NEWS FLASH: at least half of the news we get isn’t news at all, and much of what is left is fabricated — either by politicians, other professional liars, or the news folk themselves. After the First World War, for instance, a British war correspon- dent was knighted for telling lies about fighting on the Western Front. His name was Philip Gibbs. There is fun to be had in follow- ing the ‘‘news."” The numerology nonsense on Bill Vander Slam was a case in point. But serious practi- Hioners should look up old news- papers to get the real stuff. Time adds a bit of sauce. good if they don’t keep the rain off your head. Further back in history, and therefore even juicier, was the burning of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa in 1916. That they had gone up in smoke wasn’t good enough. The beastly Hun had to be brought into it. “Did Hun Conspirators Start Fire {s Question Being Generally Asked"’, was one of many quaint A classic case of the news not making the news was Malcolin Muggeridge’s scoop in the USSR in the late 1920’s. When the New York Times and other ‘great’ newspapers were reporting how tolerable life was in that country, Muggeridge was reporting mayhem, murder and famine to the Manchester Guardian. His editor wouldn’t use it.”’ Consider the abortive Dieppe raid of August 19, 1942. It was hailed as a victory even as the troops were cither dead, prisoners, or struggling to get back to the ships. The Canadian Press reports on Dieppe contained some champion whoppers: “First units of the allied com- mandos who smashed at the French coast returned to a British base in gay spirits this afternoon’* the Hamilton Spectator had it in bold print. Yeah, no doubt about it. They were in a party mood, all right. “Task Successfully Accomplish- ed Under Mammoth Umbrella Of 1,000 Allied Planes’’, read a headline in the same paper. Perhaps, perhaps not. There had been little or no softening up of the target, and umbrellas are no ee STANDARD queries on the front page of the Ottawa Evening Journal of Feb. 4. The member for Digby, Nova Scotia, one Clarence Jameson, was certain the place had been blown up. He was sitting in the House “intent upon a discussion over fish,’? when there was this big bang, see, and his eyebrows and moustache were singed. The Ottawa fire chief, a bloke called Graham, had no doubt that the fire was ‘‘set, and well set.” He was also sure the explosions he heard were shells. Whether The Hun had occupied neighboring Hull and was lobbing in a few from there was not stated. As it turned out, there was no proof of arson, much fess shells or explosives. The Hun was also given a bad time when that ammunition ship blew up in Halifax harbor in {917 $1299. 98 $1549.98 HURRY QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED 2, phased | ip ee CLYDE AVE, WEST VANCO OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK with huge loss of life. As a Halifax Herald headline put it, ‘‘Practical- ly All The Germans in Halifax Are To Be Arrested.”’ This applied whether or not they were citizens, and there was never the slightest indication that sabotage was in- volved. In curious contradistinction to the peddling of false news is that it can be difficult to get real news printed, as every reporter knows. Any CBC guy (if there are any guys left there) who sent in favor- able stuff on South Africa would soon find himself doing time in the galleys, for instance. The CBC is not the only offend- er. You have been told time after time by all media that “the Sharpeville six’? condemned to death in South Africa were simply members of a riotous crowd and that there was no proof they helped to knock off the black mayor who was murdered. But that’s a lie. The trial provided chapter and verse, all of which our media have ignored. A classic case of the news not making the news was Malcolm Muggeridge’s scoop ia the USSR in the late 1920s, When the New York Times and other ‘‘great’’ newspapers were reporting how tolerable life was in that country, Muggeridge was reporting mayhem, murder and famine to the Manchester Guardian. His editor wouldn’t usc it. Geoffrey Dawson, the editor of The Times of London, suppressed critical reports about Hitler from his man in Berlin. ‘I spend my nights taking out anything wnich might hurt their (the Nazis’) susceptibilities, and dropping in little things which are intended to soothe them,’ he wrote in his diary, apparently without blushing. Walter Lippman had it right when he wrote, ‘“‘News and truth are not the same thing....’’ Let us not despair, however. We may even get back to those days when the British Broadcasting Corpora- tion announcers of the 1920s would sometimes say ‘*There is no news tonight.’? Meanwhile, news hours have to be filled, come what may @ $579.98 $769.98 $1029.98 $1029.98 $1199.98 $1389.98 JUST BEHIND McDONALDS R 925-1677 9 - Friday, August 26. 1988 - North Shore News e ae 18. a wingkee: ae fi? st EXTRAORDINARY SELECTION! DISCOUNTED PRICES! All Outbound ME. and Eagle Creek Packs are UFETIME GUARANTEED! cutoound acer Our most popular schon pack is tough enough for all outdoor use! _Lifetime Gurante! GOOD VALUE! For only ... Selected Vuarnets 30% OFF of our regular low prices! Bugaboo Cateyes £299 sass. Nalux Haida’s $1999 ..