The "privatize everything" crowd must think they've got the lame duck Ontario government on the ropes over the beer in the corner stores issue. Just a few days ago we read the "news" about how a partial privatization of liquor sales would increase government revenues.
Today we are blessed with another riff on the same theme. Seems the folks who run the Mac's Milk chain are just chomping at the bit to create 1,600 jobs in the province, if only the province would lighten up and let them sell booze from their stores.
If you want to know what kind of great full-time jobs they're talking about, walk into any Mac's and ask the guy or gal behind the counter. We're talking minimum wage with no benefits! That's right, 1,600 lucky Ontarions will have an opportunity to join the working poor!
The convenience store lobby seems to be on a roll with this, so look for plenty more news about "research" that proves selling beer in corner stores will enhance government revenues and create jobs.
By the way, that annual revenue number that Canadian Press has in the story is missing some zeroes. Couche-Tard revenue for 2012 was well over $20 billion with a "b", not $15.9 million, but who in the harried world of news reporting has time to check facts anymore?
Showing posts with label Tim Hudak on privatizing LCBO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tim Hudak on privatizing LCBO. Show all posts
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Toronto Star recycles lobbyist's press release and fobs it off as "journalism"
This isn't news and it isn't journalism.
If this article were a first year assignment at a reputable school the writer would be told to consider another career option.
Here is the Star's article about the purported benefits of privatizing Ontario's government owned liquor stores.
Here is the press release from Strategycorp, which bills itself as "Canada's leading government relations consulting firm."
The Star added a quote from the author of the study, a quote from Tim Hudak, and a quote from the head of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association which paid for the study, and voila, we have a news story!
A few years ago, when the Star was at least a good if not great newspaper, they might have addressed a few obvious questions;
The Star is locked into a vicious downward spiral. "Revenue challenges" lead to outsourcing leads to weaker reporting and editing which leads to overtly political propaganda like this being presented as news.
Where does this end?
If this article were a first year assignment at a reputable school the writer would be told to consider another career option.
Here is the Star's article about the purported benefits of privatizing Ontario's government owned liquor stores.
Here is the press release from Strategycorp, which bills itself as "Canada's leading government relations consulting firm."
The Star added a quote from the author of the study, a quote from Tim Hudak, and a quote from the head of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association which paid for the study, and voila, we have a news story!
A few years ago, when the Star was at least a good if not great newspaper, they might have addressed a few obvious questions;
- does Professor Sen's research, here and elsewhere, have a political slant?
- is there research available that contradicts Professor Sen's conclusions?
- will privatization turn the thousands of relatively decent jobs at the liquor monopoly into minimum wage convenience store jobs?
The Star is locked into a vicious downward spiral. "Revenue challenges" lead to outsourcing leads to weaker reporting and editing which leads to overtly political propaganda like this being presented as news.
Where does this end?
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