By Jack Briglia
Your advocate at The London Free Press
The purpose of the Opinion and Perspective pages in The Free Press, as has been stated previously, is to present a diversity of views and opinions.
Columns by such writers as Leonard Shifrin, George Will, John Best, Keith Spicer, Don McGillivray, John Ferguson, among others, give readers varying glimpses at the world. From time to time editorial writers Gary May, Rory Leishman and Bill Jory write personal columns. On Wednesdays the ombudsman shares the Perspective page with Helen Connell.
Editorial page editor Norm Ibsen has the responsibility of choosing the material. The trick is to try to maintain some semblance of balance. Can you please all the people all of the time? Not really. Some of the time? Not really.
Londoner Marc Emery, action director of the Freedom Party of Ontario, is one who is less than satisfied with the "balance", and he said so in a letter to the ombudsman.
"Every Monday, The London Free Press features a syndicated column by Leonard Shifrin," Emery wrote, "and cvery Monday for the past 10 or 12 years, Mr. Shifrin has, without exception, demanded increased government spending to provide for his Disneyland of social programs, from universal day care to larger welfare payments.
"At least twice monthly, and perhaps more often, Helen Connell writes a column from a similar vantage point; that is, more government intervention in any area of concern to your typical Marxist feminist, including more censorship, more taxpayer largesse for various feminist causes, etc.
"I do not argue that The Free Press has the right to feature these screeds advocating the further pillage of our rights and our money, but what does disturb me is that The Free Press has no consistent columnist writing from a point of view advocating free enterprise, a free market and individual freedom," Emery said.
He added:
"Certainly, a newspaper of the kind the Free Press aspires to be; that is, a community leader, should present intelligent advocacies of both sides of major issues. I certainly see plenty of advocacy for the government control side of things, but not a free-market point of view on many issues."
Emery suggested a number of "free-market thinkers" such as Walter Block, of the Fraser Institute of Vancouver, Milton Friedman, of the University of Chicago, John Crispo of the University of Toronto, and columnist Barbara Amiel.
Shifren writes out of Ottawa on social issues on a freelance basis, and is not on Free Press staff. Helen Connell is on staff and writes a column that she describes as "simply one woman's perspective on social issues - no more, no less."
Connell has received her share of brickbats since she started writing the column, and there have been other pleas from some readers for "a voice from the other side."
Ibsen feels the more diversity he could offer, the better it would be for his pages and for the readers.
While Ibsen says he would like comment with a different perspective from the advocacy columns carried, he isn't convinced that Barbara Amiel is the answer to "counteract" Connell. In this case he would prefer to find a suitable local columnist.
"Basically, I agree with what Emery is saying about the need for different voices, and I am on the lookout for them," he said.
The motto for the Scripps-Howard newspapers in the United States is: "Give the people the light and they will find their own way." The more light that can be shed on an issue, the easier it will be for the readers to come to some conclusion.
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last updated on April 28, 2002
