In Episode 15, we present another Lesson in Journalism, and explain how the media narrative during the Manitoba election kept certain inconvenient facts out of the public square.
As Marty Gold describes, throughout the campaign the media has pumped up themes like “social justice”, public safety and health care, and it’s been largely one-sided. They certainly didn’t look into the background of major NDP figures and demand accountability.
The media controls the narrative by promoting far-left causes they sympathize with and dampening inconvenient facts contradicting the narrative.
Has any TV newsroom mentioned the defacing of Heather Stafanson’s constituency office yet? Signaling it’s merely ‘minor vandalism’ – who benefits from that silence? The politicians supporting the intimidation of opponents, perhaps.
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This episode is about a small church, that was targeted by thieves. Only one newsroom reported on it, and proved that when it comes to crime in Winnipeg, the narrative is tightly controlled.
In this instance, it started with the Free Press headline that makes no mention of the church, or the break-in. Marty walks through the odd twists and turns the narrative takes, with diversions into unrelated information about shoplifting and ‘food insecurity’. Anything to make the break-in sound like an oddity and not a big deal- because the newspaper focused on how the church fridge was emptied.
16:38 While the Free Press didn’t check the crime angle, we did. You’ll hear Don Woodstock of JamRock Security, who hadn’t heard about this case, confirm that churches are increasingly targeted.
Later in the podcast, he reacts to learning the full extent of the damage to church property, and the lack of alarm about an apparent hate crime from the media and from authorities.
20:20 -Part 2 – The newspaper article buried the lede all the way to the end. And hid the most heinous act of the invaders, in a photo caption.
Hear what they did- and why a similar disgusting act against any other religious place of worship in the city would get front-page coverage – but not for a Ukrainian Catholic congregation.
That would have up-ended the official media narrative, that the perps – who cased the building for a week – were simply down and out folk needing food and are victims of society.
Marty describes going to the church, where he took photos and spoke with the victims. You can see the photos here at this link:
Photos from Holy Ghost Ukranian Catholic Church, After Break-in, Theft – and Another Break-in
He tells more of their story, the fundraiser the food was intended to be sold at, and the ripple effect on the neighborhood.
26:25 – Don Woodstock returns to assail the media ignoring this serious incident. He says the time has come for newsroom honchos to justify their manipulation of crime stories to minimize criminal behavior.
“Mainstream media have gone numb… (reporters) will tell you they know what’s happening but they can’t report it.”
“If you attack a church which is a corner stone of our democracy… it needs to be thoroughly investigated and should be exposed to the public.”
But that would disrupt the narrative.
It would raise questions about criminal rings and fencing operations, homeless camps, and a city increasingly in fear walking out their door at night, while being told the criminals deserve sympathy and it isn’t their fault doors and windows get kicked in.
And it also raises questions about Police Chief Danny Smyth, and why he hasn’t spoken out against this hate crime, or the threats that churches in Winnipeg face today.
30:26 – Marty closes out the Lesson in Journalism, the final podcast prior to the Manitoba election. Sadly, while the Free Press downplayed a Hate Crime after a Winnipeg Church was targeted, the rest of the media didn’t care at all. Not even about the meatballs.
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