Society, Culture & Communities

Interview with Pierre Bourque from Bourque Newswatch

Greg Farries — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:52:45 -0700

Greg Farries: According to your website, www.bourque.com, you’re a race car driving, news aggregating, artist. Kind of a strange mix of talents… Can you provide a bit of historical context to this mix of talents?

Pierre Bourque: Everything I do seems a logical extension of other things I do. My underlying goal is to make the most of my life, hence the various activities, each offering respite from the others in their own way. I prefer not to get too detailed, but suffice to say I have various passions and I encourage others to pursue theirs.

Why did you create www.bourque.com?

Pierre Bourque: Bourque Newswatch is the best compendium of links related to news and current affairs in Canada. No other single news site offers as much choice of news source, opinion, and variety of voice anywhere.

Why do you think www.bourque.com has been such a success over the past decade?

Pierre Bourque: Its sophistication lies in its simplicity.

Can you describe some of the ways in which you research potential headlines for your website?

Pierre Bourque: The best headlines and news stories come from my readers. News junkies love to be first with the news, so to speak, so I enjoy an endless stream of inbound story suggestions, all of which I am very much appreciative of.

You’ve been credited with some impressive scoops (e.g. Jean Charest's departure from federal politics, etc) and yet you’ve gotten some things wrong in the past. Has being wrong ever gotten you into trouble?

Pierre Bourque: While nobody is perfect, I have an excellent batting average, which I attribute to the fact that the best scoops come from my readers, people who just happen to be 'in the know' at acute moments in periods of fascinating news making.

With websites like yours, and the growing influence of citizen journalism reflected in blogs, how important do you think the Internet is in terms of “controlling the message”, particularly concerning political and corporate communication strategies?

Pierre Bourque: Tough to control any message these days. If anything, the Internet has allowed for so many voices from such disparate points of view that the news consumer is best served by relying on as wide a variety of news sources as possible. Which is why our site does so well.

You have run for public office in the past, do you plan on running again in the future?

Pierre Bourque: When it comes to politics, I always say 'never say never'.

Who do you think will be the next leader of the Liberal Party of Canada? Why?

Pierre Bourque: Ideally it will be the right person at the right time for the right reasons. But the Party is in such dismal shape that it is throwing out a Hail Mary in hopes that the Vancouver leadership convention will convene sufficient oracles and palpable personalities to rally an increasingly transient and dispirited political landscape to its cause. The trouble is that the Liberal Party is currently mired in its past, great and storied as it has been. But what it must really do is focus on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I am waiting for a candidate to tell me what I haven't heard umpteen times before. Someone who can stimulate the development of exciting policies, galvanize hope, and implement the necessary discipline to pull together multiple factions now operating at cross-purposes within its world.

Considering your long tenure as a “news watcher” do you have any advice for the current Prime Minister, Stephen Harper?

Pierre Bourque: I've been doing Bourque Newswatch for a decade. But I was born in Ottawa and that means I have seen a lot of politicians come and go. The best ones remain humble and remember who they represent. The rest are just a passing parade.

How about the new Liberal Party leader?

Pierre Bourque: Practice the politics of inclusion.

What can we expect from you in the future?

Pierre Bourque: More breaking news ! :)

Interview with Political Cartoonist, Graeme MacKay

Greg Farries — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:49:49 -0600

Greg Farries: How did you get started in political cartooning?

Graeme MacKay: Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always had an interest in the news. That may well be due to the fact that my parents subscribed to newspapers and made a point of exposing the kids to the TV news on a regular basis. Naturally, all the absorption of news, combined with my enjoyment of drawing, led to the beginnings of my interest in political cartooning.

Greg Farries: What advice would you give to someone interested in becoming a political cartoonist?

Graeme MacKay: The only way to get good at drawing is to practice. Practice more, and then practice more after that. Just because a parent or friend fawns over a beloved’s cartoons does not ensure he or she has the stuff to become an editorial cartoonist. The person also has to have knowledge of, and a firm interest in, the news. Good drawing skills and a good grasp of what’s going on in the world may be the key elements needed to create good cartoons, but combining the two is a tricky thing, and – if successful – it is possible to measure up to the work of the professionals. Just be prepared for a lot of letdowns upon pursuing a job as a political cartoonist. The number of local editorial cartoonists working at newspapers is shrinking by the year as cost-cutting is forcing early retirement and leaving vacancies – filled by the work of cartoonists working far away at bigger newspapers. With only 20 to 25 staff cartoonists now working in Canada, the chances are greater of becoming a professional hockey player than an editorial cartoonist. Still, there will always be a place for visual political satire, in some form, alongside news and commentary.

