Sun News

Those of you who know me will know that I have many reasons to abhor the new Sun News Network. Here's a sampling, for example:

• lack of journalistic integrity
• lack of quality news reporting and international coverage
• extreme right-wing bias
• extreme hypocrisy
• whiney, wannabe commentators
• lack of critical analysis
• ugly set and gross graphics

But the thing about Sun News that I noticed almost immediately upon watching it (and yes - I watch it. Sometimes on commercials. It's like a bad car accident that you can't tear yourself away from) is that they are totally self-conscious about their place in the Canadian media landscape. They couldn't just show up and do a good job and try to convince people to watch them the old-fashioned way, i.e. by employing the use of quality journalistic techniques.

So, like the schoolyard bully who really lacks confidence underneath all of that bravado, Sun News attacks other media outlets. In particular, and pretty consistently for their first few days on the air, Sun News seems pretty freaking scared of the CBC. Indeed, it is like the news station equivalent of penis envy with Sun News dying to show you how big theirs really is. And better too! So there!

It's sad enough when news outlets resort to extreme bias, fear mongering and shoddy news reporting. But at least if that's what you're going to do, stand up, put your big-boy pants on and have the guts to call it what it is.