What's in a word? Our perceptions of realities around us are affected by the medium through which input is processed into perception. Words are being manipulated by CanWest subsidiaries around Canada to promote anti-Arab and anti-Muslim attitudes, portraying both Arab and Muslim Canadians as characteristically un-Canadian. My theory is that the most accurate portrayal of events can be maliciously manipulated to twist or obscure facts by changing or selecting words or headlines to make the most of a brain pressed to extract as much information as possible from media that are competing for its attention.
My theory is that in today's time crunch on everything, most people will read the headline only, less will read the first paragraph and even less the second, and so on. The second factor is obviously size of print and the third is the placement. The fourth is the most dangerous, the use of imagery.

April 16, 2004

Page A4 · Article entitled "Back to School, in media glare" continues to milk the story of the burnt children's school library for every word, photo or comment of PR possible.

It is without a single shred of doubt in my mind that the perpetrators of the burning of the library wanted attention irrespective of their cast motivation. It is easy to create a motivation, the authenticity of which will never be verified. It is easy to blame anti-semites but who would blame a group which wants to benefit from the suffering of children? Yes, the motivation has not been substantiated yet. And yes, it could be something other than what has been trumpted by the media, making the image of the perpetrators of pro-Palestinian anti-Israeli zealots, consequently, unfounded.

Little Mennie is quoted in a headline: "They don't like the other religions". Poor girl being manipulated by ill-minded media beyond her perception. The use of the word "They", rather than a singular there, is a plural which is in direct contrast to "us", which is fine if the attack is to be characterised as an attack on a facility of the Jewish community WITHOUT THE FOLLOWING plural in "religionS". So there is a "They", supposedly Muslims, as insinuated by the leaflets found at the scene, and there is an "us" which includes everybody else.

It is a shame that the parents of the little Minnie did not have the moral courage to tell her a better story, or it is a bigger shame that a pro-Israel paper is trying to use a child in its campaign against a strong Muslim-Arab-Canadian community.

Page A6 · "Commission unveils review today of proposed superhospitals"
"Super" yeeeeeeeeeeey that must be good, right. Way to go private healthcare?! Brian Mulroney is up to his ears in conflict of interest.

Page A8 · "No need to toughen hate laws, Cotler says"
The first paragraph drops the leaders of the Muslims and Christian groups that met with Cotler. They are there in the second paragraph, but seriously how many of the readers are going to actually read that far? My theory is that in today's time crunch on everything, most people will read the headline only, less will read the first paragraph, and even less the second and so on. The second factor is obviously size of print and the third is the placement. The fourth is the most dangerous, the use of imagery. Article is not finished, by the way. Quality journalism.

Page A9 · "Bloc's no alternative to Liberals; we are, Harper tells Quebecers"
Beyond the joke of Harper postulating about Quebec and Quebecers, this is a shameless promotion with no analysis whatsoever. Not relevant to my subject but gets a dis-honourable mention.

Page A10 · "Khadrs have rights"
If you have problems finding this piece of news, you are on to the first clue. The news is a small snippet. Which is fine, if it were not for an article on April 15, 2004 that took half a page, in which illegal demands to strip the Khadr's of their citizenship were repeatedly flaunted.

Page A14 · "Israel freezes settlements cash"
What a harsh thing to do, right? Notice the photo of the pious man reading from a prayer book as the girls in the background are building what the Israeli forces dismantled. What harmony and sense of belonging! The word of the article is "illegal" and its implicit damage is compounded by the usage. Heinous is the characterization of "some" outposts as illegal, when by international law, all construction is illegal. Notice also that the word changes in the subtitle to "unauthorised".
Embedded in this article at the very last paragraph is the only reference to the attack of a helicopter that "wounded" 20 Palestinians. Just a "by the way" piece of news.

Page A17 · "Iranian envoy tries to broker Iraq deal" - "broker" and "deal"; if you read the article you may agree with me that the original title had the words "mediate" or "resolve" instead of "broker" which implies a material/business benefit specially when combined with the word "deal". "Deal" was probably the word "standoff" originally. My bet is on "Iranian envoy tries to resolve standoff".