BREAKING NEWS! Doug Ford really doesn’t like the Toronto Star
Ever since the Toronto Star ran that article about Rob Ford abusing a young football player—something later explicitly and totally denied by the player in question—Rob and his brother Doug Ford have almost entirely refused to speak with Star reporters, both when the former was a mayoral candidate and now as the mayor–councillor duo. This morning, the frostiness took a new turn as Doug Ford engaged in a long, angry rant about the Star’s insistence on reporting what the mayor does even if they can’t get a phone call returned.
According to the Star’s transcript of Ford’s “questions” for Press Gallery head David Nickle (which should be read in full):
Do you think it’s fair—I’ll pose it as a question. Do you think it’s fair the Toronto Star stalks my 76-year-old mother, follows her to a neighbour’s house two streets down, follows her in a car, she knocks on the door, [and] by the time she gets back, she gets a phone call from the neighbour saying, ‘The Toronto Star’s at my door asking what we just dropped off’—it was a bag of fruit. Do you think that is fair, that’s proper journalism? Or is that stalking?
The context for this morning’s eruption is that city council is debating new security measures that would seriously constrain the ability of reporters to do their jobs. Particularly worrying is the requirement that reporters be forced to sign in with every councillor’s office—exactly the kind of thing we’d expect if the people running city hall wanted to track who is leaking what to which reporters. Of course, councillors could just start taking meetings in the parking garage beneath city hall, because that’s never caused any trouble before.
• Doug Ford denounces the Star, says mayor’s activities are private [Toronto Star]
Of course this is STALKING & if anyone says different, then they are stalkers themselves.
Frank Sinatra & Princess Di come to mind. Millions tortured unnecessarily, by reporter quota’s to get a story at all costs, even tho there really is no story, just day to day living. Kind of reminds me of the police traffic ticket quota’s. Ticket them no matter what.
Can’t find a story, make one up……Mrs. Ford senior, drops off a suspicious brown bag to a shady elm street house in neighborhood! Call the RCMP for investigation! Get a grip guys, get a grip. Your ambulance chasing, harassing/frightening seniors, is NOT going to score you points with Canadian readers. :(
it is so not stalking
If you want to create a culture where simple Democratic rights such as Freedom of The Press are no longer paramount, then go ahead and enact an obvious bully law that is ridiculous in the extreme. It is just a form of FORD Nation control like telling Councillors how to vote, hand signals etc- It is completely offensive- The Mayor and Mr Ford the other, have one vote each on council and if they weren’t so determined to maintain a level of secrecy and behind the scenes cloak and dagger there would be no need for reporters to bother with FOI requests.
Please tell me why so many of the Arab countries would risk life and limb to achieve democracy when we are so quick to sell ours out to a promised gravy trained tax cut.
@Joe D
Hi Joe :)
All I would need to know is what type of job you have & that would tell me everything I need to know about you & the Miller type of post you made. hahah
Just reading your post tells me that you are actually part of the problem we have in this city/province.
Stalking a senior mom???? That to you is reporting? Hitler’s Nazi SS comes to mind!
Try stalking my senior mom & I will drag your sorry a*s into court so fast your head will spin……let a Canadian Court Judge teach you the laws of staking/privacy etc.
hahah. You really do need to get a non union private sector job!
Hi Missy
As someone who has never had a Union Job in his life and the only time I worked for anyone but myself was at a restaurant when I put myself through school, you are so full of crap.Why is it that anytime someone disagrees with you Gravy Trained believers we all have to be Miller acolytes? This is not stalking. Look up the criminal code of stalking- If Mrs Ford is trembling in fear of her life then file a restraining order.
If the Mayor and the Wannabe did not believe they were above the rules and treated all of the media outlets with the same professionalism they profess to, this would not be an issue. The ‘boys’ of Fordville are trying to control which reporter visits which member of City Council. Journalism is built on confidentiality of sources. It reeks of arrogance and tactics of Big Brother-it is absolutely none of their business to know which reporter is visiting at City Hall, who they are seeing and how long they stayed. If losing basic tenets of Democracy doesn’t bother you- perfect, great- but it sure bothers me and should anger anyone who believes the only thing coming out of City Hall should be TRUTH. The truth is not someone’s massaged message of talking/voting points used to drive home their agenda- One we will get to of course as soon as the Fords are done spending at least $3 million on outside consultants to find all the spigots spouting Gravy – Instead we should just focus on shutting down the Ford bigots who spout stupidity.
Missy,
are you seriously comparing Rob Ford to Lady Di and Frank Sinatra? This is quote insulting! You are confusing Paparazzi with Journalist.
Journalist’s mandate is to cover the truth. So this mean investigation and providing us both side of the story. Do you really think it is to the population’s benefit to simply regurgitate the crap the politicians feed us? If they have nothing to hide, why the Ford brothers refuse to speak to Toronto Star?
And I thought Alberta politicians were greasy. Why is it that Rob Ford can’t do his own dirty work? Why does he need his brother to do it all for him? From the outside looking in, it seems clear that the Ford’s don’t want the public to know what’s going on at City Hall. Why? People who try to hide the truth usually have something to hide. And why are the lackies from Ford Nation defending that behavior?
I have to agree with Doug Ford.I can understand why he doesn’t like the Toronto Star.I do not like the Star as well.It’s news articles are so inaccurate.Their political views are complete garbage and one sided.To much left leaning with a no balanced approach.They constantly bash the Conservatives and it seems that the Liberals can do no wrong.
I do not buy the Star.It is fast becoming a Red Star Rag.I enjoy reading the Toronto Sun as their news articles are more interesting.They also have a more balanced approach.
Get a grip. I have not been reading any reporting in The Star. All I have been reading is the reporters bias, prejudice, twisted point of view.
quote by foodie514 “You are confusing Paparazzi with Journalist.”
Foodie……Stalking a senior mother, bcos her son refuses to grant a newspaper an interview, is NOT journalism…….IT IS PAPARAZZI DESPERATE STALKING!
How do you know that that did not affect her blood pressure, her health…..an innocent senior victimized by inept, ambulance chasing, desperate for a story, wannabe junior reporters!
I doubt very much that Mayor Ford would turn down an interview by the likes professional high quality journalists, THAT DO NOT TWIST WORDS OF THE SUBJECT & PRINT THEIR OWN PREJUDICE SLANT. We all know abut that corny 2 bit game don’t we. Crap Sells.
How about we just get The Star Journalists to start following your every move and see how you like when they start reporting twisted stories of your daily events.
Yeah, it’s reporting when it’s done to someone else, but not when it’s done to you. HYPOCRITE!
I know why Dougy doe’s not like the Star,there are no picture’s in it,his money gruby Friends at the Sun spin the BS wheeeel and make the Fords sound legit, yup thats who run’s mayors office,all the other councillor that are ford’s dog concillors, Rob Ford words not mine…. what did rob ford councillors do when they got home from the hospital???? the damn dishis if they know whats good for them lol