The question that ignited Howie's rant
Saturday, October 6, 2007 | 01:17 PM ET
When you watch the news, you usually see a politician's answers but not the questions that lead to them. Sometimes that means you're really only getting half the story.
NDP Leader Howard Hampton with the media in happier times. (Karina Roman/CBC News)
On the campaign trail, reporters have two or three opportunities daily to scrum the leaders and ask them questions. One or two of these questions may actually be related to the announcement of the day, but most are related to other things going on in the campaign or hints of things we've picked up on.
On Thursday, every news outlet, including CBC, played the passionate and mostly anger-filled rant of Howard Hampton demanding to know why no one was paying attention to the issues he's been raising.
He blamed Conservative Leader John Tory for running a "disaster" of a campaign, but mostly he blamed the media for fixating on the issue of faith-based school funding.
His diatribe was in response to two questions posed by yours truly. And many assumed, based on what Hampton said, that questions about faith-based school funding set him off. But that wasn't the case.
The first question that got him going was, "This morning in the Toronto Sun, you were very frank about your frustration with the campaign and about your future with the NDP. I'm hoping you can be as frank with us here now. After this election, does the NDP need a new leader and is this your last campaign?"
Hampton responded, "That's not for me to decide. That's for the people to decide. My issue is to raise the issues that matter to people. I've spent four weeks trying to get people to understand that seniors are living in our homes for the aged, our nursing homes, in soiled diapers. And all I've heard from the media is you want to talk about faith-based schools. There are real issues out there. We've become the child poverty capital of Canada. Don't you people care? Don't you care about that? Don't you care that there are seniors living in soiled diapers? Don't you care about that? I'm asking you what do you care about. That's what I know people care about."
He went on to say, "These are the issues that matter. After the election, I'll talk with New Democrats about my future."
Later in the scrum, I asked again, trying to get a more definitive answer, "You told the Toronto Sun that maybe you are the wrong leader for the job, that you are racking your brain about that. Do you still feel that way?"
Hampton answered in much the same way, and with as much vigour, as he did to my first question, although he also added that quip about the media being on some kind of "planetary exploration expedition."
The audience rarely hears the question that precede an answer, but sometimes knowing the question can cast an answer in a new light.
— Karina Roman
Comments
Grant Robertson
Paisley
Hampton was exactly right. The media can try and justify the worst coverage I have ever witnessed for an election campaign, and try through whiney, little tirades like Roman's jusification for asking irrelevant questions to pretend otherwise but the fact that Hampton's comments struck a chord shows that people agree- the media has failed in its responsibilities.
Good on Hampton to call you on such a stupid, totally irrelevant line of questions. Because clearly you didn't care about the news that day about seniors. Shame on you and good on Hampton.
Posted October 7, 2007 04:54 PM
Douglas Connors
Ottawa
I'm not typically a fan of Howard or of the NDP but I do have to concede that the man has got a point.
Even if Howard is speculating about his future, while this current campaign is currently going on, is an answer to a question about what he is planning to do with his life AFTER the election REALLY of greater interest to the public than to any of the other issues he raised?
It seems to me that those are great questions to ask in the days following the election result.
I don't see in what manner asking that particular question would help any voter at all in Ontario to make an informed decision on Tuesday.
The follow up question was a lack of tact plain and simple.
Posted October 7, 2007 09:33 PM
Peter
London
I think this information was reasonably well circulated. I'm not sure what it clarifies, beyond the fact that the news media cover politics the same way they cover Paris Hilton. Why a reporter would ask a leader in the middle of election what his employment plans are for the post-election period eludes me. It contributes exactly nothing to discourse at a time when discourse is supposed to be the story.
The fact remains that the Liberal spin machine came up with a strategy that the news media ate up like good little puppies. The only way that other issues could have been pushed aside is by the news media letting it happen.
For all the rhetoric about the essential role of the news media in a democratic society whenever you figure you are being denied access to information, you are a pretty lame bunch when it comes to putting the integrity of the process ahead of getting a train wreck on the front page. John Tory wrecked the train, and you clowns couldn't tear yourselves away from the spectacle until the election campaign was pretty much history.
Now you have a thousand excuses for why it wasn't your fault. Well here's a news flash. It was your fault. Dalton played you like a Stradivarius. I hope he has the decency to send you all thank you cards.
Posted October 8, 2007 04:11 PM
nathalie martel
northern_ontario
In my opinion, the NDP is the only party who get it. They are trying to bring light to some very important issues and are being ignored by the media. I find it disturbing to live in a country ruled by the media.
Posted October 8, 2007 11:08 PM
John Vickers
Hamilton_ON
I hope the people who complain about the big parties and their trivalising of the election process and respect the NDP, voted for MMP so that the influence of the NDP will be maximised even if they cannot win the election.
Posted October 10, 2007 09:55 PM
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