Campaign Life organizer Stephen Jalsevac has made a formal complaint to the Ontario Press Council regarding a Globe and Mail article of April 29. The article and editorial, published two weeks after the event, concerned the home picket of abortionist Nikki Colodny.
Mr. Jalsevac pointed out several falsehoods and distortions in the April 28 article. The most serious concerned a brief, isolated incident of a single protestor talking to two boys who were approvingly watching the picket. The Globe, Jalsevac stated, inflated this one personal incident into a general “tactic” or “new strategy” of pro-lifers recruiting children to talk to abortionists, despite the fact that the reporter was emphatically told that this is not, and never has been, Campaign Life strategy. The Globe went so far as to accuse protestors of trying to “ exploit local children as conduits for fear and hatred.” And that the boys were told “ to go knock on her (Colony’s) door.”
Several radio stations contacted by Campaign Life were not aware that the Colodny picket had taken place two weeks earlier and were reporting it has having taken place the previous day.
The article and the editorial were only the latest of many attacks by the Globe and Mail against the pro-life, pro-family movement. On March 17 it reported that, during a home picket, protestors were chanting : close the morgue” when, in fact, the picket was silent from beginning to end. Campaign Life has, through its hotline, advised pro-lifers to beware of often slanted and false reporting of pro-life events by the Globe and Mail.
Picket organizer Dan McCash stated, “ The fact that the Globe went to such lengths to discredit the home pickets indicates that these pickets have been very effective against their abortionist friends.” McCash is strongly recommending an increase in picketing of the homes of abortionists and their key staff.
Stephen Jalsevac is also encouraging pro-lifers to actively respond to false, distorted or unfair reporting by the media and to seek redress. Provincial Press Councils should be contacted if satisfaction is not received from newspapers.
