ARMCHAIR ARCHIVES – Columnists don’t see themselves as others see them

The following column was first published in The Kamloops News on Friday, March 4, 1977.

SINCE I WROTE last week’s column I have learned that columnists don’t always turn in their copy in time for publication. I won’t mention Bob Saucier’s name because he has sworn never to be late again.

We were discussing columnists and editorial writers and their politics or supposed lack of them. Last week featured Rothenburger, Bob Egby and Jim Harrison. The latter, who vowed he was not politically biased, didn’t give too many clues otherwise in the past week’s editorials. These included a rather weak attempt to criticize Ald. Nelson Riis, and your basic dog control editorial. Not too much to argue with there.

Now for Lindsay Taylor, Doug Collins and John Carter.

You may or may not be aware that there’s another newspaper in town, called the Sentinel. They are in the middle of a switch in managing editors, so it would be second guessing to say what is going to happen to editorial policy once this new fellow (name of Don Bucholtz) gets his feet wet. I would guess, though, that the paper’s traditionally rightwing editorial stance will continue.

Of course, the ME doesn’t have sole editorial power at the Sentinel. The publisher often has a say. I am assured, though, that the Thomson newspaper chain, which owns the Sentinel, does not impose any particular guidelines on its individual papers as to editorial leanings.

The closest thing the Sentinel has had to a political columnist in the last two or three years is Lindsay Taylor, an extremely able reporter. Some would say he’s also slightly insane, but then aren’t we all.

Lindsay has never claimed to be politically impartial. His politics also happen to be contrary to those of his paper. He’s a good friend of such former NDP greats as Dave Barrett and Leo Nimsick. Lindsay, however, was only once a card carrier and that was before he became associated with the media.

Should journalists come out of the closet politically? “I’ll have to say they shouldn’t, though I’d like to say something else.”

Not having seen his column recently, I ask if it’s still running. “I don’t think so.”

Lindsay can be elusive at times. He should go into politics.

CFJC’s news director Doug Collins and his One Man’s Opinion editorials have always seemed to me the result of a moderate thinker, at times conservative and at times liberal. While Egby worries about the latest global conflict, Collins concerns himself with street lights and crosswalks and such.

Doug is a free enterpriser “to the point where I believe government interference is largely harmful,” and “I’m Bill Vander Zalm’s biggest fan.”

On the other hand, “I believe strongly in environmental protection, and particularly farmland preservation.” How does labor see him? “I don’t think they’d brand me as one of their supporters, although I’ve never gone out to deliberately slight them.”

And the chamber? “About the same.”

Doug sees himself as “overall slightly left of centre.”

All his editorials are cleared by management “but I’ve never had them changed.”

What about John Carter, this new fellow from The News who seems to be regarded as pretty sensible? How does he describe his political preferences?

“Indescribable.”

Pressed for more definite response, he responds: “Of course, like every other newsman, I am totally impartial.”

Noting a somewhat insincere tone in his vote, I ask him to get off the pot.

“I have never been a card carrier. I certainly have my sympathies, but it’s certainly not with Social Credit. I have voted NDP in the past, but I hope I’m flexible enough to change.”

Carter concludes: “All this is off the record.”

Indeed.

What do these comments tell you about the city’s editorial writers? That there is a pretty good balance of viewpoints. That they sincerely believe themselves to be stating opinions which are independent of those political viewpoints. And that their audiences undoubtedly see them much differently than they see themselves.

Mel Rothenburger has been writing about Kamloops since 1970. He is a former mayor of Kamloops, former school board chair, retired editor of The Kamloops Daily News, and a former director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He was awarded the Jack Webster Foundation’s lifetime achievement award in 2011 and was a 2019 Commentator of the Year finalist in the Webster Awards. Contact him at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.