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Fox News North Claims its First Casualty (With Help From Margaret Atwood)

by Andrew Potter | 12:39 pm, September 16th, 2010

» 24 comments

From CBC Radio’s Vinyl Café (our egregious version of Prairie Home Companion) to CTV’s Canadian Idol (our pathetic version of the American same), Canada has a bad habit of taking the worst elements of American media and making versions that are, surprisingly, even worse. One thing we’ve mostly managed to avoid, though, is the segregation of the news media into hyper-partisan factions of poisoned “truthiness.”

All of that changed this summer when one of the Canada’s largest media conglomerates, Quebecor Media, appointed Kory Teneycke to the position of Vice President, Development, and charged him with midwifing the birth of SunTV News, a new cable news channel that would compete with the established offerings from the CBC and CTV. And all of that changed yesterday, when Teneycke had one of the most spectacular falls from grace in Canadian media history.

The proposed station was quickly dubbed “Fox News North” by its opponents, for two reasons. First, Teneycke’s previous job was director of communication for Stephen Harper, the most pro-American prime minister in Canadian history. But more importantly, it appears that plans for the station were hatched in March 2009, when Harper and Teneycke had a secret meeting in New York with Ruper Murdoch and Roger Ailes. It is almost certain that it was at that meeting that a plan was hatched to bring Fox News’s faux-populist liberal-baiting style of journalism to Canada.

Given his deep ties to the Harper government, the 36-year old Teneycke (pronounced “Ten-IKE”) instantly became one of the most powerful media honchos in the country. He came on like a hockey enforcer, firing reporters suspected of being not politically onside, hiring more ideologically flexible journalist talents, and generally building the new station’s brand around his own brash image. Teneycke’s favoured medium was the Twitterverse, where he argued with enemy columnists, made cocksure pronouncements, and routinely denounced the elitist lefty politics of the “lamestream” media. (His twitter account has since been deleted.)

Apart from baiting liberals, Teneycke’s primary concern was to get SunTV News rolled into Canadian cable packages. In July, the CRTC (Canada’s version of the FCC) denied Quebecor’s request to have the channel classified “Category A”, which would have required all cable/satellite providers to offer the service. In response, Quebecor came back at the CRTC with a new application under a different category, but asking for an exception that would have had the same result – it would have been a “must-carry” station for three years.

This prompted the international civic organization Avaaz to launch an online petition to block the creation of SunTV News. The petition was signed by tens of thousands of people, most notably by the novelist Margaret Atwood, who promoted the Avaaz petition on her Twitter account, saying she signed it in protest against what she saw as interference in the approval process by the Harper government (see here, here and here). Atwood has over 84,000 Twitter followers. The story picked up.

Kory Teneycke took to the pages of one of his own newspapers to blast Atwood (whom he accused of putting “her political agenda ahead of principles and patriotism”), and Avaaz (which he denounced as a front for George Soros). But Teneycke also pointed out that the petition was of dubious legitimacy, since in addition to Atwood, other famous celebrities had signed on. These included Dwight Shrute (from The Office), Boba Fett (of Star Wars), Snuffalupagus (Sesame Street) and Homer Simpson.

While true, Teneycke’s knowledge of these bogus signatures was strange, since Avaaz hadn’t yet published a list of names on the petition. When this was pointed out, Teneycke claimed that he had an inside source who had told him about the fake names. But Avaaz executive director Ricken Patel (himself a Canadian living in New York) pointed out that the fake signatures had all come from the same Ottawa IP address (Teneycke lives in Ottawa), and on September 14 Avaaz asked the RCMP to look into the petition fraud.

The next morning, a few Canadian Twitter-obsessives noticed that Teneycke’s account had been suspended. A few hours later, Quebecor held a press conference to announce that Kory Teneycke was resigning immediately from Quebecor. He acknowledged at the press conference that the fight over the new station had become “vicious and vitriolic,” conceding that his own behaviour had contributed to the debased nature of the debate.

