CBC Comments Section is Nothing but a Harper Bash Fest

[Smallc]

Now, I'm no fan of Stephen Harper most of the time, and I often defend the CBC.....but how they can let the idiots keep spewing their senseless anti Harper rhetoric is completely beyond me. I feel like I'm reading a discussion on Rabble. It's absolutely unacceptable, in my humble opinion.

Thoughts (and please don't start on the whole CBC is an arm of the Liberal party things...because that's just as stupid)?

[eyeball]

Perhaps the vast majority of Canadians just don't like Stephen Harper.

I think when the spew in question gets too far beyond senseless and crosses into tasteless the CBC usually closes the comments sections associated with their stories don't they?

Edited February 22, 2010 by Charles Anthony
deleted re-copied Opening Post

[Lumpy]

I've had similar experiences visiting cbc.ca... the vitriol in the comments (often anti-Harper like you say) can be shocking.

I'm not CBC's biggest fan, but I do visit their site fairly regularly to get their take on the news. I find them to be less biased now than I remembered them to be when I swore them off more than a decade ago, but they are more left leaning than other mainstream Canadian media. Is it simply a case of the anti-Harper crowd being attracted to the mainstream site that most closely represents their opinion? Perhaps it's a result of a more obvious left-wing bias that existed in the past (which could be just my own perception) resulting in a more fringe group of posters being attracted to the site.

A similar point is there seems to be an army of pro-Iranian posters who pipe up on cbc.ca at the first sight of any news story presenting the Iranian regime in a bad light. The response can be strong enough that I've sometimes wondered if it's organized. Could the anti-harper comments be similar? I'm not a conspiracy junkie and I'm somewhat uncomfortable making the suggestion, but it's not out of the realm of possibility that left-wing organizations could be flooding the site for propaganda reasons.

No matter what the cause, I don't think that the comments are indicative of the feelings of most Canadians. At least I hope not.

Edited February 21, 2010 by Lumpy

[Smallc]

I think when the spew in question gets too far beyond senseless and crosses into tasteless the CBC usually closes the comments sections associated with their stories don't they?

Oh, bit I disagree. Go read almost any story with comments on the site. You'll find something about Harper in almost every story...even though the story has nothing to do with him or the government.

[eyeball]

I'm not a conspiracy junkie and I'm somewhat uncomfortable making the suggestion, but it's not out of the realm of possibility that left-wing organizations could be flooding the site for propaganda reasons.

For that matter, what's to stop a bunch of hard-core dedicated right-wingers from flooding the site for provocative reasons?

[eyeball]

Oh, bit I disagree. Go read almost any story with comments on the site. You'll find something about Harper in almost every story...even though the story has nothing to do with him or the government.

In every comment you mean?

[Smallc]

In every comment you mean?

No, not every comment is agains Harper, but his name (and bashing of him) comes up in the comments sections of pretty much every story.

[eyeball]

No, not every comment is agains Harper, but his name (and bashing of him) comes up in the comments sections of pretty much every story.

I quickly and randomly just scanned the comment sections of about 10 stories and found only one thread that had some real definite Harper bashing going on and one more in which I saw his name mentioned. I would have expected to find the opposite given what you've said.

I'm not defending the CBC but it just doesn't seem quite as bad as you're making it sound.

[Smallc]

real definite Harper bashing

Somehow, I think having you define this would be quite telling.

[Smallc]

There isn't much for Harper bashing right now, it really depends on the day....but most days, there's far too much.

[Lumpy]

For that matter, what's to stop a bunch of hard-core dedicated right-wingers from flooding the site for provocative reasons?

Nothing to stop them at all, so long as they abide by forum rules. But that's not what appears to be happening on cbc.ca; the site doesn't seem to have a lot of conservative posters, quite probably because they are drawn to alternate forums.

[August1991]

A similar point is there seems to be an army of pro-Iranian posters who pipe up on cbc.ca at the first sight of any news story presenting the Iranian regime in a bad light. The response can be strong enough that I've sometimes wondered if it's organized. Could the anti-harper comments be similar? I'm not a conspiracy junkie and I'm somewhat uncomfortable making the suggestion, but it's not out of the realm of possibility that left-wing organizations could be flooding the site for propaganda reasons.

I have had similar thoughts. It would not take a large organization or many people to dominate quickly a forum or comments section.

If it is not happening now, it will happen soon enough. Of course, any organization (left, right, foreign) is free to bombard a comments section or a forum with a particular viewpoint.

This is normal play of a free market in information.

Nothing to stop them at all, so long as they abide by forum rules. But that's not what appears to be happening on cbc.ca; the site doesn't seem to have a lot of conservative posters, quite probably because they are drawn to alternate forums.

The CBC knows its audience and it panders to them. My only objection is that we all have to pay for their little echo chamber. I am also saddened by the loss of a wonderful opportunity.

By rights, CBC radio should have Mark Steyn immediately after Anna-Marie Tremonti every morning.

