You may think that the letters you write to newspapers are printed just as you wrote them, think again! The Mississauga News has a habit of rewriting letters so it makes you look like you don't know the facts, you can't write a sentence, removes sections that question government, facts that would stir people up enough they would either question government or take action. That will change the meaning or intent of the whole letter. In fact, it is no longer your letter, they are just using your name for their ends. It would be responsible journalism to note that a letter have been edited but that doesn't happen. For a while I wrote that the newspaper either printed the letter as written or not at all, my letters were not printed! This is a form of censorship and the changes made to our letters are often pro-goverment. Letters are often printed weeks or months after they were mailed to the newspaper. In cases where they were written to inform the public that now was the time to become involved, to input into a government public process, they are made useless to the community, by delay. The example below contains the letter I wrote and the changes the Mississauga News made to it. The parts that were removed are in { } and the words added are in italics. Numbered sections when clicked on will take you to their comments. Page - 8 - Mississauga News, Mar. 19/99 RE: Airport noise meeting. - They title it, GTAA concerns Dear Editor: - {Mar. 3, 1999} I just got back from the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), noise management dog & pony show. You could tell by the five or six cops the GTAA had on hand, they knew they needed protection from the community. I didn't hear one person (expect the GTAA), say one good thing about what the airport was doing to the lives of people {their lives} and {the} community {in general}. I had a few questions. Has there ever been an apologize to the community for the airports effects on the community? No, just to individuals for this or that jet. The GTAA has been campaigning with the {how much} money {that} it brings in from the {into the local} economy. (1) How much of these ten's if not hundreds of millions of dollars is being spent to help people live and sleep in homes not designed to handle air plane noise? None. Finally the airport issue has involved politicians from all levels of government, so given the fact there an {is a up coming} election coming up, why should we not view this as a political ploy and why should we believe them {you}? It was a long answer that didn't say {why we should believe people that operate an illegal runway. (2)But she did say} safety was number one. Well I jump on that one. Stress kills and loud noises, cause {creates} stress. Does it not show how little the GTAA cares {values the lives of residents} (3)when they will not spend one penny to upgrade their homes to protect residents health (4) and make their communities safer from airplane noise? [COMMENTS BY DON B. - In general all of these changes, gives others the chance to write letters about this letter saying this or that is wrong. The Mississauga News aids politicians and their groupies in creating opportunities to defame or discredit a person. By not reporting that the runway is illegal the Mississauga News is helping politicians to maintain an undeserved, high level of public approval for their job performance. They say the over use of "I" shows ego problems. So the Mississauga News adds I's 1).The meaning is changed. The letter was noting how the GTAA was campaigning to show the negative effects on the community were offset by all the money it has brought in. Not to say it was spending money on the campaign, which clearly it was. The sentence also doesn't make a lot of sense now. - BACK - 2).The fact that the runway is illegal is key!!! BUT to report that the government is doing so would get people to thinking and then they may just wake up, realize they don't live in the magical kingdom of "Hazel land" where all your wants are looked after without even having to ask. Wake up to the fact they have very few rights and that they have to fight like hell just get a fair shake. Like losing their health because a runway is built, where it was (at the highest level of government), promised there would not be one. Lose the value on their home and investment in their community, so those who run the airport will profit. To the fact their local politicians are not doing their jobs when it comes to looking out for the people who elected them. - BACK - 3).In this part the GTAA said the safety of its airlines was number one, not the safety of the residents (who have not bought a ticket). It is a matter of what they value, who they value and why. The public has a right to know this. - BACK - 4). The one thing money can't buy or replace is your health. Is it not morally wrong to takes anothers health for your own profit? The GTAA will do a noise study, how about a health study? But then they would have to cared if you lived or died! - BACK - ] |
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