Michael Coren Journalist for Life
By the time you read this column, we may know whether or not the television network Sun News, where I host a nightly show, has been awarded a must-carry license by the CRTC. It’s the license enjoyed by every other major TV outfit in Canada, and many minor and irrelevant ones. It’s really a matter of basic fairness, in that without it Sun News is at a massive disadvantage, is only available in 40 per cent of homes, is effectively banned by certain cable companies, and when it is on your television is placed so high on the dial that it’s difficult if not impossible to find. If we get the license we deserve, we will be seen by an enormous audience and will be in a sparkling position; if we don’t, our owners will likely close us down because they simply can’t continue to lose so much money.
Our opponents are the usual gang of leftists, atheists, pro-abortion, pro-gay, anti-American fanatics. They detest the fact that we provide another story, especially in matters of life and sexuality. I am extremely proud, for example, of my weekly segment Moral Maze, where members of Campaign Life appear and discuss subjects unacceptable on mainstream television. But still we hear the usual cry: I am offended therefore I am – the rallying call of the censorship- obsessed throughout the world. The new lords of intolerance come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but at this point in history the campaign to silence you, me, all of us, is led by a disparate and, at first glance, unnatural coalition: Muslims, gays, feminist zealots and socialist radicals. Strange bedfellows, especially if the gays and the Muslims are in the same bed! Not all Muslims, not all homosexuals, not all on the left, of course – mind you, there appears to be something intrinsic and inevitable about the censorship fetish within Islam and socialism.
I’m Catholic, I’m pro-life, I believe marriage is the union of one man and one woman, I believe parents and not the state have the right, nay the duty, to educate and raise children, I believe Israel, the Jewish state, is a beacon of decency in a morally inelegant Middle East, I believe that freedom and liberty triumph over regulation and control, I believe in values and virtues, I believe that changing with the times can be a dumb and dangerous thing to do.
But I also believe in you. Yes, you. And thus believe that even if you disagree with me, disagree vehemently and passionately, your voice has to be heard, and your views respected. All I ask is that you have the same regard for me and mine. If what I say offends you, watch something else. Hey, it’s what conservatives have been told for 40 years every time they have complained about immorality or pornography on television and radio – “if you don’t like it, switch channel, don’t listen.”
Then, of course, the media party and the establishment politicians try to prevent conservatives and people of faith from having their own channels and stations. Oh hypocrisy, liberalism is thy name. The only thing worse than a closed mind is an empty head. The left have a mantra, a phrase they throw at conservatives over and over again, particularly over social and ethical issues – “what are you afraid of?” But what are the comrades afraid of? The stories of censorship at universities and in media are legion, and any genuine conservative, Christian, or critic of jihadism, any informed supporter of the United States, any advocate of traditional marriage, any foe of abortion, has had similar experiences.
Beyond this media censorship are the cultish human rights commissions and their coven of controllers. You’ve all heard the anecdotes – unqualified, unaccountable, uncaring fanatics who in the name of their freedom want to eliminate yours. Do you feel that we live in a country full of racism, sexism, and bigotry? I don’t. I’ve lived half my life in Canada, and I find Canadians to be an invincibly fair, friendly, kind people. Do you think you need to be monitored all the time, told what to think, read and watch? No, neither do I. Which is why the Sun News outcome is so important. As I say, by the time you read this column we may know whether Canada has a free future or not. What times, what interesting, frustrating times.
Michael Coren’s website is www.michaelcoren.com, where he can be booked for speeches and his books purchased.
