Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day in America so naturally Canadians spent the day talking about a white lady. Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau was so inspired by the radical, nonviolent words of Dr. Rev. King that she radically and nonviolently made it all about her. Maclean’s has an explainer of the six things you might wonder about why she sang a song to her daughter who we can assume is not black until further notice. The Toronto Star put on their cape for her: “In her defence, she did seem to get caught up in the moment without really thinking things through.” Sounds like white people in general but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ whaddyagonnado? Black History Month is gonna feel like a year.
Meanwhile, the Prime Husband jetted off to Davos to hobnob with disgraced European royalty and promise ‘engines of innovation’ to George Soros. That’s just how hip we are now. Even the New York Times thinks we’re cool. Colby Cosh points out — while unacceptably slandering Drake on the way — that the Times mostly thinks Toronto is ‘hip’.
Common journalist slang I’ve learned from my job: hed, dek, evergreen, sycamore, birch, elm, yew, weeping willow, binary, redwood, oak
— Miriam Nadler (@antimytheme) January 20, 2016
Well, if you thought Monday was a laugh riot, then Tuesday was a regular riot. Postmedia threw a Molotov cocktail into its newsrooms and fired ninety people including the Edmonton Journal’s Margo Goodhand. She was one of the few women at the top of a masthead in this country, and one of the few to push back against the meddling of Postmedia CEO/Scooby Doo villain Paul Godfrey. As she told As It Happens, “I’m not saying this was vengeance but I will say it’s 2 p.m and I’m having a triple rum and coke.”
For their crimes against employment, the executives at Postmedia might be forced to face the finger-wagging sternness of the House of Commons. When asked by BuzzFeed to comment about a leaked email, Godfrey said, “Well first of all, if it was, do you think I would tell you, a competing news guy?” so I’m sure that’ll be a productive day at Parliament. If he’s smart (…unlikely), he’ll just go with a standard answer of ‘the matter is before the courts’. There probably is a National Post on sale in front of the Supreme Court so he wouldn’t be wrong.
And verily, hundreds of print journalists turned gaze upon the CBC and wondered what opportunities may await them in its hallowed halls.
— Steve Ladurantaye (@sladurantaye) January 19, 2016
UNIFOR, the union representing journalists at Postmedia, responded by saying “OH NO THEY DID NOT JUST.” I’m under 30; the only union I believe in is the holy one between Kim and Kanye. Still, it’s nice to see a union go to the mat for their members. Someone in journalism school still feels hopeful about the state of journalism. (Aw, who’s gonna tell them?) The next class of j-schoolers can have one of two jobs left. They can work at Twitter Canada where you can “provide the Ultimate Guest Experience.” Less ominously, they can host an arts and culture show for CANADALAND. If you choose the latter, you risk them publishing your salary/business expenses so you can’t hide anything from the tax people.
Today I learned I have libel insurance so next week’s newsletter is gonna be AMAZING.
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Not Sorry is a series of future court exhibits written by Vicky Mochama who shouldn’t be encouraged. If you wanted to though, you can support CANADALAND (ironically enough, in US dollars). Subscribe. @ Us.
