PM Harper says Parliament reporters are anti-neocon and will be shut out

[Grimmlok]

Jesus, this guy is as paranoid as they come.. He's a control freak, and trying to do exactly what Bush as done.. stack press conferences with people who wont ask hard questions.

Stupid ass.

TorontoStar.com

May 25, 2006. 01:00 AM


OTTAWA—Stephen Harper says journalists on Parliament Hill are biased against his government so he'll be avoiding them.

The Prime Minister says the parliamentary press gallery seems to have decided to become the opposition to his Conservative government.

He told A-Channel in London, Ont., yesterday that he is having problems with reporters that a Liberal leader would never face.

So he says he will take his message out on the road to less hostile local media.

"Unfortunately, the press gallery has taken the view they are going to be the opposition to the government," Harper told the TV station. "They don't ask questions at my press conferences now."

On Tuesday, two dozen Ottawa reporters walked out on a Harper event when he refused to take their questions.

Harper does not want to hold press conferences unless his staff choose which journalists ask questions from a list they compile. The Ottawa press gallery won't accept those rules.

"I have trouble believing that a Liberal prime minister would have this problem," Harper said yesterday. "But the press gallery at the leadership level has taken an anti-Conservative view."

A media analyst said Harper was being paranoid, and that his remarks could backfire.

"Basically, what he's saying is the regional media can be trusted to be compliant. They will find that insulting," said Chris Dornan, head of Carleton University's journalism school.

"Just as the national press corps will find insulting the suggestion that they're all paid-up Liberal hacks."

Yves Malo, a reporter with Quebec's TVA and president of Ottawa's press gallery, said he was neither pro- nor anti-Conservative.

"I'm just a journalist who's trying to do his job," he said.

[pacific breeze]

He's a laughingstock in Ottawa. His mini-Bush tactics aren't working here. He's delusional if he thinks he can pick and choose reporters to lob him soft questions -- his ass is grass.

[twitchy]

Originally Posted by pacific breeze

his ass is grass.

Ch-ch-ch-chia!

(Sorry about that. Just couldn't help myself. I just got an instant mental image of those awful Chia-pet ads)

Is he really so out of touch that he does not realize that this will only cause people to speculate that he is up to no good?

[ourmaninBusan]

A quote from his hero:



stolen from prorev.com