Friday 18 November 2011

USA Media influence on Canada

PM Harper's 'soft on crime' stance, largely influenced by the American right to bear arms, Tea Party mavericks, and has resulted in bad crime legislation that negates all the things we Canadians have learned about reparation, restitution and rehabilitation.

There are two areas in which Canada is vastly different from the US: education and healthcare.
With a 25-year career in education, I have seen many US-based initiatives that have crossed over to Canada, despite out system being different, and our educational culture being different.

In my post-career work as a healthcare advocate, I have seen how American pharmaceuticals have influenced healthcare policy in the US. I have witnessed how private health insurance in the US means that the poor suffer, while the rich can pay for insurance plans. How different it is in Canada, where, in theory, universal healthcare is a state-granted right.

I was curious. My impression is that Q, which goes on-air in the morning and is rebroadcast at night, seemed to have a great number of US musicians, authors, researchers and journalists.

I must say it was an impression, as I am keen to hear about what is going on in the world, but I speak to CBC - the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, for upholding Canadian content.

Many Canadians are interested in US personalities, but I am more interested in what is going on in the world, and how Canada is influenced by our near neighbour.
I sat down to put together some real data.
If you tote them up, aside from general discussions, media panels, or Sports Culture panels, the individual guests were from the US (38), some born in Canada (25) with Canadian musicians, other stories from the UK( 7), Japan, China, Paris, Brazil.
Some guests were born in Canada, but work in the US, others were born in the UK, and work in the US. But the predominant number of guests are from the US.

Now, I wouldn't mind listening to these guests, if the show could put a Canadian spin on the whole deal, but Q does not. Q doesn't seem to grasp the root differences between US and Canadian politics, healthcare and education, specifically. It does not examine the parallels between our systems. Researchers, while being interviewed, often throw out the token Canadian spin, "I'm sure it is the same in Canada."

I beg to differ.
An interesting LA Times article on our CBC,

The Red Wall:
A woman in the RCMP

Cultural Exchange: CBC Radio links Canadians from shore to shore

They write in part:
One of the most popular of these shows is "Q," an arts and culture show hosted by Jian Ghomeshi, formerly of the folk-rock group Moxy Früvous. When the show launched in the U.S. last year, there was concern on both sides. Said Ghomeshi, "It's perhaps an extension of our own Canadian inferiority complex that we at times assume that others wouldn't be interested in us and by extension, a misread by their own programmers that Americans wouldn't be interested in what's happening in other countries."

Wish it were so–I think Ghomeshi is being disingenuous. I am more interested in CBC focusing on Canadian issues, musicians, authors, and artists. The big publishers dominate the air waves with book tours and radio spots. It is seldom we hear of the little people, and their truly Canadian stories.
My favourite example is Jane Hall, former RCMP, who wrote The Red Wall: A woman in the RCMP.



Guest
Profession
Country of origin/
location of story
Nov. 22
·       Kate Bush
·       Tegan & Sara

  • musician
  • musician
·       UK
·       Canada
Nov. 21
·       Lang Lang
·       Natasha Lennard 
·        
·       musician
·       journalist
·       China
·       US
Nov. 18

·       Jann Arden
·       Q’s media panel

·       Samantha Savage Smith and Michael Bernard Fitzgerald

·       Musician
·       Discussion
·       Indie Musicians

·       Canada
·       -
·       Canada
Nov. 17
·       Woody Allan Documentary
·       ColdPlay musician
·       Filmmaker
·       musician
·       US
·       UK
Nov. 16
·       Kermit
·       Craig Lambert
·       Torquil Campbell
·       Puppet
·       US author
·       Roving reporter

