The former editor of English-language magazine Filipino Canadian magazine Living Today, resigned last week over his publisher's membership in the Conservative Party.Editor and investigative reporter Yul Baritugo said that his publisher's membership in the Conservative Party would no longer make the magazine an impartial and non-partisan medium.
In the 'Publisher's Note' on the magazine's third page, Reyfort Media Group CEO Reyfort Fortaleza explains his membership in his piece, titled: “Why I joined the Conservative Party”.
“On February 9, 2013, I formally joined the ranks of the Conservative Party of Canada. In many ways, it was an affirmation of the core values I hold deeply. Love for family. Dedication to hard work. Personal responsibility. Respect for tradition. Honour of faith...It isn't surprising that Canadians have voted for the last three elections, seeing in the party a reflection of the values they hold dear.”
The glossy magazine's cover features a smiling Prime Minister Stephen Harper, with the sell line, “Harper: Canada stronger than ever.”
Well-known for his inaccessibility to the media, Harper grants a generously long interview to the Living Today publisher, talking about the Conservative Party's accomplishments over the years and his admiration for the Filipino Canadian work ethic.
The story includes photographs of Harper with his family, a profile and a sidebar featuring the Prime Minister's hobbies and interests (he loves cats and plays piano, for example). It's not unusual for the magazine, which has published similar profiles on BC NDP leader Adrian Dix and BC Premier Christy Clark.
But what is distinct about this interview it was done by the publisher himself, unlike past interviews which were assigned to reporters, such as Wilfred S. Victoria.
“I was assigned to interview Harper after an editorial meeting, but at the last minute, Rey did it himself,” Baritugo recalled.
The magazine's creative director Mel Tobias, meanwhile, asserted that no writer was yet assigned on the day that the Prime Minister's Office requested that Fortaleza himself be the one to conduct the interview.
"I usually distribute the jobs to different people to get a chance for the front cover, but the office of Mr. Harper requested that Mr. Fortaleza be the one," Tobias said.
Baritugo believes that Living Today magazine was no longer capable of unbiased, objective coverage of the Conservative government due to its publisher's ties with the party. For example, when Fortaleza was awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal last month, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney made a personal appearance and and watched as the publisher signed his Conservative membership papers later that day.
“When you declare membership with the party, it goes to show that contrary views may no longer appear in that space,” he said. “It’s different if [Fortaleza] had distanced himself from the professional operation and did not include the entire operation of the company. But he did not.”
Filipino publications with Conservative Party ties
Baritugo, a veteran investigative journalist from Philippines, spent over 20 years covering the Marcos regime, the Muslim war in the Southern Philippines, and worked as a stringer for the Financial Times of London, as well as Reuters. He immigrated to Canada in 2000, and worked as the managing editor, then as executive editor for Living Today magazine.
He was highly critical of the federal government, and wrote a scathing op-ed in March 2011 op-ed on the Tory government's policies, ranging from prison expansion to immigration policies that would make reunification for Filipino families increasingly difficult.
Even though the Surrey-based publication only has a print run of 10,000 and is mainly circulated in BC, his criticism seemed to get the publication noticed.
"It was surprising to say the least," Baritugo said, adding that the Conservatives already had some influence with the local Filipino publications. Philippine Journal is run by Irene Yatco, who herself ran unsuccessfully against NDP MP Libby Davies in the 2011 election as a Conservative MP.
Cholo Insua, who runs Planet Philippines, is also currently a member of the federal Conservative party, though he told The Vancouver Observer that his publication is mainly focused on lifestyle and entertainment, and does not feature any political news. Insua also said that his personal views are kept separate from the publication's coverage.
Baritugo believes that the Conservative Party's interview and meeting with the Publisher is part of a broader effort to court the ethnic vote in Canada through media.
"You have to remember ethnic media is fair game only if the Tories believe it can turn out physical votes at game time," he said.
No influence on editorial
Asked to comment on the independence of Living Today after the pro-Conservative slant of the latest issue, and the publisher's membership, Fortaleza declined to comment on the phone, noting that his stance is outlined in the Reyfort Media Group website.
Tobias, however, maintained that the publisher's public support of the Conservative Party would have no impact or influence on their editorial.
"It was just a coincidence that Mr. Fortaleza signed up (to the party), and it so happened that Mr. Harper was on the cover," Tobias explained. He emphasized that Living Today was a lifestyle magazine, intended to showcase the lives of global Filipinos, and not meant to be political.
He maintained that Baritugo's resignation is based on his own political leanings, and that the magazine remains independent regardless of the publisher's membership. He said Baritugo's criticism in 2011 led to "repercussions" -- mostly in the form of a letter from a Conservative-aligned reader -- and that the publication decided to steer away from such content in the future.
"I'm not a card-carrying member of any party," Baritugo said, noting that he is be equally critical of Liberal or NDP governments, and that such partisanship would compromise journalistic integrity.
"[Living Today] is publicly positioned as a lifestyle magazine but my columns -- the odd man out -- had always had either an economic angle, a political slant or bias," Baritugo said. Now that the publisher is Conservative-aligned, however, he said things will change.
"I sincerely believe that will no longer be allowed in that space."
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney was contacted for comment, but did not respond.
Original Article
Source: vancouverobserver.com
Author: Jenny Uechi
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