The Media is the Message > Canada's Liberal Party employs phase 2 of press intimidation

 

Controlling the media is one of the first phases of turning a healthy democratic country into an autocracy. Trudeau started the process by offering $600 mn to media that reported Liberal-friendly news. Phase two is thanks to Art Mark Carney, who is intimidating the media with a lawsuit against Juno News. Like much of Europe, democracy is failing in Canada.

Carney Government launches CRIMINAL investigation

into JUNO NEWS

Keean Bexte joins Candice to discuss Ottawa’s investigation into Juno News’ reporting using an anti-free speech censorship law that was previously struck down as violating the Charter

Candice Malcolm

Sep 03, 2025

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE AT BOTTOM

This is one show you’re not going to want to miss (watch the full episode at the bottom of this message, but please READ first).

On today’s very special episode of the Candice Malcolm Show, Candice and Juno News co-founder Keean Bexte discuss a letter he received from the Commissioner of Elections Canada informing him that he’s being investigated under Section 91 of the Canada Elections Act for supposedly knowingly misleading the public during an election.

Read the Commissioner's letter to Keean

If found guilty, Keean faces up to five years in prison and a $50,000 fine!

Juno News unequivocally stands by our story and our reporter. These allegations are false and this investigation is politically motivated – with the intent of intimidating independent journalists and silencing dissent against the governing Liberals.

As the Litigation Director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation responded yesterday:

“This isn't a criminal offence. Reporting, even if imperfect, should not be targeted by government agencies for sanction like this…This is weaponizing the law to stop journalism that the government doesn't like. I'm concerned it will chill reporting in the future.”

On today’s show, Candice and Keean discuss his report that prompted this investigation, where he painstakingly documented several disturbing allegations against former Liberal candidate Thomas Keeper based on firsthand testimonials from multiple independent sources. Keean even visited the Liberal Party campaign office in Calgary to hand deliver questions to Thomas Keeper – and Keeper called the police and made false allegations against him.

Keeper did not sue Juno News directly or allege defamation. Instead, the Liberal Government is bullying us with a criminal investigation.

As Candice reports, the Trudeau Government made changes to the Canada Elections Act back in 2019, using the Russia-gate hoax as justification. The Canadian Constitution Foundation challenged the law, and in 2021 it was struck down as unconstitutional by an Ontario judge.

The Trudeau Government made minor edits to the law, and this appears to be the first time anyone in Canada has been investigated under this act. There are three different tests that would need to be met in order for the government to charge Keean:

1. That he lied in his reporting

2. That he knew he was lying, and reported it anyway

3. That he intentionally wanted to interfere with the election by lying

All three of these allegations are wrong. Our story is based on corroborated first-hand accounts from multiple independent sources, so Keean didn’t lie – he certainly didn’t knowingly lie, and we released it to inform the public – not sway the election.

Find out more about this story at DefendJuno.com

Thank you to unsmoke.com for sponsoring today’s episode.

The Media is the Message > CBC's fact-checker got it wrong! Surprise! No Surprise!

 

CBC ‘fact-checker’ gets his facts wrong

May 07, 2025 | APPEARED IN THE TORONTO SUN

By: Jake Fuss

At all times, during an election period and beyond, the media must report accurate information and, when necessary, correct the record. For example, following the English-language federal leaders’ debate on April 17, CBC reporter Jonathon Gatehouse appeared on CBC News and “fact-checked” a statement by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre who had referenced a study published by the Fraser Institute. Unfortunately, during the segment, Gatehouse got his facts wrong.

The study (of which I’m a co-author) found that in 2023 the total tax bill (income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, fuel taxes, etc.) for the average Canadian family equaled 43.0 per cent of its annual income—more than it spent on food, clothing and housing combined, and significantly higher than the 33.5 per cent it paid in 1961. Put differently, taxes represent the number one expense for the average family today.

In response, Gatehouse made two false statements.

First, he falsely claimed the study does not take “inflation into account.” But in fact, the study tracks changes in the tax bill for the average family since 1961 and explicitly adjusts for inflation to provide an apples-to-apples comparison over multiple decades. As shown in the study, after accounting for inflation, the tax bill has grown by $30,227 (or 180.3 per cent) from 1961 to 2023. The study also includes other years of tax data, also adjusted for inflation, to provide additional points of comparison for readers.

Second, Gatehouse falsely claimed the study does not account for carbon rebates. But in fact, it does account for the Canada Carbon Rebate (CCR) when calculating the income of the average Canadian family because the CCR represents a transfer from the federal government to households. (After adding up all the various sources of income including carbon rebates, the study finds the average Canadian family earned an income of $109,235 in 2023.)

Finally, Gatehouse offered his subjective opinion about the study’s calculations, stating that “the problem is, they also included CPP and EI contributions in their calculations. Now, those are effectively down payments on future benefits for when people retire or lose their jobs—not taxes.”

Of course, people can reasonably disagree about the definition of taxes. But Gatehouse clearly veered away from his role as an objective fact-checker and violated CBC’s own journalistic principle to “not promote any particular point of view on matters of public debate.” Many economists argue that CPP and EI contributions are in fact taxes. And our study treats these contributions (which are typically deducted from our paycheques) as payroll taxes because they are mandatory and support government programs. And despite Gatehouse’s claims, the money we pay into the CPP is not a down payment on our own future benefits, but mainly pays for the benefits of current retired workers. The federal government also has no legal obligation to provide any CPP benefits to workers at all, and it can simply increase mandatory CPP contributions without raising CPP benefits.

