Rob Ford waves his fist at a Toronto Star reporter in a bizarre backyard altercation
The ongoing beef between Rob Ford and the Toronto Star got real weird last night. Here’s the rundown: around 7:30 pm, a neighbour alerted the mayor that someone was skulking near his backyard. That lurker was Toronto Star city hall reporter Daniel Dale, who was investigating a story about the Fords wanting to buy a small tract of parkland behind their Etobicoke property from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority for, ironically, security reasons (apparently they want to build a bigger fence). Dale, who, the Toronto Star stresses heavy-handedly, is an award-winning journalist, a familiar face to Ford and a wee fellow, says the mayor (dressed in his own campaign shirt) charged at him, brandishing his fist.
Even in his own account, Dale doesn’t come off as particularly heroic:
Every time I tried to sidestep him to escape, he moved with me and yelled at me again to drop my phone. I became more frightened than I can remember; after two or three attempts to dart away, I threw my phone and my recorder down on the grass, yelled that he could take them, and ran.”
Meanwhile, Ford—who is considering trespassing charges, though Dale says he stayed 10 metres from the property—alleges the reporter was standing on cinder blocks near the backyard and was spying on him and his family. He told the the John Oakley Show on AM640 that Dale had no reason to worry about being assaulted:
I never laid a hand on the guy. I said ‘buddy, I am giving you two seconds to get out of here. […] He started saying ‘Help, help, help’ and I said ‘What are you saying help for?’
Ford did admit he shouldn’t have confronted Dale, to which we say: yup. But Dale also could have conducted his explorations during the daytime, and notified Ford’s press team that he’d be there. Come on, people. The entire debacle is just embarrassing for Ford, for the Star and for Toronto.
• Mayor Rob Ford chases and confronts Toronto Star reporter [Toronto Star]
• Rob Ford threatens media blackout unless Star removes reporter from city hall beat [National Post]
Agreed, embarrassing for all involved. It does however provide a fascinating case study for a media studies class with how it’s being spun.
“But Dale also could have conducted his explorations during the daytime, and notified Ford’s press team that he’d be there.”
Why? Dale did not need the mayor’s permission to verify the facts of a story he was filing that evening. He was on public land, which is to say, he was on land that the public is allowed to be on. Should you ask permission to walk past someone’s house on the sidewalk?
The only evidence that Dale was actually snooping comes from the mayor himself. This is a man who lied about insulting fans at a hockey game, lied about not being arrested in Florida on drug charges, and evidently lied about Dale being “in my backyard” (the mayor’s neighbour said Dale was never on the mayor’s property).
And is no one interested in why Dale felt the need to give the mayor his cell phone and tape recorder? Mayor Ford admits he did block the reporter “like a cornered rat.” Are we are supposed to believe that Daniel Dale had no reason to feel threatened? Did Ford really demand Dale’s cell phone and tape recorder, or are we supposed to believe that Dale handed them over for no reason at all after being asked simply to leave? To be clear: on the Oakley show, Ford claimed Dale handed them over, not that Dale dropped them in a panic.
On Press Freedom Day, I would hope journalists might be curious about whether our mayor, an admitted liar who has faced charges of spousal abuse, threatened physical harm against another journalist. Just because he’s a clown doesn’t make the threat of violence any less serious.
And once again Toronto becomes a laughingstock.
Dear John,
The guy is looking over the fence in Ford’s backyard taking pictures. He wasn’t investigating the land, he couldn’t have been further from the land. Would you appreciate someone snooping around behind your house? There were witnesses that say the reporter in the backyard.
Grow up, you’re acting like a child.
Ford has more issues than anyone I know.
He has no right to have a reporter removed from his job.
Daniel Dale is an excellent journalist.
The sooner Ford is out and a new mayor has taken control of the City of Toronto the safer we will be.
Maybe he can get a job driving a garbage truck, no thats too good for him.
Dear Rob:
Mayor Ford CLAIMED someone was looking over his fence. He claims he has proof, but refuses to make the proof available, so we have to rely on his word. Unfortunately, the Mayor has proven himself to be a reflexive liar whenever his abusive behavior gets him into trouble (google “Rob Ford admits lying” if you don’t believe me).
And you are wrong about what the witnesses said. The neighbour who first alerted Ford confirmed that the reporter was NEVER in Ford’s backyard (and you can read the Post story if you don’t believe me). He was on a public land. What part of “public land” is so confusing? The reporter was NOT trespassing. He had every right to be where he was. And so do you, for that matter!
I’m sorry Monika Warzecha didn’t find Daniel Dale’s actions to be “particularly heroic.” I wonder how she would respond if she were trapped “like a cornered rat” (to use the Mayor’s term) by a 310 pound linebacker who has faced assault charges in the past. To dismiss the threat of violence against a fellow journalist by a politician, to accept the “snooping” claim of a reflexively untruthful mayor, and to remain silent as that mayor continues to try to harm the career of that fellow journalist (and on World Press Freedom Day), does not seem particularly heroic either.
…The Fantasy of being a “Hard-Hitting Reporter ” evaporated into a Frightened Scream as ‘ Ace’ Toronto Star Cityhall reporter DANIEL DALE dropped his recording device and RAN AWAY like a little girl upon Confrontation.
In his photo you can Clearly see his ‘Serious Reporter Game-Face.’
..when you realize what a Soft little Marshmellow he is…ready to DART AWAY rather than explain himself …or simply admitting to wrong doing.
He should be Fired and charged with criminal harrassment.
He is an embarrassment to journalists Everywhere.
the Mayor is a bully and should be charged. He should be fired for using his position to buy government land .
As for the contention that Dale should have conducted his business in the daytime, people seem to forget that at 7:30 it is still daylight at this time of year. It did get very dark when it rained earlier which may be why he didn’t come out then, but the sun was brightly shining at 7:30.
I also don’t understand why Dale or anyone else would need to alert the Mayor that they will be walking on public land. If your home backs on to a park and a community centre, you are going to have the public around and you can’t stop them. It goes with the territory.
Perhaps, someone can explain to me why you need to buy public land to build a fence? Isn’t there a restriction on fence height anyways? I think the whole thing is confusing especially now that the map of the area has been released and it seems that Dale was the only journalist smart enough to see the need to check it out first hand. Makes you wonder what the others are reporting on.
Well, independent of the Star reporter’s behavior, once again Rob Ford illustrates why he cannot be a mayor, and why he serves as an exceptionally poor role model.
If someone is snooping around your backyard, call the police.
As mayor, I expect someone to remain calm and collected and take appropriate action. Frankly, I think the man is loosing it (or lost it long ago). Strikes me that if he had a gun, he’d be firing at the guy.