I suspect that it was a step by step process over at least the last 25 to 30 years, maybe longer. This morning I sent a pretty gentle e-mail to Terry Pender of the Waterloo Region Record basically asking him to either confirm his claim about fighting between workers, companies and the province of Ontario regarding cancers caused by exposure to Agent Orange in Elmira or to publicly correct it if it's totally false. I also explained the ramifications of the situation regarding the decades delayed remediation of the downstream Canagagigue Creek between the former Uniroyal Chemical (now Lanxess Canada) and the Grand River.
Is it possible that after 36 years of lies, obfuscations, deceit and delay from almost everybody that I may have lost my patience? I should certainly hope so. The e-mail to Mr. Pender included three names of various editors and managers listed on page two of the Record as well as the e-mail address of the National Newsmedia Council. This last one is a self-regulatory body who allegedly investigates themselves when there is a complaint. The whole process has the odour of self-serving protectionism from legitimate complaints and if so it seems to be the future of almost all public services.
I also sent copies of my complaints to the Woolwich Observer and a couple of other media outlets. I was about to send it on to the Waterloo Chronicle until I recognized a name common between them and the Record. Other copies have gone elsewhere and time will tell although I repeat it shouldn't be necessary to file a complaint, get little to no basic feedback at all and then have to expand one's search for accountability.
After all do we the public not have the right to see accurate information in our media and if human error does occur not have the right to insist upon public corrections thereof? Maybe not.
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