While the headlines were matter of fact, it wasn’t hard to imagine the glee behind the Facebook posts of other media networks the night of Feb. 12.
“Sun News Network shutting down Friday, nearly 200 lose jobs,” said CTVNews.ca
The Globe & Mailstated, “Sun News Network is going dark.”
On the National Post Facebook page it said, “Earlier this week a former employee said they ‘were surprised the lights were still on.’”
Sun News Network’s social media kept on keeping on, however. Much of it was likely pre-posted, just like a post-dated cheque. After all the other national media was reporting its imminent demise, Sun’s Facebook page said, “The RCMP broke the law — Lorne Gunter speaks to the commission chairman of the damning High River report.”
Ezra Levant’s rant was pumped as, “High River gun grab woes — A new report proves the RCMP broke the law by seizing firearms without warrants during the High River flood in 2013.”
Their Facebook page described itself as “Canada's most controversial television channel. The only place for the truth, straight talk and news you won't find anywhere else.”
Their own web page had no indication of going dark. The channel itself was still running reruns of Michael Coren’s show from earlier in the day. But by Friday, the network was off the air, their Facebook and Twitter feeds were gone, and the Sun had set.
I personally didn’t watch the channel much, but I would occasionally watch in the evening online. It was refreshing to hear another voice, one that wasn’t the usual one heard in Canadian media.
My own column has, on more than one occasion poked numerous bears, taking views that are not politically correct or welcomed. But there are times when society needs someone, anyone, to stand up and have the nerve to say, “No! That’s not right! Not everyone has drunk the Kool-Aid just yet.”
Ezra Levant was the most obvious example of that. Love him or hate him, he brought issues to the forefront when everyone else was sweeping them under the rug.
As one friend said, “They brought you news the other guys didn't or refused to cover or purposely didn't. They told it like it is. They shed light on issues the mainstream media would probably have said is a win for some group's supposed rights, but not the victim (i.e. Christians).”
Another friend said, “It wasn’t just Christians it defended. It was free speech, the oil industry, common sense and such. It also had great political commentary and wasn't afraid to hit both sides of the spectrum if they did something wrong.”
Indeed, almost all other national media sources seem to go out of their way to be accommodating to all other beliefs and creeds, but will never miss an opportunity to belittle, denigrate and insult Christians and their beliefs. Sun would point out how the open season on Christianity was never-ending in today’s society. No one else would, because they were the ones doing the hunting.
Even if you hated everything people like Sun News Network stand (stood) for, you should acknowledge our society needs people who stand up and ask hard questions.
I was reminded of this a few weeks ago. I was driving along a country road and I stopped to take a few photos of an industrial site for possible use in my own newspaper, Pipeline News. Within a minute, two pickup trucks rushed to my position on a public road, boxing me in. One person who worked at that site came up to my window and demanded to know what I was doing. I calmly explained, including the part where from a public road I can take pictures of anything I damn well pleased. She didn’t like that. I finally had to tell her that 12 people in Paris had died a couple days earlier in the name of freedom of the press. That shut her up.
In another instance I asked some really hard questions of First Nation protesters at a pipeline open house. One of the protesters, who had introduced himself as a journalism student, took issue with my questions. “You’re not asking proper questions!” he exclaimed.
“You mean I’m not asking CBC questions,” I replied.
This is what happens when people are unwilling to stand up to bullies. Their own self-importance, be it corporate, political correctness, or just someone being a jerk, will soon walk over all those too meek to resist.
The Sun has set. Who now will ask the hard questions? Inquiring minds want to know.
— Brian Zinchuk is editor of Pipeline News. He can be reached at [email protected].
