Late in August my TV show debuted on Sun News. The Arena with Michael Coren airs at 7pm ET weeknights, repeated at midnight – so that people in the west can see it at a reasonable time. I should give you all a public health warning right now, I suppose: “What you’re about to see each evening is not suitable for people who are easily offended, who think the CBC is intelligent and balanced, who adopt a default anti-Israel and anti-American position, who think they are urbane when they mock Christians, who are frightened of being critical of Islamic radicalism, gay extremism, and powerful liberals.”

 

For the rest of you, who compose the vast bulk of this great country, watch and enjoy. You don’t have to agree with me or my guests, but all I ask is that you exhibit the same tolerance for contrary opinion as I show for those with whom I disagree. It’s why I will have an open house on the show for all sorts of opinions, hard left as well as strong right. For too long we’ve been told that the mushy middle is entertaining, and the left always correct. Sorry, the cards of television history have been re-shuffled.

Having an hour of television five nights a week means that I can explore pretty much every issue, but in particular I want to report on censorship, free speech, faith and morals, religion, foreign affairs, and arts and culture. To give one brief example, in August almost 1.5 million young people assembled in Madrid for World Youth Day. This is not the laughable lie of the “magic million” we’re told attend gay pride day, but a genuine number.

They were youngsters from all over the world, of all colours and races, boys and girls, rich and poor. There were around 100 protestors, who stupidly thought that Spain should not pay for the event, when in fact Spain was not paying for the event. That aside, the time given to the protest by our state broadcaster, by the BBC in Britain, and the U.S. networks, was shameful. That sort of propaganda won’t happen on The Arena.

Similarly with alleged no-go areas such as abortion, homosexuality, proud support for Israel, the traditional family, Canadian values, the nonsense of relativism – people are tired of being told what to think, tired of those who assume they know better controlling the vehicles of expression and thought. Now you have a voice, you have a platform.

Which leads me to those issues that are of particular importance to readers of The Interim. In the first week of the show we showed a chunk of The Silent Scream, and discussed the logical arguments behind the pro-life position. I’m not aware of the 1984 ultrasound film of an abortion being show on national Canadian television in the past, but I can guarantee you that it will be shown again on The Arena. We also interviewed the president of The Catholic League in New York, and discussed anti-Catholicism and a wider hatred of Christianity in general.

In the second week we discussed the arrest of a pro-life protestor and the illegal activities of the police in confiscating a camera and deleting footage of the arrest. I made my position clear time and time again during the first few shows that life begins at conception and ends at natural death, and that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. People wrote to me in large numbers, incredulous that this was being said. “Can you say that on TV and get away with it.” Yes, you can on Sun News.

We have great plans in store, to give in-depth coverage to issues concerning life, sexuality, Christianity, and morality. The show will cover all sorts of other issues, but will never shy away from what is vital to those of us who care about the issues that really matter. Which is where you come in. We at Sun News can’t win this one without you, and there are many people who would like to close us down. Watch the show, watch the station, tell your friends to watch, tell your family, everybody, that at last we are represented on mainstream television. I am so proud of The Arena, and so proud of you.