Charlottetown Guardian Turns A Page

It was only a matter of time before the Press Gallery allowed bloggers

Blogging is ”in” for Guardian reporters.  Teresa Wright and Ryan Ross now call themselves ”Professional Bloggers”.

This is a big turnaround from 4 years ago when the Guardian-led press gallery kicked out it’s only journalist who published a blog.  The Guardian’s manager editor, Gary MacDougall, proclaimed within a hatred of bloggers than ran deeper than logic, bordering on criminal.

Apparently either Thibodeau and MacDougall no longer run the show at the Charlottetown Guardian, or they had a change of heart or Wright and Ross are about to be demoted from reporters (with pay) to bloggers (with no or reduced pay).

The phony War On Bloggers

Only the naïve believed PEI Press Gallery President Wayne Thibodeau on October 19 , 2009 when he cracked the whip on bloggers. Wink wink, nudge nudge.

Thibodeau told the press gallery meeting held to take away my Press Pass,  “The executive does not believe there is a place for bloggers in the press gallery because there is no room in the inn”

No one really took the senior Guardian reporter as gospel. There Is No Room In The Inn

Everyone knew Mr. Thibodeau was using code for “there is no room in the inn for bloggers who advocate for the disabled.”

Bloggers out at the Press Gallery, Bloggers In

The whole blogger issue was a smoke screen for prejudice and bigotry. My complaint to the PEI Human Rights Commission is that the Press Gallery removed my press pass because I was a member of a disability advocacy group and on account of being disabled.

Teresa Wright coming out as a blogger is old news. Most of the reporters in the 2009 press gallery meeting admitted they were bloggers. The whole meeting and vote was a phony frame-up, a  media lynch mob where the reporters blood runs hot over a kill.

Teresa Wright Professional Blogger

It comes as no shock to anyone that the Vice President Teresa Wright admits she is a “Professional Blogger”, as of November 12, 2013 according to the December 28, 2013 Guardian.

A couple of things could explain this change of heart. The Press Gallery may have removed, or are planning to remove Ms. Wright from their membership rolls. But according to sources, the Press Gallery haven’t had a meeting since 2009 so perhaps Ms. Wright’s disciplinary hearing is yet to be held.

Or perhaps Ms. Wright is no longer a paid reporter for the Guardian but moving to a new place as a blogger. I should warn her bloggers don’t get much respect in some quarters, and even less money.

Thibodeau firm on bloggers

Mr. Thibodeau, Press Gallery President by his own acclamation, was firm that bloggers should not be allowed in Press Gallery.

He went on at great length to explain in detail why bloggers, and particularly this blogger, should not be allowed in Press Gallery.

“We are by no way setting a precedent by restricting bloggers,” he said.

“In my own research and in research conducted by the Legislative Assembly, we could not find a single press gallery in Canada that allows bloggers in,”

…he said assuring the Press Gallery that his research was assisted by the Speaker’s Office, emphasizing the cozy relationship he enjoyed with the Government.

“I’ve already been told by prominent members of the Progressive Conservative Party, that if Mr. Banks ( a blogger) gets his application for media accreditation, they’ll be sure to have one of their bloggers accredited as well. The floodgate begins.”

“I’ve also been told at least one; maybe two other bloggers are also awaiting our decision and will also make application. This will have dire consequences, and I am not over exaggerating,” he said at the exact moment that he was over exaggerating since merely being a blogger did not qualify anyone as a journalist.

Other reporters admit to blogging

I won’t bore the reader with all the comments Mr. Thibodeau made about bloggers, the inn, the floodgates and Mr. Banks. It would be safe to say that he did not like bloggers, that is until the meeting got out of control near the end when several voices, some of them female, admitted they were bloggers too.

One of those voices may have been Ms. Wright who definitely sees herself as a blogger 4 years later in 2013.

I wonder what Mr. Thibodeau will say about bloggers when he gets to Court or before the PEI Human Rights Panel. Perhaps he wants to avoid the embarrassment of explaining himself is why he is fighting tooth and nail not to go to court.

None of this makes much sense but the newspaper business is facing tough times and no doubt hard decisions are being made.