National Post

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The National Post (whose anagram "Anal Spittoon" could not be more apt) is a Canadian daily newspaper founded in 1998 by Conrad Black (a Canadian British[note 1] fraudster and the answer to Rupert Murdoch) with the intent of countering what he saw as the "over-liberalizing" of editorial policies of newspapers in the country. It was built from the bones of the Financial Post, which Black bought from Sun Media (Canada's answer to News Corp) in 1997.[1] Given this pedigree, its editorial stance tends toward the reactionary end of the conservative spectrum, but due to the sober (if not always neutral) tone of its news reporting, the Toronto Sun and its exclamatory headlines beat it for the title of Canada's answer to the New York Post.

Its owner Postmedia also owns most of the provincial newspapers (including both of British Columbia's papers) and maintains an iron grip on their editorial content (hence the reactionary slant). One of the most infamous cases of this was the Edmonton Journal endorsing the widely reviled Progressive Conservative party in the 2015 Alberta election without its writers knowing.[2]

Notable editorial staff[edit]

Barbara Kay[edit]

Barbara Kay is defending a CEO caught kicking a puppy. The universe is unfolding as it should.
—Ivor Tossell[3]

Kay is an anti-feminist and MRA[4] cut from the same cloth as Phyllis Schlafly. She has written pieces decrying all the requisite targets: oral contraception,[5] abortion,[6], trans rights (albeit on The Post Millennial)[7], and women not eschewing education and careers in favor of prolific maternity.[8] Of course, it's not complete without a good shot of denying rape culture.[9] Oh, and the whole "Quebecistan" thing.

She happens to be the mother of the Post's former editorial pages editor and present Quillette grand pooh-bah Jonathan Kay, who really needed to do his job at the Post better.

Terrence Corcoran[edit]

So warped out of his mind that we implore you to search him yourself just to get a laugh.

John Ivison[edit]

See Corcoran.

Christie Blatchford[edit]

See Ivison.

John Robson[edit]

A denialist wingnut who used to write for The Rebel, if that tells you anything. [10][11]

"National Post editorial board"[edit]

If a commentator is apparently too shy to attach a name to a piece, but not shy enough to have it printed, it will be credited to the "National Post editorial board."

Some notable examples of of this practice include:

  • "Women's Studies is still with us" (January 26, 2010)[12] — Accuses Women's Studies courses of promoting "radical feminism." The aforementioned Barbara Kay came to the defense of herself the mystery author in the wake of negative response to the piece.[13]
  • "Canadians should pay for the Internet they use" (February 2, 2011)[14] — Defense of a now-declawed regulatory decision mandating a usage-based billing model for all Canadian ISPs apparently written by someone with a poor understanding of how internet technology works. The decision sparked widespread protest from Canadians and was roundly opposed by every major political party in the country.[15]

Comments section of NP online[edit]

Just in case anyone had any doubt that Canada, like America, has a fringe right, the comments section of the National Post online should clear that up. For many of these posters the Post isn't conservative enough as it is. The top rated comments are usually very nationalistic and are oddly prone to conspiracy theories and logical fallacies such as No True Scotsman:

Getting sick and tired of the media calling these islamic terrorists 'Canadians.' 'Canadian'? Yeah right. No real-Canadian would be participating in such acts of terror.
—On a story about Canadian terrorists[16]
Guess what lefties, the more you make him out to be a regular guy, the more the people will support him. If the cops are investigating him, it's because the unions and communists, that want to run Toronto, have ordered it.
—On Toronto Mayor Rob Ford being investigated in a crack-trafficking ring[17]

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. Black was a Canadian-born dual citizen, but renounced his Canadian citizenship to avoid controversy when taking up a British peerage. See "Conrad Black to renounce Canadian citizenship," CBC, May 19, 2001, updated May 19, 2001, retrieved Jan. 4, 2018.

References[edit]