It was very satisfying to watch Harper henchman Kory Teneycke take on Margaret Atwood — and lose about as decisively as it is possible to lose.  He quit as point man for Sun TV News last week (“it becomes increasingly clear my involvement only serves to inflame”), and he may now be under criminal investigation for fraud and identity theft in relation to Avaaz’ “Stop Fox News North” petition, which we (courtesy of Eva Kushner) posted on a couple of weeks ago.

Stephen Maher picks up the story in the Chronicle Herald:

On Sept. 2, Teneycke complained on Twitter that he had been signed up: “So, apparently I have signed the Soros/Atwood petition against Sun TV News as well. What BS.”

Early the next morning, the Sun papers published a column from Teneycke — titled Maggie Atwood: Buzz off! — in which he revealed that the petition contained many false names, including Snuffleupagus, the Sesame Street character who only ever appears to Big Bird.

The activists at Avaaz read the column and checked the list and found out that, sure enough, someone had added Snuffleupagus and Boba Fett and also a number of Ottawa journalists in an apparent attempt to discredit the petition.

The next day, I received an email from Avaaz informing me that I had been signed up. So had Martin and plucky CBC blogger Kady O’Malley, who decided to stick her adorable nose into the story and went hunting for the list of names.

“am i the only one who can’t actually find the list of names online? someone url me, will you?” she wrote on Twitter.

A few minutes later, she tweeted: “maybe he knows. hey, @KoryTeneycke, where’d you see the list of names on the Avaaz petition?”

See, Teneycke had revealed — likely without meaning to — that he knew who had added the names to the petition. Avaaz had not put the names online.

Teneycke, I think, realized the jig was up and replied on Twitter: “@kady Source emailed me to say they registered Boba Fett, D. Shroot, etc. Petition lacks basic controls. Not sure who signed me up.”

Well, how did he know he’d been signed up?

Avaaz squealed about dirty tricks and hired big-shot Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby.

On Tuesday, Ruby sent letters to the RCMP and Ottawa police, giving them the IP address of the Ottawa-area computer used to add the names and asking them to prosecute the guilty party for fraud, identity fraud and theft of a telecommunications service.

The better news is that this may prove to be a fatal blow to the Fox News North application to the CRTC.  This is also yet another ugly development whose provenance is Harper’s office.  Canadians never have much appetite for this sort of thing, and their limited tolerance for it in this case may be exhausted.

Bring on the general election.

Stephen Harper — in office by way of one in three Canadian voters — interviewed on Fox News Sunday

Here are a couple of articles to provide context for this story: Globe & Mail and Toronto Star.

For me, the elements that tell are as follows.

First, Stephen Harper and his then-press aide Kory Teneycke met secretly with Rupert Murdoch and his Fox News president Roger Ailes, a former Nixon/Reagan/Bush operative.  The fact that the meeting was secret — that is, kept off the prime minister’s calendar and not freely disclosed — is disturbing, to say the least.  The prime minister serves at the will of the people.  Murdoch is a notorious plutocrat who in little more than a decade has laid waste to American television journalism.  There was no reason for them to meet without public knowledge, unless of course the content of the meeting was intended to be kept from the public.  In any event, the secrecy was deliberate, which raises legitimate concerns about the behavior and intentions of a public servant (which Harper apparently does not understand: that he is a servant of the people and serves only at their will).

Second, shortly after this meeting, Teneycke resigned his position in the prime minister’s office and joined Quebecor as the point man for the development of what conservatives themselves had been referring to as Fox News North.

Third, Quebecor was allowed to jump the line and applied for a Category 1 “must carry” cable license for which it was not qualified, and which the CRTC recently denied.

Fourth, there are indications that the Harper government has been offering inducements to CRTC chair Konrad Von Finckenstein to resign (something this prime minister has been known to do).  Meanwhile the contract of the deputy chair of the CRTC — who is opposed to the application — has not been renewed.

Fifth, while the always-scowling-and-aggressively-shouting-down-his interlocutors-while-dismissing-any-opposition-as-“all-lies-from-start-to-finish” Kory Teneycke whines in public about “free speech” (as though the application for a broadcast license must be granted or be regarded as suppression of speech), Quebecor is once again being allowed to push to the head of the line and is seeking a “mandatory carry” license, which is very rarely granted and only after an extensive vetting process.  Quebecor is doing this even though the most obvious option available to Sun TV now is simply to change its content to all-news and continue to broadcast while offering its product to an already available market.  But Sun TV can’t turn a profit and the “mandatory carry” license would not only change that, it would also give the station broad access to a market that does not seem much interested in buying what it is selling.  As John Doyle put it in the Globe & Mail the other day, Fox News North is only acceptable “if it’s being jammed down our throats.”

