‘their (This is the second instalment in the North Shore News? in-depth series on multiculturalism by News reporter Kate Zimunerman, Tuday's feature examines the multicultural community's views on the newspa- per's responsibility to race rela- tions on the North Shore, and pub- lisher Peter Speck's reaction to remarks, Next Sunday, the News will focus on local spokes- people from a variety of ethnici- ties. ) IMMIGRAN TS SAY they would feel a lot more comfort- able on the North Shore if it weren't for the North Shore News. By Kate Zimmerman News Reporter Multicultural spokespeople say columnist Doug Collins, whose tight-wing opinions are carried by the News, is the worst proponent of racism here. “The North Shore News hasn’t given a balanced portrait of race relations,” said Harold Rosen, sec- retary of the North Shore Multicnitural Society, a Unitarian minister and a former American. “ts been anti-multicu!turalism.” news coverage unfair NEWS photo Mike Woketlotd DISCUSSING ISSUES during 2 a multicultural meeting held: at North Vancouver's Delbrook recre- ation centre are (left to right) Harold Rosen, K therire urtis and Alfredo Sepulveda. He and society past-president Alfredo Sepulveda, who hails from Chile, say columnists Doug Collins and Noel Wright — immigrants from Britain themselves —- con- tribute a great deal to antipathy between races on the North Shore. The area has an undeserved bad reputation across Canada, said Mobina Jaffer, a lawyer from Uganda who ran unsuccessfully for the federal Liberal party in the last election. “Part of it has to do with Doug Collins...” Jaffer said Wright’s insistence on calling immigrants by hyphenat- “Really, it’s not an issue of mul- ticulturalism,” she said. “It’s an . issue of race.” “T think the North Shore News could act better and perform better and more responsibly in this com- munity,” said Bahman Shirazi, a board member.of the Iranian Community Association. “It,could encourage peace, harmony and recognition in this area... : “If an Iranian kid is'involved-in a confrontation, in (self) defence, at school, the incident would. be mag- nified in the local newspaper,” he. explained. “But if an Iranian kid brings a gold medal in chess, it’s not mentioned that he’s Iranian .... Shirazi. “But when giant U.S. cor-. porations are cutting B.C. ‘“rests to -, the root, Mr. Collins is sleeping.” “With a negative attitude, one may make anything negative,” Shirazi continued. “Even if the said developer had planted:trees inthe same spot, it vould be-criticized (by Collins) in the same way. |” “Freedom of the ‘press goes with responsibility,” he said. “We'can‘all work together.to. provide peace, prosperity and’ ‘growth: ‘Tfour- Iranian community on the North Shore gets sick, we all get'sick.””. But Collins arid: Wright deny that their columns are racist. to be the truth about what I consider “to-be our disastrous immigration policies.” .- . ’ “It’s absurd: Ir 's stupid,” Wright ’ said of the charge. “All we're say- ing is when people immigrate ... they have some obligation to absorb themselves into:the country and the- customs of:.that country, And if _ that’s racist,’then, yes, I’m a racist.” Amy Chang,’ ‘who came to live in North Vancouver from Hong Kong as an “independent immi- grant” (a. job awaited her) last August, said she hasn't encountered any ‘prejudice in the Vancouver ared. She works downtown and finds that if she treats people polite- Zeatand-Canadian.” ed names is selective. During her election campaign, she recalled, she was described as a Ugandan-Canadian but Reform candidate and fellow immigrant Ted White was never called a “New the community and therefore prints a vari- ety of opinions, says publisher Peter Speck. By Kate Zimmerman News reporter Speck said complaints from multicultural spokespeople that the paper is racist are unfound- ed. “It’s the target of pressure groups, and a per- son who mistakes being the target of pressure proups for being racist is making a big mistake,” he said. Among the groups that have complained about News coverage in the 25 years since Speck founded the paper are skinheads, Nazis, gays, les- bians, Iranians, Iraqis, Chinese, Israelis, Somalis and the French, he said. “L can’t think of anybody that hasn’t been mad at the Nerth Shore News at one time or another.” CALL US: 983-2208 which ‘an chopped down some trees without y the proper authority. The man paid As far as I’m-concerned, I’m going the requisite $2,000 fine, said to continue writing what I consider a In regards to columnist Doug Collins, who | incurred the most criticism from multicultural