Teneycke refused to say whether his departure had anything to do with the Avaaz request for a criminal investigation. Avaaz co-founder and executive director Ricken Patel, though, took the opportunity to declare victory, saying in a statement: “American democracy has been poisoned by this kind of crony-media and its biased propaganda. What we’re seeing is that Canadians aren’t buying it.”

That remains to be seen, since Quebecor says it will continue with its attempts to get the CRTC to approve a broadcast licence for Sun TV News. Regardless, Canada’s purported ‘Fox News North’ has taken a beating: yet to broadcast a minute of programming, and already with its first casualty, after a spectacular and humiliating flame0ut. Oh and also, George Soros has reportedly announced that he is suing Sun Media for defamation.

On one side was Kory Teneycke, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Quebecor, with help from Rupert Murdoch. On the other, Avaaz, Margaret Atwood..and, as it turns out, Kory Teneycke, thanks to his own hubris and bad judgment. Fair and balanced? So far, so good.

Andrew Potter is a Mediaite contributor and public affairs columnist for Maclean’s, Canada’s national newsweekly. He is the author of The Authenticity Hoax: How We Get Lost Finding Ourselves, published by HarperCollins. He blogs at www.macleans.ca/andrewpotter

Andrew Potter, Fox News North, George Soros, Kory Teneycke, Margaret Atwood, Stephen Harper, Sun Media

notsofast

George Soros has reportedly announced that he is suing Sun Media for defamation.”

Sorry, George, how can sue for defamation when you never had a good reputation to begin with?
Big Eddie

Can anyone translate this ,eh ? It seems to be written in Canadish .
Moderate

I can see George Soros wanting to silence conservative voices but not the Canadian Government.
Pablo

Big Eddie said:
Can anyone translate this ,eh ? It seems to be written in Canadish .

It’s tough to tell what it’s all aboot, eh?
Pablo

Moderate said:
I can see George Soros wanting to silence conservative voices but not the Canadian Government.

Ezra Levant, call your office.
puck30

Big Eddie said:
Can anyone translate this ,eh ? It seems to be written in Canadish .

Just make sure if your asking a Canadian that they have had their first cup of Tim Horton’s or you could become very confused.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ2iMgdTZrY
The Real Royal King

I’ve always thought the Canadians a sensible people.
ksecus

Teneke was making those bogus signatures on the twitter account and he got busted . LOL Fox news North mustve taken its cues from Fox noise US. Fox is incredibly corrupted , and its a shame what theyve done to journalism ethics.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Norman-Murphy/1485778246 Norman Murphy

They are certainly more intelligent and educated than their low class neighbors to the south. Americans are for all practical purposes illiterate, anti-intellectual, religious nut jobs, and avoid working hard and refuse to work crops. America is imploding while others in the world wonder what happened to the once thriving economy and educational advantage. Now few Americans complete college or even a high school diploma. Americans would rather smoke dope that go to work.
The Real Royal King

So, is Teneke going to work for Breitbart, now?
moriarty70

puck30 said:
Just make sure if your asking a Canadian that they have had their first cup of Tim Horton’s or you could become very confused. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ2iMgdTZrY

Yeah, we have no excuse for that ad, it’s like Timmy’s version of Celine Dion.

And as for you Andrew, say what you will about Canadian Idol, our names, even how arrogant, boring and annoying both Attwood and Harper are. That’s all fair game, but you leave Stuart McLane alone or Dave and Kenny will come down there and prank your ass.

Besides, the best way to describe anything we might have adapted from you guys is “Like the American version but funnier”.
Bill Mahwer

One thing we’ve mostly managed to avoid, though, is the segregation of the news media into hyper-partisan factions of poisoned “truthiness.”
========================

Have to disagree with this comment. The CBC is pretty clost to being MSNBC North and to make matters worse it is funded by the taxpayers.
Lurker

Oh yeahhhhh! This was a Fair and Balanced report! LOL
Rescuedog

Those Canadians. Even their spectacular falls from grace are boring.
CLTstraightguy

I am originally Canadian, and anyone who can take (Andrew Potter the Mediaite contributor and public affairs columnist for Maclean’s, Canada’s national newsweekly) seriously, is a brainwashed Lefty Fool. We who are less biased towards the Social Libratards in Canada call this Magazine Macraps. With so much biased Jerkolism, it’s hard to actually sit through a read of this magazine that makes Newsweak and Time look like The National Review.