So why exactly should this application be granted?  It’s not a free speech issue, it’s a regulatory issue.  Sun TV already has a license.  Why does it need another?  It can simply change its content if it wishes to.  The answer seems to be that it is gaming the system — evidently with the help of a sitting prime minister — in order to turn around a money-losing business while gaining deep access to the Canadian market for the sole purpose of propagating an aggressively rightward view of the world consistent with the Sun News brand.  Quebecor, of course, has the right to make the application.  But they have no right to expect the application will be granted just for the asking.  And that is what they’re doing.  They already have a broadcast license and a money-losing TV station.  Why then is this our problem?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrTooDqY9pY

We received this comment this morning on the issue of the Sun TV News application for a broadcasting license:

Interesting how when it comes from the left they call it education and when it comes from the right they call it “hate propaganda speech.”

Education is disinterested.  Ideology is not.  That’s the distinction that matters here.  While my politics lean heavily to the left, they also quickly become fluid and pragmatic when the consideration is what actually works.

My issue with “Fox News North” is not really a matter of left or right.  It has to do with process, intent, and foreseeable consequences.  The Harper government is gaming the system, facilitating private interests we have a right to be skeptical about and wary of, and it is clearly pushing this application along for primarily ideological reasons.  Conservatives themselves have called this project “Fox News North” for some time now (although they have taken to pretending they haven’t), and, frankly, we don’t need a Fox News, there’s no significant demand for a Fox News, and our system for licensing ought not to be abused to foist a Fox News upon us.  Just because Quebecor is making an application, why would it follow that it must be granted?

Kory Teneycke — former press aide to Harper and now VP for development at Quebecor — makes a regular habit of saying unpleasant things in an aggressive way, which is no small matter when you’re moneyed and have powerful interests behind you.  When he called into question Margaret Atwood’s patriotism (an “issue” then taken up by the Sun chain of newspapers and others, creating the “echo chamber” effect that now drowns out discourse in the U.S.), I took it as a sign of things to come.

There is a case to be made here.  And so I do.  In this instance, I simply want the CRTC to be able to do its mandated job without political pressure from the Harper government or intimidation by the likes of Kory Teneycke.

Eva Kershner has forwarded to us this mass circulation email regarding the petition in support of CRTC Chair Konrad Von Finckenstein.  Finckenstein is resisting pressure from the Harper government to license “Fox News North”  as a “mandatory access” rightwing cable news channel.

Dear friends,

[1]
PRIME MINISTER HARPER IS TRYING TO FORCE AMERICAN-STYLE HATE MEDIA ON
CANADA. Sign the petition to support CRTC CHAIR KONRAD VON
FINCKENSTEIN (above) and encourage him to protect Canadians from a
“Fox News North” channel funded by /our own cable TV fees:/

[2]

Prime Minister HARPER IS TRYING TO PUSH AMERICAN-STYLE HATE MEDIA
ONTO OUR AIRWAVES, and make us all pay for it.

HIS PLAN IS TO CREATE A “FOX NEWS NORTH” to mimic the kind of
HATE-FILLED PROPAGANDA with which Fox News has poisoned U.S.
politics. The channel will be run by Harper’s former top aide and
will be FUNDED WITH MONEY FROM OUR CABLE TV FEES!

ONE MAN STANDS IN THE WAY OF THIS NIGHTMARE — the Chairman of
Canada’s Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Konrad
von Finckenstein. He’s rejected the plan as a violation of CRTC
policies, so now HARPER IS TRYING TO GET HIM OUT OF THE JOB. LET’S
URGENTLY SEND A MASSIVE WAVE OF PUBLIC SUPPORT TO VON FINCKENSTEIN,
with 100,000 Canadians encouraging him to keep standing up for
Canada, and standing firm against Harper’s pressure. Sign the
petition below and forward this email to everyone — we’ll publish
FULL PAGE ADS IN CANADIAN PAPERS WHEN WE REACH 100,000:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/no_fox_news_canada/?vl[3]

HARPER HATCHED HIS SCHEME IN A SECRET LUNCH LAST YEAR WITH
MEDIA-MOGUL RUPERT MURDOCH, the owner of Fox News. Harper’s top aide
Kory Teneycke also came to the lunch, and then left the government to
head up Sun Newspapers and the new “Fox News North”.

Fox News fuels hate. While constantly claiming to be “fair” and
“balanced”, it allows hysterical anchors like Glenn Beck to
compare Obama to “Lucifer” and “Hitler”. Bill O’Reilly, another
anchor, has threatened to boycott Canada, and ANNE COULTER SAYS
CANADA IS “LUCKY THE US ALLOWS IT TO EXIST ON THE SAME
CONTINENT.” The network has calculatingly spawned the tea party
movement in the US, a mobilisation of the fringe right which
threatens violence upon its opponents and wears guns to political
rallies.