According to CBC’s journalistic principles, its reporters must “seek out the truth in all matters of public interest” while treating “individuals and organizations with openness and respect.” In his “fact-checking” segment following the federal leaders’ debate, Gatehouse violated both of these principles. Neither the CBC nor Gatehouse contacted anyone at the Fraser Institute to verify his false claims.

Fact-checking remains an important exercise to provide Canadians with accurate information. Evidently, some fact-checkers require fact-checkers of their own.

Was Gatehouse under some pressure to make Poilievre look bad during the debates; was he just incompetent, or did he simply choose to trash Poilievre on his own? What do you think?

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The Media is the Message > German gov't orders media not to show Nazi symbols in Ukraine; Politico board member calls out bias; Indian Journo outs Western media bias on Ukraine

 

German media told to conceal Nazi symbols in Ukraine – Moscow

Berlin has forbidden journalists from showing banned images in their coverage, according to Russian intelligence

FILE PHOTO: The flag of Ukraine’s nationalist Azov Battalion. ©  Aleksandr Gusev / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images

The German government has ordered national media outlets not to show Nazi symbols in Ukraine, according to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). Journalists have been warned that they may face legal repercussions for broadcasting any such imagery, the agency reported on Monday.

The guidelines advise reporters to “politely” ask Ukrainian soldiers displaying the swastika or other Nazi-associated symbols to remove the “agitation elements” and avoid “unwelcome actions,” such as performing the Nazi salute, according to the SVR.

The agency emphasized that the prevalence of Nazi iconography and ideology in contemporary Ukraine is well-documented. The recommendation to exclude evidence from broadcasts suggests an effort to mislead the German public about the situation, the SVR claimed.

While the Russian report did not specify when the document was issued or which branch of the government was responsible, it stated that compliance by news outlets reflects a lack of independence.

READ MORE: Elite US university rehabilitates Ukrainian neo-Nazis

Under the German Criminal Code, public display of symbols associated with the Third Reich is generally prohibited, except for educational, scientific, journalistic, or artistic purposes.

According to Moscow, modern Ukrainian nationalism is shaped by historical collaboration with Nazi Germany during World War II. Figures such as Stepan Bandera, who sought to establish a Ukrainian nation-state under German patronage, are celebrated as national heroes.

Western media and officials have minimized the use of Nazi symbols by Ukrainian soldiers, framing it as a historical quirk rather than a sign of neo-Nazi affiliations, and dismissing contrary claims as “Russian propaganda.”

Moscow contends that it has amassed substantial evidence of Ukrainian atrocities driven by notions of national supremacy, justifying its designation of the Kiev government as a neo-Nazi regime.

Board member of company that owns Politico calls out its pro-jihad, anti-Israel bias

Mar 20, 2025 8:00 am By Robert Spencer

Long overdue. One may hope that he will be able to make Politico into something resembling a news organization, but he will no doubt face an uphill battle in attempting to do so.

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Indian journalist calls out Western media bias on Ukraine

After reporting for months from Donbass, TV9 editor Manish Jha shared his perspective of covering the conflict with RT

©  RT

Indian journalist Manish Jha, Editor at TV9 Network, spoke to RT following his recent trip to the Zaporozhye region, including a visit to the embattled Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). Drawing on months of on-the-ground reporting in Donbass, Jha offered a critical take on how major global media outlets have covered the conflict in Ukraine. 

“Most mainstream media – be it CNN, The Washington Post, or Reuters – are treated like the Bible,” Jha said. “But when I came here, when I visited places in Donbass, Zaporozhye, Kherson – I started realizing how they lie to the entire world.” 

Recalling one particularly harrowing incident, Jha said: “I was in Donetsk when it was heavily shelled. A rocket hit a bus right in front of me, and eight people were burned alive. I witnessed it while doing live reporting for my network. The next morning, I checked international media to see what they reported – and not a single line. That moment I realized we need to be independent and tell the truth to the world.” 

Jha traveled to Moscow after joining a delegation of international journalists who toured the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which Russia claims has come under repeated attack by Ukrainian forces. The ZNPP, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, has been under Russian control since March 2022. It is located in a region that later voted to join Russia following a public referendum. The plant is now operated by Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company. 

The Russian Defense Ministry has reported frequent drone and artillery strikes on the facility and the nearby city of Energodar, which it maintains are carried out by Ukrainian forces. Despite having a permanent monitoring mission at the site since September 2022, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has consistently refrained from naming the source of the attacks. This position has been questioned by journalists who visited the ZNPP, including Jha, who warned that continued strikes could risk a disaster greater than Chernobyl or Fukushima.

Why a ceasefire in Ukraine is easier said than done

Jha also commented on NATO’s role in the ongoing conflict: “For the last three years, we’ve seen how 30 countries led by the US have tried to destroy Russia – but they haven’t succeeded. As a war reporter, I can tell you: NATO is exhausted. They need time to rebuild themselves.” 

The journalist emphasized that India is among the countries that has consistently advocated for diplomacy and peace. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed this position last week in an interview with US podcaster Lex Fridman, stating that “the current situation presents an opportunity for meaningful and productive talks.”  

Despite onging pressure from Western powers to distance itself from Moscow, India has refused to take sides. The Indian leadership has argued that New Delhi’s strong diplomatic ties with both Russia and Ukraine place it in a unique position to act as a mediator in future peace efforts.