There was only one semi conservative read publication in Canada and that was the National Post, now the Social Misfits known as Canada’s mainstream media have polluted that also with their version of life.

Canadian’s are not all Anti American Social Libretards, this is proven by the now Conservative Not Anti American Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Their is a large constituent of Canadian Conservatives, and Non Partisans. Actually more than the Liberal Party. The Problem is Quebec (Most French) , Toronto Ontario (Largest City and home to most minority votes that the Liberals imported via low education immigration) and British Columbia.
They swing the vote for the rest of the Country, and Most Social Liberals reside there, but there is also a very large constituent of Conservative, Non Partisan, and Libertarian voters. Also Canada is knee deep in Socialist Unions, and they tend to vote for the Socialist Party, however, they also swing to Social Liberal or Conservative depending on how inept their current Party Leader is.

In effect, many voters Conservative, Non Partisan, or even Libertarian tend to stay silent. Canadian’s are good at this. They tend to be on the fence on many issues and are usually not activists, except the loud vocal Liberal Minorities that tend to have enough charisma to dull people into making stupid decisions based on rhetoric (Sound Familiar?)

Don’t get me wrong there is some Anti Government, Less Government activism in Canada. Much of the time the Social Liberal Media; that is pretty much all encompassing, quashes these uprisings, and you barely see them on the Air Waves, unless they are displayed in a negative light. The Media is right in bed with the Liberal Party, much as most of the U.S. Media is with the Social Democrats.

Canada suffers from an identity crisis, some want to be patriots and support what is left of their cultural history and statutes and some want to be so indifferent and multicultural that they really don’t have a clue about where the roots of the Nation of Canada lies.

The long and short of it is that Canada, is a Social Liberal, Socialist Country, as long as the Leftist Media Reigns with a Corrupt Liberal Government. IF ANYONE NEEDS A CONSERVATIVE NEWS NETWORK TO BALANCE THINGS OUT IT IS OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH.

And for all of you Libs that will post that Fox is the worst thing and the most corrupt, blah blah… Most American’s tend to disagree with you, while the Government at hand would agree with you… (Sound Familiar?)
What is it going to take for you to see that Balanced Broadcasting is a gift to find truth beyond opinion?
Thank God for Fox News.
ganymede

As someone who has many Canadian friends and visits often, I have to say that everything should be done to prevent Joseph Goebbels Murdoch from getting a serious foothold in your media. One of the many reasons Canada has not yet succumbed to the USA dumbing down process is that the Canadian government has encouraged a free, diverse and, maybe, boring media and, like the Brit’s BBC, has helped finance a national, surprisingly independent media outlet. And then there is your terrible communist/socialist health care system while we Americans just get sick worrying about getting sick and winding up having to sell our homes inorder to pay medical bills. Americans may be waking up, thanks to the irrational Tea Partiers, from their slumber and realizing that the great fool, Ronald Reagan’s admonition, “The government is the problem” has been made true by the gross corruption and venality of mostly Republican politicans. Murdoch has done incalcuable damage to American media. Fox news as well as most American TV news is the pits. Inorder to find out what’s happening in the world we have to go to the BBC, CBC and other foreign outlets as well as watch Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert! So, my fellow Canadians, you’ve been warned.
jk76

I’m suprised a petition would be allowed on the internet, for it to be official. Also suprised that they can file as if it’s some crime. I have no idea what the Canadian web police are like though.

It’s too bad they put their faith in this fairly young guy, who’s WAY too ambitious. Some people just don’t like opposing viewpoints, or like letting people actually HAVING those views. Canadians are probably comfortable in their socialized lifestyle and with full government control over other things…..almost sounds Fascist, without the oppresion.
Rescuedog

Let’s not be too hard on poor Canada. If Canada had never existed, Bill Clinton wouldn’t have been able to nail Belinda Stronach.

http://www.mediaite.com/online/game-change-the-cliff-notes/
mardec

So much for freedom of speech in Canada. This story says it all, even the tone of the story is anti freedom of speech.
mardec

“They are certainly more intelligent and educated than their low class neighbors to the south. Americans are for all practical purposes illiterate, anti-intellectual, religious nut jobs, and avoid working hard and refuse to work crops. America is imploding while others in the world wonder what happened to the once thriving economy and educational advantage. Now few Americans complete college or even a high school diploma. Americans would rather smoke dope that go to work.”