representatives who spoke to the News for its North Shore multicultural series, Speck said, “We print a rainbow of opinions. “Doug is but one voice in the rainbow -— one stripe. Anybady who reads Doug with care would know how much Doug cures about this country.” Speck suid the language Collins employs in his columns might be “intemperate” at times, but “the fundamental issues are important.” To describe Collins’ columns on immigrants and immigration as hate literature would be “utter nonsense,” he said. The publisher noted that he hears from many immigrants who come from regimes that repress the media. And he said that while these peuple may not agree with Collins’ opinions, they sup- port his right to express them, “They ‘understand his real value.” Speck said he was concerned by suggestions that the News is perceived as racist. “My. response is they always. Shirazi said Collins focises.on/” want a scapegoat,” “said Collins. “I incidents like-the-one recently.in.._have. spoken .qui-about the idiocies “Iratiian developét” ~of-mutticulturatism antd-l'm certain- ly not the only one to have done so. ly, they reciprocate. The only time the issue of race comes up is in the media. 2. 27! “What should not be a very seri- ous problem is being blown out of proportion,” she suid. Racist label is wrong, says publisher -THE NORTH Shore News is the voice of “But the North Shore News believes very strongly in freedom of speech, and these are freedom of speech issues and that is that.” Collins and Noel Wright are the highest-pro- file columnists at the News because they are the most widely read, Speck explained. He said the paper probably prints more anti-Collins letters than actual column inches written by Collins. Speck dismissed the idea of the News estab- lishing a multicultural advisory board such as that Insituted by the Vancouver Sun, a concept suggested by the past president of the North Shore Multicultural Society, Alfredo Sepulveda. “We have people on-staff of a vari- ety of races and I’m certainly not going to have my editorial policy dictated. J think the Sun showed a lack of leadership in this respect.” As to what the News owes the multicultural community, Speck said, “I think our responsi- bility is to present a broad spectrum of opinions from which our readers can pick and choose. When we represent one view, that’s when the difficulty arises.” THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: Do you believe that Canada is fair to immigrants? Reports in the daily papers about tensions between whites and Asians over “monster homes,” for exam- ple, suggest that there’s a cauldron of seething hatred in the GVRD which is about to boil over. “Every day when | read the news- paper, | get more scared,” said Chang. She said that she thinks to herself “Am I wanted here?” Sepulveda said the News should have an advisory committee on multiculturalism so it can learn to be sensitive to the various races liv- ing here.’ He noted that the Vancouver Sun has such a body. He and Rosen also said the North Shere News should counter the small-c” conservative visions of Collins and Wright, who are both over 65, with equally. high-profile articles by writers with younger perspectives. “To some extent this is a gencra- tional issue,” said Rosen. Sepulveda said it’s difficult for. long-time Canadians to accept the. changes taking: place. ind them. “When there is change; there is fear.” But the News could present these transformations in:a positive way, Sepulveda maintained, rather than fuelling the unease.: Rosen added that when ‘the mul- ticultural-and other local groups come together, as they. did for a recent forum he orchestrated‘on the subject of a Global Ethic, | : be news. : “History is telling’ us that’ this country was built on two‘cultures —, English and: French,” said Sepulveda. But, he and Rosen noted, cultures as diverse as the First Nations, Chilean, Latin American, Chinese, and the Doukhobors havecontributed to the development of Canada since the birth of the nation. They say it’s time to dispense with the notion that Canada’s only roots were European. Rosen admitted that the percep- tion of racism on the North Shore is relative. - “IF you compare - it to Nazi Germany, it’s a utopia here,” he said. “But we’re comparing it to justice.” ‘ Index. 8 Classified.. 35 8 Cocktails and Caviar......29 BB Crossword... BW HOroscopes.......edeedO WF Lifestyles... cee 7 BE Traveled @ Vintage VOAScsesscrnseree 2B * BE What's 31 s Going On...... Weather Monday and Tuesday, sunny, high 19°. Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement Number 0087238