, and a neat little trade reservoir, but an even more succulent resource depot yet to be fully tapped.
We're the Great Frozen North, and that's about all that's worthwhile knowing about Canada. On the other hand, most halfway intelligent Canadians know a great deal about U.S. politics, business, popular culture and geographic/tourist designations within the U.S. In comparison, zip for the Americans. Which makes it all the more infuriating to learn that American news corporate entities have seen fit to close many of their Canadian bureaus recently.
Who knew they even had any to speak of? Judging from the contents of most American news sources when rarely is it seen fit to include Canadian news of any content beyond the truly bizarre, little seeps through to an American audience of news readers, for scant little is ever printed about Canada. Yes, funding cutbacks and declining profit margins, a double scourge for news corporations anywhere, are cutting into the bottom line and something has to go.
But why is it deemed so handy to cut Canadian news coverage? Nothing ever happens here in dull old Canada? Hell, Canadians think there's a whole lot going on here, not all of it good, but we've news aplenty. We're next-door neighbours, for goodness sake, shouldn't our news be of some moment? Yet the Wall Street Journal has seen fit to close its Canadian bureaus; a cost-cutting exercise.
Time magazine saw fit to do likewise, and while Time will still put out a (ha, ha) Canadian edition, it plans to focus less on Canadian news. How's that again? A Canadian edition of Time magazine plans to focus less on Canadian news. What then, pray tell, designates it a Canadian edition? What kind of miserable double-speak is that?
And while the New York Times and the Washington Post remain the sole major U.S. news sources maintaining foreign correspondents in Canada, that too is about to undergo change. These news corporations bemoan high taxes which make it too costly to maintain an American correspondent in Canada. Has no one ever informed these companies that this is the cost of doing business?
Seems much has been invested in installing news correspondents elsewhere, say for example, in the Middle East, covering the Iraq war, for example. But hasn't it always been like that? Haven't foreign correspondents always been dispatched to war zones or other points of geographic interest to report back to their home sources? Most certainly catastrophic news of one sort or another should be covered and people be well informed.
But dammit, people should also continue to be informed about the state of affairs within the countries nudging up to one's borders as well. Hello? This is Canada, and we're your next-door neighbour. Remember us?
posted by Pieface | 5:01 PM
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