Greg Farries: Where do you get your inspiration and ideas for your political cartoons?

Graeme MacKay: Inspiration comes from what I see going on in the news. Out of the five cartoons I create a week, I try to draw at least one of them on a local issue. The rest varies, from provincial matters to world events. Tomorrow’s news often doesn’t start to become obvious until noon, when the policy issues emerge on the network news and Internet sites. I’m usually inspired in drawing on a subject at that time. For me an idea for humour often begins by coming up with some sort of visual that I think will be amusing to the reader. A suitable gag for a caption follows. There are several things I try to avoid when putting together a cartoon. Metaphors and clichés can be useful when used wisely, but I find they’re often overused by cartoonists. Certain scenarios are also overused by cartoonists, for example, two people sitting in conversation on a couch watching TV, or two people in conversation about something going on as described in a headline on a newspaper one of them is holding. Relying on a text- heavy gag with nothing visually amusing does not make a good editorial cartoon - it’s boring and unimaginative. I see this done by other cartoonists all the time, and I don’t think it’s doing a valuable service to the craft of editorial cartooning.

Greg Farries: In most cases political cartoons are critical of the subjects they are conveying. As a political cartoonist, how do your balance your own personal opinions with the topics and individuals you draw? Or, more accurately, do you try to approach your subjects with strict objectivity? Is strict objectivity even possible?

Graeme MacKay: It’s impossible to be an objective editorial cartoonist. Even before applying ink to paper the process of selecting the subject of the cartoon has taken on a biased approach – simply by focusing on one issue while leaving other for another day, or ignoring an issue completely. A cartoonist can’t avoid mixing in personal opinion in whatever’s drawn, however the bias should really only be conveyed in a subtle way. I tend to stay in the ideological centre, sometimes challenging popular opinion, reflecting popular opinion, or provoking a little chuckle from the reader.

Greg Farries: Political cartoons have the power to elicit strong emotions – consider the Danish Muhammad cartoon controversy. Has the potential for controversy ever stopped you from drawing a particular subject?

Graeme MacKay: I’ve learned over the years that being too heavy-handed against a politician or issue will often cause me to cringe the next morning when I open up the paper. Offending readers doesn’t do any favours – in terms of ensuring your employment at a paper – so I’ve mellowed somewhat since first starting out in this job. Keep in mind that my newspaper is the only daily paper in town with a broad readership from across the political spectrum. Generally speaking, editors don’t mind running the odd provocative cartoon, but they’ll usually avoid printing the ones that are going to be controversial. After all, it’ll be their job to field the angry calls defending their reasoning for publishing the cartoon in the first place.

Greg Farries: Did you agree with the publication of cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad?

Graeme MacKay: The publication of the Muhammad cartoons was an interesting but needless act of offending Muslims. It was a case of a newspaper doing exactly the opposite of avoiding controversy, and actually orchestrating a controversy. Editorial cartoonists weren’t acting independent, as is the custom, but the illustrators (not to be confused with editorial cartoonists) were assigned the task (in the form of a contest) to depict the Islamic deity Muhammad. An artist has the right to express himself or herself however he or she wishes. A newspaper has that same right, but is responsible for the feedback and criticism following publication that may result – whether it’s in the form of letters or embassy bombings. The role of editors isn’t just to ensure correct spelling and grammar, but to act as filters, keeping the tasteless content off the pages and avoiding libellous stuff that’ll lead to expensive lawsuits. This all said, the depiction of any deities are out of the realm of what I draw on a day-to-day basis.

Greg Farries: In general terms, how do you see political cartoons impacting citizens and the political discourse?

Graeme MacKay: Local cartoons tend to have the most impact on readers and the politicians being skewered. A prime minister or premier gets judged, critiqued, and ridiculed on a daily basis – not just in cartoons, but in newspaper columns, on talk radio shows, and satirical TV shows. Local politicians often escape the scrutiny that comes in the form of editorial cartooning, but when it hits them, I don’t believe they can escape a bit of the impact it may have on voters.

Greg Farries: Do you see your personal work in the same manner?

Graeme MacKay: While I respect those who choose to put themselves up for election for the sake of public service, their performance needs to be in-check, and, if they abuse the positions they’ve been elected to, either by overspending, saying stupid things, slacking off, or turning their public office position into a career, they need to be made fun of.