This is a fight for the soul of Canadian democracy. Our media is not
perfect, but a ‘news’ network that slavishly serves a political
agenda through mass manipulation and fear threatens the fabric of our
democratic society.

THE CRTC IS PART OF OUR DEMOCRACY — it was made an independent
commission precisely in order to protect against this kind of
government manipulation of the media. HARPER KNOWS THAT HE MUST BULLY
HIS WAY THROUGH THIS INSTITUTION in order to create “Fox News North”.
And there are dark rumours in Ottawa that if von Finckenstein will
not leave his job, Harper will simply force him to give in. KONRAD
VON FINCKENSTEIN IS UPHOLDING THE BEST TRADITION OF CANADIAN
DEMOCRACY and civil service in the face of a full scale attack on
that tradition. LET’S SHOW HIM, AND HARPER, THAT CANADA STANDS WITH
HIM.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/no_fox_news_canada/?vl[4]

“Fox News North” is Harper’s long term strategy to make radical
conservatism the political centre in Canada, tearing down the country
we love to make us look like the U.S. Thankfully, Konrad von
Finckenstein and the CRTC are standing in his way — let’s stand with
them.

With hope,

Ricken, Emma, Iain, Laryn and the rest of the Avaaz team

Sources:

Globe and Mail, “Is Harper set to move against the CRTC?”:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/lawrence-martin/is-stephen-harper-set-to-move-against-the-crtc/article1677632/[5]

CBC, “The absolute last thing this country needs”:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/06/10/f-vp-newman.html#socialcomments#ixzz0r6MC4p46[6]

Globe and Mail, CRTC refuses Sun TV’s bid for preferred status on
dial:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/crtc-refuses-sun-tvs-bid-for-preferred-status-on-dial/article1641654/[7]

The Star, “Harper’s foxy luncheon”:

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/851510–mcquaig-harper-s-foxy-luncheon[8]

Mediaite, “Canada and Ann Coulter: a volatile relationship”:
http://www.mediaite.com/online/canada-ann-coulter-colleges/[9]

Media Matters, “Glenn Beck compares Obama to Lucifer”:
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201008040051[10]

Media Matters, “Glenn Beck smears Obama’s 11 year old
daughter”:
http://mediamatters.org/blog/201005280025[11]

The Examiner: “Bill O’Reilly again confuses facts about Canadian
health care system”:

http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-national/video-bill-o-reilly-again-confuses-facts-about-canadian-health-care-system[12]

SUPPORT THE AVAAZ COMMUNITY! We’re entirely funded by donations and
receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team
ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way — donate
here[13].

————————-

Avaaz.org is a 5.5-million-person global campaign network that works
to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape
global decision-making. (“Avaaz” means “voice” or “song” in many
languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team
is spread across 13 countries on 4 continents and operates in 14
languages. Learn about some of Avaaz’s biggest campaigns here[14], or
follow us on Facebook[15] or Twitter[16].

This message was sent to eva.kushner@utoronto.ca. To change your
email address, language, or other information, click here[17]. Want
to leave this list? Click here to unsubscribe[18].

To contact Avaaz, please DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. Instead, write
to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact[19] or call us at +1-888-922-8229
(US).

“Hard News. Straight Talk.”  Like “Fair and Balanced.”

Stories here and here.  Teneycke — point man for what Canadian Conservatives have long referred to as “Fox News North” by way of Sun TV News — questions Atwood’s “patriotism” simply for signing an online petition protesting the still to be approved channel.

Patriotism.  Margaret Atwood’s patriotism.  That would be the internationally renowned, award-winning writer, who for a generation has done more than just about any other to make Canadian literature and culture available to a worldwide audience.  She is — according to a trash-talking errand boy — somehow lacking in sufficient patriotism.

This is how it is done on the American model, which Teneycke and the cynical corporate interests behind him here in Canada have evidently decided to adopt: take out the respected pillars of progressivism by overwhelming them with a noxious flood of slander and lies.

And just what has Kory Teneycke done to promote Canadian culture anywhere?  Nothing.

But here are some earlier posts to give you some idea of what Teneycke has done, as well as provide a quick primer on the interests he represents: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. We also have backup from Frye held in reserve on authoritarianism and the danger it represents to democratic society.

It appears that Teneycke is insufficiently cultured to be aware of the arch-conservative Samuel Johnson‘s observation that “Patriotism is last refuge of the scoundrel.”  For people like Teneycke, of course, it is the first resort as well as the last refuge.