General

Stephen Harper vs. the media

Conservative leader refuses to explain the limits he places on reporters

Prime Minister Stephen Harper held his news conference Thursday and declined to tell journalists—corralled behind a yellow fence over 12 metres away—why he limits the daily encounters to just five questions. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff and NDP leader Jack Layton place no such limits on questions. When pressed about the dearth of communication with the media, Harper ignored the question. Harper appears intent on limiting his exposure to the public. He has not done any “walkabouts” on city streets; photo-ops have been pre-arranged; and he gives just one news conference per day, where journalists who are travelling with his campaign tour are, as a group, only allowed to ask four questions, with one additional question by a local journalist.

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