What’s the Big Harry Deal?

June 13, 2007

A 21-year-old soldier heads out to a bar one night with his buddies. He has a few beers and flirts with the attractive female staff for which the bar is renowned. Happens every day without making news headlines … unless you’re third in line to the British throne.

I understand the fascination with Prince Harry’s visit to a Calgary bar. He’s famous, we’ve watched him grow up and we like the idea of seeing him having a good time on our home turf. It’s news. Plus, the Royal Family’s life is, well, a public life.

However, I was surprised by the Canadian media’s obsession with Prince Harry’s night-on-the-town. In the end, many of our major national media outlets matched the tabloid journalism we expect at the checkout line.

One national newspaper with a long tradition in Canada actually headlined with a bra-size across its front page in reporting on Harry’s visit. At least it was a British and not a Canadian newspaper that paid the young female bartender for a ‘tell all’ on her night with Harry.

I am not trying to attract sympathy for public figures, including politicians, targeted by the media.

I fully accepted when I entered public life that my views, my every word, my actions are subject to public scrutiny. And so they should be. Canadians should know such things about the people elected to represent them.

I even accept that some of my private life could become fodder for news headlines. It’s human nature, and we do tend to judge an individual’s credibility on important issues by how they live their life. Anyone in politics who doesn’t accept this is in the wrong business.

However, there has definitely been a shift in journalism in this country. Not only is the national media increasingly reporting on the personal lives, hair, clothing, and weight of public figures, the way in which they report the real issues and facts has altered significantly.

It used to be very rare for a reporter to quote anonymous or un-named sources. If someone had something to say, they had to accept that their name would be published. This is important because it’s difficult to refute or challenge “Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous”. They have the luxury of not being accountable for the accuracy of their statements. Furthermore, we rely on our knowledge of a person’s history, character or agenda in order to gauge the reliability of their comments.

In Ottawa, it is a well-known fact that if there is NO juicy rumour by noon, someone is sure to start one. The next time you hear or read about some story attributed to a “Tory insider” or “Conservative strategist”, please remember there are no such positions!

Fortunately, I find our local media outlets to be balanced and fair for the most part. But then, around here, we tell it like it is and don’t hide behind anonymity. It also means that instead of obsessing over the night-time escapades of a young foreign soldier, we can better engage in honest, meaningful debate on issues that actually matter Canadians!