Hey Harpo, see what happens when you throw your robocall scapegoats under the bus on a channel that was supposed to be your permanent mouthpiece?
Michael Sona, a former Conservative staffer linked to the Guelph robocall by Sun News Network, has applied to appear before the CRTC to oppose the network’s request for must-carry status.
Sona submitted his application on Tuesday, complaining that Sun TV personality Brian Lilley named him in connection with the Guelph robocall without giving him the opportunity to comment, a breach of proper journalistic practices.
Because of that, Sona writes, “forcible taxpayer funding of this network would not be in the best interests of the journalistic profession or the viewing public.”
[…]
In his submission, Sona says that he wants to appear before that panel to warn people about the network’s journalistic practices.
After the “robocalls” story broke last February, Sun News Network, citing Conservative sources, linked Sona to a deceptive call that sent hundreds of opposition supporters to the wrong polling station. He was fired soon after. Sona says Sun did not give him the opportunity to comment before going to air.
“They did so without first calling me for comment, and the resulting political and media upheaval resulted in not only a lost job on my part, but also intense, unwarranted scrutiny of my family and friends,” Sona writes.
“At this point it’s too late for me to undo the damage to my reputation which Sun News engineered …. However, if my testimony can shed additional light on Sun News and save even one more person from having their life ruined by this network, I would consider it worthwhile to testify.”
Now, I don’t know Mr. Sona, so I can’t tell why he’s suddenly caught a bad case of very unConservative integrity. But whatever his motive is, I welcome it.
Meanwhile, the delicious irony of a “free market” right-wing channel trying to use a government organ to force Canadians to pay for and watch its crap is duly noted.
