Journalists: Soft On Duff

While not surprising Duffy has an opinion (though you don’t see the other newly-appointed former journalist senator Pamela Wallin making crass comments,), I’m disappointed he isn’t being treated like any other authority figure by his media brethren. I’d bet if he weren’t a former member of the press, his colleagues would have ripped him apart on him until we were sick of hearing about it.

Duffy’s likely retained some protection under the unwritten code where journalists, even the retired, compete and criticize each other, but always defend each other for missteps that don’t result in blackening the industry. While a nice protection, it’s not right to extend it to Duffy strictly because of who he was while Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz was severely criticized for his ‘death by a thousand cold cuts’ remarks during the listeriosis outbreak in September. Neither remark had class and the media should treat these men equally for not having the better sense to keep their mouths shut, the right to fair comment aside.

It takes a mere letter writer to apply the appropriate spanking. Although Rex Murphy pondering whether there should be a "cover charge" for attending a Mike Duffy speech was not bad either.