Edited February 22, 2010 by August1991

[Bonam]

Every time I've read CBC comments I've been disgusted, frankly. Whether it's on topics related to Canadian politics (where it's all conservative bashing all the time), or topics of science and space exploration (where all the commentators think that money should be spent on the poor instead of on progress), or topics related to the middle-east (where all the comments are anti-Western and anti-Israeli), the majority of the CBC audience clearly seems to be a bunch of spiteful socialist radicals.

[DogOnPorch]

CBC: one of those places where one can write:

D-Day took place on June 6th, 1944

...and you get more 'thumbs down' than 'thumbs up'.

Edited February 22, 2010 by DogOnPorch

[eyeball]

Nothing to stop them at all, so long as they abide by forum rules. But that's not what appears to be happening on cbc.ca; the site doesn't seem to have a lot of conservative posters, quite probably because they are drawn to alternate forums.

You misunderstand.

What is to stop a bunch of hard-core dedicated right-wing shills from flooding the site under a false flag from time to time? There's certainly no shortage of people who hate the CBC.

I mean look at this thread, it's nothing but a CBC bash fest. It would be child's play to take it to the next level.

[DogOnPorch]

You misunderstand.

What is to stop a bunch of hard-core dedicated right-wing shills from flooding the site under a false flag from time to time? There's certainly no shortage of people who hate the CBC.

I mean look at this thread, it's nothing but a CBC bash fest. It would be child's play to take it to the next level.

The comment section of the CBC is monitored and any comments must be pre-approved before they make it online. So if a wave of hard-core dedicated right-wing shills makes it to print, somebody approved.

[bloodyminded]

The CBC knows its audience and it panders to them. My only objection is that we all have to pay for their little echo chamber. I am also saddened by the loss of a wonderful opportunity.

By rights, CBC radio should have Mark Steyn immediately after Anna-Marie Tremonti every morning.

Wrong voice. You're suggesting there's some lack of balance; if that's true, then some calm, rational ideological conservative would be in order. But not Steyn; because Tremonti is not shrill and insulting, calling her opponents "shrieking pansies" as Steyn does. She does not laugh at rape of detainees, citing the "humour" of this over and over, as Steyn did.

Don't confuse Ann Coulter for George Will. They're not the same animal.

[Radsickle]

CBC Comments Section is Nothing but a Harper Bash Fest

this just in... "Canadian discovers right-wing tactic of exaggerated, reactionary headlines."

Nothing but a bash fest? Please. Are you trying to inspire pity for Harper?

Just like this forum, the right-wingers are free to post on CBC's public website if they want. What they'll discover when they do is an enlightened, politically-active audience that will freely challenge their posts in a non-biased, tax-payer-funded forum.

Opinions matter.

Game On.

[Smallc]

this just in... "Canadian discovers right-wing tactic of exaggerated, reactionary headlines."

Right wing? Are you serious?

[wyly]

There isn't much for Harper bashing right now, it really depends on the day....but most days, there's far too much.

it goes with being the PM...who else is there to bash other the the government and it's leader, it would be a bit odd to bash the Liberals and NDP for government policy would it not?...

[Oleg Bach]

Harper should use his dictatorial clout and prorouge CBC permanently..but that would flood the job market with hair stylists and wine sipping intellectuals that are highly unemployable.

[Argus]

For that matter, what's to stop a bunch of hard-core dedicated right-wingers from flooding the site for provocative reasons?

Most of them probably work for a living.

[blueblood]

Now, I'm no fan of Stephen Harper most of the time, and I often defend the CBC.....but how they can let the idiots keep spewing their senseless anti Harper rhetoric is completely beyond me. I feel like I'm reading a discussion on Rabble. It's absolutely unacceptable, in my humble opinion.

Thoughts (and please don't start on the whole CBC is an arm of the Liberal party things...because that's just as stupid)?

Probably because their moderators are of the left wing persuasion, and feel free to exercise their power as they see fit. There are pro-conservative comments on CBC, but you have to dig.

That and because the CBC is a crown corporation, they'll be doing the typical federal gov't thing and overcompensating to one side so it looks like they aren't favoring the overall majority of things (most ordinary people don't spew senseless anti-insert name here rhetoric). Think of it as affirmative action.

For the times CTV has its comments section open when discussing political stories, there seems to be more of a right slant in the comments, with some sizeable left comments thrown in.

[Bonam]

I've tried to post on the CBC comments a few times and most of my comments never made it through, since they were somewhat right wingish. Of course my post about global warming did make it through, since I do agree that it is occurring, and that is in accord with the "leftist" position.

There is no doubt in my mind that the CBC comments are heavily censored.

[Radsickle]

it goes with being the PM...who else is there to bash other the the government and it's leader, it would be a bit odd to bash the Liberals and NDP for government policy would it not?...

This is the truth of it.

The majority of taxpayers who disagree with the current government aren't going to spend their online efforts nitpicking the opposition or going to shady, less-well-known sites like MLW to voice their vitriol. I bet CBC's forum participants were just as hard on the Liberal government during those (sigh) better days...

Edited February 23, 2010 by Radsickle