The great fall from the heights of American culture are a result of Liberals running our colleges and universities and our government , and the Democrat Party becoming more Marxist. In addition to that, with no border enforcement, more and more ” illiterate, anti-intellectual” nut jobs, as you say, enter the country and debase the culture and suck it dry. I can’t blame you for your comments, especially if you watch American TV “reality shows”.
Cancon1

ganymede says:
September 16, 2010 at 8:24 pm ganymede(Quote)
4 4
As someone who has many Canadian friends and visits often, I have to say that everything should be done to prevent Joseph Goebbels Murdoch from getting a serious foothold in your media. One of the many reasons Canada has not yet succumbed to the USA dumbing down process is that the Canadian government has encouraged a free, diverse and, maybe, boring media and, like the Brit’s BBC, has helped finance a national, surprisingly independent media outlet. And then there is your terrible communist/socialist health care system while we Americans just get sick worrying about getting sick and winding up having to sell our homes inorder to pay medical bills. Americans may be waking up, thanks to the irrational Tea Partiers, from their slumber and realizing that the great fool, Ronald Reagan’s admonition, “The government is the problem” has been made true by the gross corruption and venality of mostly Republican politicans. Murdoch has done incalcuable damage to American media. Fox news as well as most American TV news is the pits. Inorder to find out what’s happening in the world we have to go to the BBC, CBC and other foreign outlets as well as watch Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert! So, my fellow Canadians, you’ve been warned.

I have no idea who your friends are and if you tick off the BBC, CBC and fake news comedians for the truth, then you my friend, are, a sheep. Love the nazi reference, obviously a great mind at work here.. Trust me, there is as many dumb people here as there are anywhere else.

I would thank you if you would refrain from adding to the herd.

BTW , you are not a fellow Canadian if you are not a Canadian yourself. Or did you not learn that from the CBC?.
CLTstraightguy

ganymede said:
Canada has not yet succumbed to the USA dumbing down process is that the Canadian government has encouraged a free, diverse and, maybe, boring media and, like the Brit’s BBC, has helped finance a national, surprisingly independent media outlet.

Where do you get off?
When you have a bunch of media conglomerates that are in bed with one party, you have a BIG problem! There is no balance in your system, and you have one mind controlling how everyone should think, or maybe you are just on the side that wants to be told how to think but just in really emotionally rhetoric fashion… My guess is you are likely not heterosexual in your preference and this clouds your judgment using the typical Nazi symbolism to anyone who you fear might disagree with you or your thinking.

For you to admonish Reagan makes me really wonder, when even Liberals have stated he was one of the greatest Statesman to ever govern these United States.

Murdoch who is a Capitalist and a good business man has done something here that Canada desperately needs, and alternative to one sided reporting, one sided governing. That is balance, that is what you need to govern justly.

There is nothing free about the airwaves in Canada. The CRTC (Canadian Radio and Television Commission) a more radical Big Brother than the FCC) , is far worse in deposing any type of freedom by forcing everyone into a Status-Quo that doesn’t leave room for a particular view, and deposes any view that is someones moral stance, or choice. Everything must be equal, and this causes a problem when you have an opposing view. The problem is the powers that be, are all slanted and biased for the most part, so unless you play by their rules, you don’t play at all… literally.

That is not freedom, that is subjugation.
CLTstraightguy

Norman Murphy said:
Americans would rather smoke dope that go to work.

Nope, sorry that is British Colombia, oh lets not forget trying to legalize child porn … Oh by the way that is in Canada.
CLTstraightguy

All these thumbs down, I must be saying something that is rattling your cages. Would love to know what it is.