Dwight Duncan blasts the media for being intellectually dishonest, right wing and Rupert Murdoch–like

Dwight Duncan blasts the media for being intellectually dishonest, right wing and Rupert Murdoch–like

Image: Ontario Ministry of Finance

“The intellectual dishonesty, particularly of the right wing in this country and the right-wing media, is that they don’t tell the truth. It’s kind of like Rupert Murdoch…”

Apparently Dwight Duncan isn’t particularly impressed with reporters who recently called Ontario a “have-not” province. Yesterday, Ontario’s finance minister went on something of a rant, first letting everybody know what exactly dishonesty is—yes, Mr. Duncan, it means not telling the truth—and then rambling on about some fantasy drive down the 401 where he points out all the newspapers (including the Windsor Star, the Chatham Daily News, the London Free Press, the Toronto Sun, the National Post and Global TV) that take what he called “very conservative” editorial positions.

Putting aside the fact that his imagined road trip makes all of no sense, the more serious problem with his claim is that Rupert Murdoch isn’t in trouble for being intellectually dishonest. News Corp is under fire for committing serious crimes, repeatedly, over many years. So, comparing Canadian media to Murdoch isn’t just an over-reaction—it’s, you know, intellectually dishonest. After all, it’s not criminal to be conservative. Maybe a reporter could explain that to him—we’re pretty sure they’ll still take his calls.

Ontario’s finance minister blasts ‘right-wing media’ [CTV News]