Toronto Star really, really, really wants you to know Thomson has left the mayoral race
That’s a picture of the Google News results for the Star’s reporting on Sarah Thomson in the past 24 hours or so. Notice something there? Six separate stories and updates about how Thomson’s exit from the race changes things. And yes, it probably does—a little. (Most of those links now redirect straight to the Star’s latest story.) Meanwhile, the Globe and the Post have each taken a more modest approach to the news—two stories in the Globe and one in the Post—over the past day.
Events like this are newsworthy, and expanded coverage is totally worth it; both the Star and the Globe have some good reporting on the how, when and why of Thomson’s decision. But, with respect to Thomson, this isn’t a Unity, New Hampshire, moment signalling the end of a drawn-out, bitter battle between two political giants. Her campaign was struggling to climb out of single digits with any frequency. The last poll conducted before she left the race had her at seven per cent, and nobody thinks that George Smitherman will collect all of that. In short, this still probably leaves Smitherman and Rob Ford just about tied in the race to be the next mayor, with Pantalone and Rossi trailing quite a bit behind them.
It’s probably too late to stop people from thinking this proves whatever they think the Star’s motives are when it comes to the mayoral race. Let’s just say that nobody cared this much when Giorgio Mammoliti left the race, and he wasn’t doing that much worse than Thomson.
• How Sarah embraced George [Toronto Star]
• Contest grows tighter as Thomson drops out, endorses Smitherman [Globe and Mail]
As much as I cannot stand the possibility that George Smitherman might become the next mayor of Toronto – the least educated, most uncouth and unbalanced person (“Furious George”) to occupy that office (if he does win the election) – that possibility does not bother me nearly as much as the game we’ve seen played by the Toronto Star. If there were some body in a position to chastise that newspaper, I would appeal to that body to do so. As it is, I can only hope that the Star suffers a serious loss of subscribers – and readers generally.
Wow Toronto Life still exists.
I should explore the snobby areas of the Internet more often.
Doesn’t Thomson run rival publications?
MY NAME IS ROB FOR AND I WILL SAVE YOUR GRAVY!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJPE–glpgg
MY NAME IS ROB FORD AND I APPROVED THIS MESSAGE
Rob Ford is promising to make us feel better by doing some savings showboating, and seems to have little or no idea of the actual powers of the office of Mayor. In other words, little or none. Power that is, (or ideas).