Wheat from the Chaff Blog

… BC’s corporate media sector starts ramping up the rage against teachers. Yesterday, the two BC dailies – both owned by the PostMedia group – headlined two separate anti-teacher stories. The Province featured an article about certain BCTF bargaining demands, based upon the employer’s utterly compromised interpretation. The Sun then offered a College of Teachers story from 2008. [When Canwest owned the papers, they did the same thing before the last teachers’ strike.] The stories followed a hatchet job from Keith Baldrey on Global News from the previous night. In a short piece devoid of actual statements from the BCTF, Baldrey was clearly bothered by the union demands. He later stated on Twitter (@keithbaldrey) that the demands were the “moon, stars, and all the planets”. He was also shocked by the 20% raise that the BCTF purportedly wants, but neglected to add the length of the term and, most importantly, if this was merely BCPSEA speculation. Not surprisingly, he didn’t list the concessions being sought by the employer group, or ask if the union demands were part of the BCTF’s final position. [They aren’t, Keith.]

I wondered why a reporter would allow himself to be sucked in by a side that wants to bargain through the media. But then I realized it was a rhetorical question.

Perhaps Keith and the PostMedia reporters will be next in line to join Mike and Pamela in the Senate. Or join Christy’s team alongside Pamela Martin and Chris Olsen. Or become Kash Heed’s new communication director.

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Update: Below is the The Province’s July 5 editorial cartoon. It doesn’t really need commentary, but here’s some if you want it: