Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Letter To Mr. MacKay... why not....

From: Tim Banks
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 12:40 PM
To: 'chmackay@gov.pe.ca'Cc: 'Robert Henderson'; pjbiggar@gov.pe.ca; 'Sonny Gallant'; 'Cynthia Dunsford'; Pat Murphy (pwmurphy@assembly.pe.ca); 'Janice Sherry'; 'Jim Bagnall'
Subject: Media Accreditation

Mr. MacKay,

I am a social media blogger focusing on political and business events on Prince Edward Island for the last year and have a daily reading in the order of 2,000 viewers at
www.timbanks.ca . I receive an income for advertising on my media which I donate to Island charities. I was disappointed yesterday when the members of the Standing Committee on Community Affairs and Economic Development would not allow me to tape a public presentation unless I was an accredited member of the media. All members of the committee are fully aware of my media yet only Mr. Currie (voted in favour) understood the importance of our “new social electronic media” in today’s society and it’s use by our younger generation who demand instant news. How are we ever going to get this generation of our youth involved in the issues surrounding them if we don’t allow them in? I think it was very short sighted of Mr. Henderson and his other Committee members as they had a great opportunity to reach out to today’s youth who are suspect of Government because their views are being shut out. We need our youth here and we have to involve them in our debate.

Although I believe the practice of accrediting journalists to the P.E.I. legislature may be an infringement of s.2 (b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms I would like to take the necessary steps to do so. Jim Banks and Bryce Elsley will be contacting you shortly on my behalf to undertake whatever application is required to have me accredited for the future.

Thanks
Tim


Blogging businessman denied media rights at committee
Last Updated: Wednesday, June 17, 2009
CBC News
Prominent P.E.I. businessman and active blogger Tim Banks was not allowed to videotape his appearance before a legislative committee Tuesday.
Banks, owner of the property development company APM, was appearing before a committee looking into the role of the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission. For more than a year, he has been commenting on Island issues on his blog and he asked permission to videotape the committee proceedings so he could post them.
That permission was denied, and Banks doesn't believe that's fair.
"I'm out there to send a message to Islanders, and to people that live and invest and work here, that things are happening and if you speak out somebody's going to listen," he said.
Charles MacKay, the clerk of the legislature, said only accredited media are allowed to tape proceedings. MacKay said media must make an application to the legislature and be granted security credentials.
He did not rule out bloggers getting accreditation, but he said the legislature was going to need to set some rules to define who qualifies as a member of the media and who does not.
"There's no set criteria, and that's the problem," said MacKay.
"That's exactly what we'll be required, I think the members [of the legislature] themselves. And the media, to be quite frank with you, should have a role to play in determining who is accredited media at the legislative assembly."
Banks said he does plan to apply for accreditation.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Why couldn't the commitee members make decision to allow you record your presenation.

It seems the MLA's on that committee can NOT make a simple decision without tying things up in Red Tape and Typical Ghiz Government Inaction.

I have to wonder just how affective your presentation will be in the long run with these puppets.