Greg Farries: Who is your favourite political cartoonist?

Graeme MacKay: The late, great 18th century British cartoonist, James Gillray.

Graeme MacKay is The Hamilton Spectator’s resident editorial cartoonist and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. For more information on Graeme, check out his personal website, MacKay Editorial Cartoons or visit Maple Leaf Web’s Polititical Cartoon section, where we feature a number of Graeme’s high quality cartoons.

Interview with Liblogs Founder, Jason Cherniak

Greg Farries — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:36:47 -0600

Jason Cherniak is one of the key figures in the Liberal side of the blogosphere in Canada. Jason runs one of the most popular partisan weblogs in Canada, Cherniak on Politics, and is the founder and creator of Liblogs.ca, a partisan blogroll and aggregator consisting of bloggers who support the Liberal Party of Canada.

I recently got a chance to chat with Jason about partisan blogging, Liblogs, and blogging in general.

Greg Farries: When did you start blogging?

Jason Cherniak: January 2005

Greg Farries: Why do you blog?

Jason Cherniak: To promote myself, my issues and the Liberal Party.

Greg Farries: Your biography on your weblog states that you’re a lawyer and a consultant in Richmond Hill and Toronto. How do you find the time to blog regularly and run one of the largest partisan blogroll/aggregators in the country?

Jason Cherniak: I’m self employed, so I can set my own hours. The blogging is actually fun, so I have no trouble doing it in my spare time. The aggregator takes less work than you might expect. Most of the work was in setting it up.

Greg Farries: There are a great number of political blogs in Canada, many of which belong to partisan blogrolls like Liblogs. Many of those bloggers have been successful in breaking news before the main stream media outlets and a few of those bloggers have thousands of readers a day. Do you see this as a growing tread – are partisan bloggers going to have a greater impact on politics in Canada in the near future?

Jason Cherniak: I think we’ve reached somewhat of a plateau. Blogs are being read by media and media are writing blogs. Some bloggers can have a lot of influence, while others are probably just adding to the general noise. I suspect that blogs will stay where they are until the political parties start to use them more effectively, like in the Obama campaign. That is unlikely to happen, though, as long as Canadian political parties are driven by message control.

Greg Farries: There seems to be a dichotomy in the Canadian blogosphere – on one side you have bloggers who choose to remain anonymous — or use a pseudonym — and on the other side you have bloggers, such as yourself, who post under their real name. What is your opinion of those bloggers who choose not to use their real name?

Jason Cherniak: I can understand it. I made a choice to put my name out there and while it has had a lot of benefits, I have also seen some disadvantages. I have no time for people who are anonymous so that they can slag others. However, anonymity is fine for those who have something important to say but cannot risk their jobs.

Greg Farries: Who is the most influential political blogger in Canada?

Jason Cherniak: Warren Kinsella.

Greg Farries: Do you have any tips for someone thinking of starting a political blog?

Jason Cherniak: Despite what you might hear, a blog is not a diary. It is a way to make your opinions public and create an image for yourself. Don’t write anything unless you are willing to see it in the papers the next day. Don’t write anything you don’t want a potential employer to read. Don’t write anything about a person unless you want that person to know that you wrote it. Don’t claim to be a partisan if you are going to slag your own party. Pick your issues and run your blog like you are campaigning for them.

Greg Farries: The Liblogs has grown from a handful of Liberal bloggers, into a thriving community of small and big “L” liberal voters, bloggers and activists. To what would you attribute the success of the Liblogs?

Jason Cherniak: Like any news source, you need to make it easy for people to access information. I think the simple main page with aggregated posts and a list at the side makes Liblogs simple to use. The partisanship makes it easy for people to understand what the organization stand for. The name is catchy and easy to remember. As President, I think that my active volunteering for the Liberal Party has helped Liberals to trust the concept more than they might have otherwise. All of these factors together have helped turn Liblogs into the success it is today.

Greg Farries: What’s next for Jason Cherniak?

Jason Cherniak: I’m moving to Richmond Hill, where I am actively involved in politics. I’m going to base my legal practice there and, otherwise, continue doing what I’m doing.

Greg Farries: What’s next for Liblogs?

Jason Cherniak: We will probably update the main page to have a crisper look. Beyond that, though, I’m hesitant to try to fix something that ain’t broke.