Ezra Levant, boy reporter

Good gawd, what a head-spinning day it’s been. First the Reich Wing soiled its collective diaper because Rachel Notley had the good sense to ban Ezra Levant from the Alberta provincial press gallery. Which is actually fair play, because he’s not a journalist, and has said so himself. He calls himself a pundit, which is not the case either. He’s just some right-wing screamer who’s gone from writing shitty newsletters to writing a shitty blog. He has never held down a real journalistic job in his life. (And no, hosting a shitty show on the now defunct Sun News Network, a.k.a. FUX Snooze North, doesn’t count, because it didn’t do real journalism, either.)

Well. Now Premier Notley has reversed her decision. Not a good look. First, because flipflops are a no-no when there’s snow on the ground, and more importantly, because it sends a bad message. Namely, that the right can get politicians to cave in to their inane demands if they just scream loudly enough about freedom of speech, censorship, and all that high-flown cal.

And then, too, there’s the irony factor: First, while not a reporter, suddenly he’s calling himself a “journalist”! And he’s also notoriously thin-skinned and fearful of criticism from actual journos; so much so that he’s gone to extravagant lengths such as having them barred from what he billed as an “open, non-partisan” event of his very own. Who’s the censor, again?

Of course, the same flying monkeys who screamed and flung poo on Ezzy’s behalf just now were notably silent when their boy Harpo pretty much stopped talking to the media altogether, probably because he didn’t appreciate being asked hard questions or having his (mostly nefarious) doings reported with any degree of accuracy. But you have to admire their sense of timing: Right on cue, as soon as Harpo was drummed out, they screamed foul when Justin Trudeau reopened the press gallery on Parliament Hill, dusted off the flags, and actually made use of the place.

It’s so touching seeing these ‘wingers suddenly stand up for press freedom at a time when Canadian media are rapidly being hollowed out for profits and bonuses by their corporate bosses. Warms the cockles, that does. So let’s pay tribute to the dying art of journalism by holding up some pretend reporters who have a greater claim to the press gallery than Ezzy the Putz…

Tintin, Boy Reporter.

Kermit the Frog, of Sesame Street News.

Earl Camembert, SCTV News.

Ron…Burgundy?

Howard Beale, mad as hell.

And these two fuckin’ hosers, who need no introduction, eh?

(I also tried to find a picture of Richie Cunningham in his press fedora, but no luck.)

So there you go. A whole slew of fictional journalists (and pundits, in the case of Bob and Doug) who still have more journo-cred than Ezzy the Irrelevant. Press passes all around!