The following letter was sent to the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery following the expulsion of the Blacklock's Reporter news service.To: Mr. Guillaume St. Pierre. President. Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery.Date: December 6, 2022.Subject: Expulsion of Blacklock’s Reporter.Guillaume,.I am writing to you and the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery (CPPG) to protest the expulsion of Tom Korski and Blacklock’s Reporter from your organization. .As you know, the Western Standard is a temporary member of the CPPG pending permanent membership. We value the role that it plays and are disturbed by the precedent that this action sets. .The overwhelming majority of CPPG member organizations solicit and access funding from the federal government; a state of affairs which the Western Standard believes creates an inescapable conflict of interest and degrades public trust in the news media. .Blacklock’s Reporter — along with the Western Standard — is one of the only media organizations left in Canada or covering Parliament Hill that refuses to accept federal bailout money. By expelling Blacklock’s Reporter from the CPPG, this reduces the already anemic number of free press organizations on Parliament Hill to almost zero. This leads us to fear that we will be next, and that news organizations that refuse to accept government funding will be entirely removed from Parliament Hill. .Additionally, Blacklock’s Reporter is a trusted partner of the Western Standard. Alongside our own Parliamentary Bureau, we contract Blacklock’s to do much of the investigative reporting that they excel at. They do world-class investigative reporting on issues often ignored by the government-sponsored media and provide us with an invaluable service. By expelling Blacklock’s Reporter from the CPPG, Western Standard readers will be done a disservice. .I understand that there have been allegations made by certain colleagues and competitors or Mr. Korski that he has been rude or engaged in disruptive behavior. To date, no evidence of this has been brought to my attention or been made public so far as I am aware. Because of the important nature of the CPPG, any expulsion of an individual member or media organization should be subject to due process and be made public. This is critical in ensuring that the CPPG is not unreasonably viewed as unfairly gatekeeping. .I am formally asking you and the CPPG to reverse this decision and restore the membership of Blacklock’s Reporter, or put the matter to an appropriate judgement process with its evidence and findings made public. .Thank you for your consideration. .Regards,.Derek Fildebrandt.Publisher, President & CEO,.Western Standard New Media. Corp.
The following letter was sent to the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery following the expulsion of the Blacklock's Reporter news service.To: Mr. Guillaume St. Pierre. President. Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery.Date: December 6, 2022.Subject: Expulsion of Blacklock’s Reporter.Guillaume,.I am writing to you and the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery (CPPG) to protest the expulsion of Tom Korski and Blacklock’s Reporter from your organization. .As you know, the Western Standard is a temporary member of the CPPG pending permanent membership. We value the role that it plays and are disturbed by the precedent that this action sets. .The overwhelming majority of CPPG member organizations solicit and access funding from the federal government; a state of affairs which the Western Standard believes creates an inescapable conflict of interest and degrades public trust in the news media. .Blacklock’s Reporter — along with the Western Standard — is one of the only media organizations left in Canada or covering Parliament Hill that refuses to accept federal bailout money. By expelling Blacklock’s Reporter from the CPPG, this reduces the already anemic number of free press organizations on Parliament Hill to almost zero. This leads us to fear that we will be next, and that news organizations that refuse to accept government funding will be entirely removed from Parliament Hill. .Additionally, Blacklock’s Reporter is a trusted partner of the Western Standard. Alongside our own Parliamentary Bureau, we contract Blacklock’s to do much of the investigative reporting that they excel at. They do world-class investigative reporting on issues often ignored by the government-sponsored media and provide us with an invaluable service. By expelling Blacklock’s Reporter from the CPPG, Western Standard readers will be done a disservice. .I understand that there have been allegations made by certain colleagues and competitors or Mr. Korski that he has been rude or engaged in disruptive behavior. To date, no evidence of this has been brought to my attention or been made public so far as I am aware. Because of the important nature of the CPPG, any expulsion of an individual member or media organization should be subject to due process and be made public. This is critical in ensuring that the CPPG is not unreasonably viewed as unfairly gatekeeping. .I am formally asking you and the CPPG to reverse this decision and restore the membership of Blacklock’s Reporter, or put the matter to an appropriate judgement process with its evidence and findings made public. .Thank you for your consideration. .Regards,.Derek Fildebrandt.Publisher, President & CEO,.Western Standard New Media. Corp.
