SpinDoctor

Here, here.

2011-03-10T16:34:58.779-05:00

Here, here.

"The Ottawa police chief sounds like a sincer...

2010-11-30T16:48:56.008-05:00

"The Ottawa police chief sounds like a sincere man and we can probably take him at his word that he will get to the bottom of what happened." You are kidding. We have chidlren commit suicide rather then put up with bullying in our schools. We have three Toronto police officers convicteded of murder. We no longer have grand jurries allowed to investigate schools , jails or police officers.
It is time we returned to some form of accountability. The Police Chief is not a third party investigation. Let the Ombudsman into these institutions or kiss accountability good bye. http://www.scribd.com/full/43531596?access_key=key-qa7d02ulav02602wsgq

Pinpointing BP’s Pitfalls: Eight Ways to Reconnect...

2010-06-24T09:14:16.706-04:00

Pinpointing BP’s Pitfalls: Eight Ways to Reconnect After a Disaster

Read the full article here: http://www.connectture.com/pa-393.aspx

Link to the executive summary of Richard Peck'...

2010-06-01T20:43:44.677-04:00

Link to the executive summary of Richard Peck's brief explaining why he dropped the charges against Byrant:

http://rvbryant.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/ontario-crown-...

It's laughable. He basically took Bryant at his word even though Bryant's account of the event defies logic, witness statements and videos that are posted on youtube.

For a rational discussion of the case:

http://bryantwatch.wordpress.com/2010/05/27/the-peck-brief-%E2%80%93-advocate-for-the-defence-part-1/

Here's what they are saying in the UK, in The ...

2010-06-01T17:31:52.480-04:00

Here's what they are saying in the UK, in The Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/may/28/toronto-cycle-courier-death

Have you seen the video of Bryant's apparent s...

2010-06-01T17:09:19.927-04:00

Have you seen the video of Bryant's apparent stalling of the engine, then ramming into Sheppard in first gear? (What cyclists believe was the true first aggression - Bryant's - that sent Sheppard into a rage.)

What is most disturbing about the dropping of the charges is that there are other glaring errors in Mr. Pecks reasoning:

1) One can clearly see in the video that Mr. Bryant's car is stopped when Mr. Sheppard pulls in front of him; Mr. Peck says Bryant had to "hit the brakes" causing the car to stall.

2) Mr. Bryant claims to have then panicked and thrown the clutch again and shoved Sheppard some 30 feet and to the ground. Peck claims the car remained in first gear the whole time; Yet we see clearly in the video that the reverse lights come on, the car backs up with absolutely no clutch problem, Bryant attempts to flee the scene, and Mr. Sheppard grabs onto the car in an attempt to keep him at the scene (bike couriers know to try to grab the keys - Saab ignitions are between the two seats not on the steering column). Toronto Star claims - according to Bryant and his wife - at the point Mr. Sheppard said: "You're not going to get away that easy."

3) Mr. Peck's report claims Mr. Sheppard had harassed other motorists in the weeks leading up to his murder, yet more than half of the claims think it "may have been him", and none of the claims (including a 65 year old woman) claim they felt their life was in danger.

4) Last but certainly not least, Mr. Peck is obviously on Bryant's side in misleading the public when he reports the car traveled "at an average speed of 34 kilometres per hour". This is an odd way to say that the top speed of the car hit 68 kms/hr (as most witnesses claimed yet were dismissed).

Judge for yourself, video: http://bit.ly/XsOwY

If someone "mistakenly" ran you down for 30 feet, and tried to leave the scene because you "got up so quickly - and did not look hurt"? Wouldn't you try to grab the keys and have the careless driver charged?

What I find interesting about Apple and the media ...

2010-02-03T09:48:44.748-05:00

What I find interesting about Apple and the media is, as you said, most seem to go absolutely crazy for the company's products, without thinking critically about its usefulness, price point, or the competition it faces. It seems that everyone assumes Apple products will be massive successes. What short memories we have, as you rightfully pointed out. I wouldn't have ever remembered 3/4 of the ones you named, had you not just brought them up. I wonder if, in 5 years, anyone will actually remember the iPad.

It's about time government and traditional med...

2010-01-13T10:56:03.478-05:00

It's about time government and traditional media realize the power of social media. It's one thing to ignore a few scathing letters to the editor from a few people who care enough to write in. It's totally different trying to ignore over 100,000 people who can update/complain/vent at every minute of every day, and who have come together to do it.

If you are keeping an eye on the anti-prorogue Fac...

2010-01-12T15:34:44.608-05:00

If you are keeping an eye on the anti-prorogue Facebook page, you'll know that the Cons are making an effort to stem the tide. But it's pathetic. They tell the same lie time after time without realizing that in the Internet age, it's childishly easy to pull up a complete refutation of any old story. They get abusive -- one just said that the people on the board were completely politically ignorant. People there are treating them as figures of fun. It's one thing to know where a threat is -- it's another to counter it. They're failing miserably at the latter.

I'm only hoping they'll grow weary before ...

2009-12-28T09:43:40.705-05:00

I'm only hoping they'll grow weary before the next election!

I agree with your view, but I'm still surprised at how the Conservatives have held on to power despite their constant public embarassments. It's almost impressive.

Long time no see, Gord. As someone who was involve...

2009-11-15T21:18:45.742-05:00

Long time no see, Gord. As someone who was involved in the Bryant coverage, I can assured you that Navigator played no role in the coverage of the man who died in the Bryant incident. In fact, it was good, solid reporting on the day after the death that produced the details. I dare say neither Bryant nor Navigator had a clue about the dead man's background until it appeared in the media.
Sometimes too much credit can be given to spin doctors.

It's issues like these that have me terrified ...

2009-11-02T22:59:15.250-05:00

It's issues like these that have me terrified of growing up and being responsible for the government's past and current mistakes. I don't even want to think about what will happen when I reach my 30s and everyone of my mom's generation retires.

One of the main points that have been driven into ...

2009-10-19T14:56:33.652-04:00

One of the main points that have been driven into our heads while studying public relations is "tell the truth, no matter what". It's funny that a student is more aware of the necessity of doing this than the government. You'd think they'd have learned from past mistakes.

Gord: This is an excellent piece. Not only does ...

2009-09-24T09:11:40.982-04:00

Gord: This is an excellent piece. Not only does it explain how political tacticians operate in today's cynical climate. It also points to why politicians are held in low regard and fewer people bother to vote. Framing is just another word for lying, and people get that. Politicians who do this, and it is generally the backroom people not the elected people, are poisoning their own well, polluting the political culture and thumbing their noses at the public. Thanks for the piece.