Good on them
Today, the Globe and Mail endorsed Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party of Canada.
I think that's really interesting, and my impression of The Globe has just increased measurably.
Why might you ask? It's not because they're endorsing the Conservatives... well not that alone at least.
It's because they endorsed the Liberals in 2004 and have since decided to change their mind.
Even more importantly, endorsing different parties in different elections shows a sense of honesty. Other newspaper editorial boards (such as the Toronto Star, in contrast to many of the Star's columnists) dishonestly stand up for the Liberals at every turn, regardless of what the Liberals have done, and at the same time, they slam the Conservatives at every possible opportunity, even when the Conservatives "move to the centre" and even when the actions of the Liberals are indefensible. There's no intellectual honesty in that. You'll often see the Toronto Star blatantly misrepresent the Conservative Party's positions, just for the sake of creating a partisan advantage for the Liberals.
The Globe and Mail considers itself to be centrist - so it only makes sense that it would endorse different parties at different times. By (rightfully) endorsing the Conservatives today, the Globe has proven itself to be honest, and their endorsement also adds weight to their previous endorsements of the Liberals.
The Toronto Star, on the other hand, is pretty left wing... but instead of acting left wing in a principled way, it (by it, I'm only referring to the editorial board) acts in a partisan manner, hoping desperately to help the Liberal Party, instead of helping their left wing, socialist cause. It's obvious that the Toronto Star would never endorse any other party, not the NDP and definitely not the Conservatives.
Also, last but not least... the ability of an important national newspaper such as the Globe and Mail to endorse 2 different parties, 2 years apart, shows that their editorial bent is not solely dominated by corporate or ownership concerns. That too is always good.
I think that's really interesting, and my impression of The Globe has just increased measurably.
Why might you ask? It's not because they're endorsing the Conservatives... well not that alone at least.
It's because they endorsed the Liberals in 2004 and have since decided to change their mind.
Even more importantly, endorsing different parties in different elections shows a sense of honesty. Other newspaper editorial boards (such as the Toronto Star, in contrast to many of the Star's columnists) dishonestly stand up for the Liberals at every turn, regardless of what the Liberals have done, and at the same time, they slam the Conservatives at every possible opportunity, even when the Conservatives "move to the centre" and even when the actions of the Liberals are indefensible. There's no intellectual honesty in that. You'll often see the Toronto Star blatantly misrepresent the Conservative Party's positions, just for the sake of creating a partisan advantage for the Liberals.
The Globe and Mail considers itself to be centrist - so it only makes sense that it would endorse different parties at different times. By (rightfully) endorsing the Conservatives today, the Globe has proven itself to be honest, and their endorsement also adds weight to their previous endorsements of the Liberals.
The Toronto Star, on the other hand, is pretty left wing... but instead of acting left wing in a principled way, it (by it, I'm only referring to the editorial board) acts in a partisan manner, hoping desperately to help the Liberal Party, instead of helping their left wing, socialist cause. It's obvious that the Toronto Star would never endorse any other party, not the NDP and definitely not the Conservatives.
Also, last but not least... the ability of an important national newspaper such as the Globe and Mail to endorse 2 different parties, 2 years apart, shows that their editorial bent is not solely dominated by corporate or ownership concerns. That too is always good.
posted by Japnaam Singh at
12:06 AM
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