·       US
·       US
Nov. 15
·    Plagiarised spy novel
·       Martin Lindstrom
·       Roz Chast
·       Assassin of Secrets
·       author: Brandwashed
·       cartoonist
·       US
·       US
·       US
Nov. 14
·       Hasan Elahi
·       Eugene Levy
·       Sports culture panel
·       artist-privacy
·       comic
·       US-raised
·       Canada
Nov. 13
·       James Loney
·       Moby
·       Maya Angelou
·       Bob Marley
·       peace activist
·       musician
·       poet
·       musician
·       Canada
·       US
·       US
·       US
Nov. 10
·       Debate: Canadian novels
·       Stephen King
·       Robert Fisk
·        
·       author
·       poppy?
·       Canada
·       US
·       UK
Nov 9
·       Esi Edugyan
·       Sarah Slean
·       Daniel Edwards
·       Giller prize, author
·       musician
·       sculptor of Any Winehouse
·       Canada
·       Canada
·       US
Nov. 8
·       Oasis
·       Noel Gallagher
·       Michael Idov
·       musician
·       Russian film discussion
·       journalist
·       UK
·       Intl
·       US
Nov. 7
·       Wikipedia
·       Marni Kotak
·       Sports panel, NHL, NBA
·       cyberspace
·       gave birth online
·       discussion
·       Int’l
·       Canada
·       Sports: US/Canada

Nov. 4
·       Camille Dodero
·       Natasha Hastings
·       Q media panel
·       Elvira
·       FBI discussion: Juggalos
·       track star
·       discussion
·       comic
·       US
·       US
·       
Nov. 3
·       Mark Schatzker
·       Amon Tobin
·       Peter Gabriel
·       satirist, quote, Rick Perry
·       ISAM Invented Sound to Applied Music
·       Musician
·       Canada
·       Brazil
·       UK

·       Charles Kenny
·       William Shatner
·       Woody Thompson
·       Torquil Campbell
·       donating food, clothing overseas
·       Canadian-born US actor, ·       pop-up video creator,         musician

·       US
·       US/Canada
·       US
·       Canada
Nov. 1
·       Rick Mercer’s rant
·       Sahr Ngaujah
·       Michele Landsberg
·       Canadian discussion
·       Sierra Leon actor
·       Canadian journalist
·       CBC
·       Intern’l
·       Canada
Oct. 31
·       Stephen Marche
·       Coeur de Pirate
·       Sports Culture panel
·       Film: anonymous
·       Musician
·       discussion
·       Canada born, writes in US
·       Canada
·       -
Oct. 28
·       Emily McCombs
·       Kate Beaton
·       Show: Love Lies Bleeding
·       RE: Sexy costumes
·       Cartoonist, author
·       Alberta Ballet
·       US
·       Canada
·       Canada
Oct. 27
·       UK Porn Block
·       Jason Segel
·       2 pianos, 4 hands
·       Culture
·       Muppet script writer
·       Touring show
·       UK
·       US
·       Canada
Oct. 26
·       Gaddafi death video
·       Gary Shteyngart
·       AKB48 musician
·       Discussion
·       New novel
·       Japanese pop sensation
·       International
·       US
·       Int’l
Oct. 25
·       K-os
·       Larry Kramer
·       Musician
·       Playwright, author
·       US  TV, content
·       Canada
·       US
·       US
Oct. 24
·       Q debate
·       John Lithgow
·       Paris Syndrome
·       Women, glass ceiling
·       US actor/author
·       illness
·       Canada
·       US
·       Paris/Japanese
Oct. 21
·       Arkells
·       Superheroes
·       Chris Isaak
·       Media Panel
·       Michegan Left, Vigilante justice
·       Musician/actor
·       Brooke Gladstone: NPRs On The Media
·       US
·       -
·       US
Oct. 20
·       David Hockney
·       Karine Vanasse
·    Rescinded US military policy
·       British/US painter
·       PanAm stewardess myths
·       US
·       British/US
·       US Show
Oct. 19
·       Paying college athletes
·       Tony Bennett
·       Burying the dead
·       Torquil Campbell
·       Paying NCAA players
·       Singer
·       Topic discussion
·       Roving correspondent
·       US
·       US
·        Canada
Oct. 18
·       Tom Waits
·       Tanning beds
·       Store
·       Musician
·       discussion
·       US
·       US
·       Int'l
Oct. 17
·       Wal-mart
·       Margaret Atwood
·       Sports Culture panel
·       Re: women entrepreneurs
·       Author
·       -
·       US
·       Canada
·       -
Oct. 14
·       Paul Simon
·       David Braid
·       Obscenity rules
·       Guardian newspapers
·       Musician
·       Pianist
·       -
·       Open newsroom
·       US
·       Canada
·       -
·       -
Oct. 13
·       Dr’s bedside manner
·       Martin Sheen
·       Barr Brothers
·       medicare
·       US film
·       Musician: performance
·       Int’l
·       US
·       Canada

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