If we’re rounding up emerging media narratives for Elections 2K10®©™ it would be remiss of us to ignore other, non-Toronto Sun ones that are beginning to percolate. (And frankly, that one is so predictable as to be non-newsworthy. Corporate elitist anti-progressive screed wrapped in an outraged grassroots populist package. My colleague, Cityslikr’s obsession with Sun columnist Sue-Ann Levy teeters perilously close to an I-hate-her-so-much-that-I-just-might-be-in-love-with-her line that we may be witnesses to a tempestuous journalistic romance in the making.)
How about the Toronto Star’s coverage of candidate Giambrone’s announcement soirée? Hip hip and squeals greet Adam Giambrone from Katie Daubs and Paul Moloney. The title itself underlines the idea of ‘young’. Hip hop music is the kids’ music. Infants squeal. Second sentence in hit that mark with “teenage supporters” squealing. (I’m assuming one of either Daubs or Moloney verified that claim by tracking down the squealers to confirm their age.. their teen age.)
Third sentence, be sure to state Giambrone’s age, 32 which, holy mackerel, that’s young. He wants to be mayor? Fourth sentence use `boyish’ to describe the candidate. His reaction to the overwhelmingly positive response his initial appearance elicited from the crowd? A ‘bashful’ smile. Beautifully used as it not only denotes a certain youthfulness once more but also a hint of girlishness. Nicely done.
Then after a brief stop to report on something Giambrone actually said, it’s back to squealing teenagers, hip hop music and Twittering which is a social networking tool that only the youngsters really understand. Young. Youth. Teenagers. Hip hop. Tweeter. Inexperienced. Inconsequential. Not worthy of serious consideration. Etc., etc. etc.
Now, I was in attendance and recorded the proceedings as I do most dialogue driven interactions (both public and private) in order to sift through them afterwards to discover hidden, subliminal meanings and messages. (Don’t look at me that way! I am an academic. I research!) Replaying Giambrone’s speech, I can hear no squeals from either teenagers or anyone else. There is plenty of cheering, hooping and hollering, yelling. But these are sounds one might expect to hear at a campaign rally especially one where the candidate is announcing that he/she is running for office.
Perhaps the teenage squealers Daubs and Moloney incessantly talked about were not in my vicinity. Perhaps they had been cordoned off, away from the cash bar where I had taken up residence. 
Or maybe (to borrow some stylistic panache from Sue-Ann Levy) Daubs and Moloney were “editorializing” on the news rather than “reporting” it. That is purely conjecture on my part but at least I’m admitting to it unlike either Ms. Daubs or Mr. Moloney of the Toronto Star.
As for the tales of protestors that both start and end the article? On my way out of the venue, I counted in the neighbourhood of 20-25 of them. That’s not only a number heavily dwarfed by the amount of supporters inside but the protestors were even less numerous than people who were standing in line, waiting to be allowed into the already full house. So, in fact, the protestors were significantly less prominent than the article would have readers believe.
While the Toronto Sun wears its antagonism toward Adam Giambrone on its sleeve, the Star attempts to be much more subtle in its disdain of the man. Either way, both newspapers are advocating rather than reporting. That’s an important factor when readers go about trying to gather information.
Thank you for reading.
— submitted by Acaphlegmic
Have missed Acaphlemic’s perspectives…thought maybe he’d run off with Cerise…tho I expect she was the ‘teenage supporter” mentioned above.
Is Acaphlemic suffering the mid-winter catarrh? I’m sure he means “sift” through not “shift” through his recordings.
PS. I think Mr. Cityslikr is an angry man…angry at cars, drivers, journalists, pols, airport users….perhaps he is suffering SAD. There are treatments….
Dear Penny,
Though not the first person to leave a comment misspelling Acaphlegmic’s name, I find yours somewhat galling in that you go on to correct Acaphlegmic’s spelling of “shift”. Who knows? Maybe he in fact does shift through his recordings. His ways are nothing if not strange. Not to mention your wildly off-the-mark attempt at the mideast emirate known as Qatar. But what on earth do you mean, a mid-winter Qatar?
You also forgot to mention that Mr. Cityslikr is angry at misspellers who live in glass hoses.
Mr Cityslikr,
It was dark …a typo, not a misspelling…who doesn’t know how to spell phlegm and all its derivatives?
In the mid-east, in Qatar perhaps, one would suffer cutter, not catarrh…
What is it with you la-di-dahs here and this fella, Sue-Ann Levy? Is it maybe that he tells it exactly like it is and you just can’t handle the truth?
Everybody with a brain in their head can see that unions control this city that has been “freeloading” from all us non-Toronto types since time immemorium. And as for “bike fanatics”? Well, let’s just say that the cars and them just shouldn’t be mixing all together, just like that guy Rocky Rosso says. Stick ’em on the side streets garden paths of all the parks that we outside Toronto pay you to have. There like oil and water!
If bikes and cars were meant to go together, then the Good Lord would’ve created bikes with four wheels and a motor. They’d be cars is what I’m saying.
So down with Gambini (or whatever his name is) and Sue-Ann Levy for mayor in 210!!!
Eat that, fanatics.
Dear Toronto Hater,
Having assumed that your first contribution to the comments pages of All Fired Up in the Big Smoke was simply a passing, one off, hit and run affair, we chose to ignore it. But here you are again. So allow us a response.
Firstly, you seemed to have missed your mark and submitted the reply to the wrong post. No matter. Compared to your next gaffe, we’re pretty sure no one will notice.
While having no firsthand knowledge of the fact, we do believe that a general consensus has been reached as to the gender of Toronto Sun columnist, Sue-Ann Levy. She is a female not a fella. That, in and of itself, should not undercut your enthusiasm for her views. The views should do that all on their own.
Since it’s obvious they don’t, let us ask something of you in terms of any further correspondence you might see fit to send our way. Desist with the throwing around of innuendo and unsubstantiated gossip and rumours. That’s the job of Toronto Sun columnists. Male or female. See if you can’t bring some hard facts and researched ideas to the table. It makes for better conversation.
Excuse me, mister Bill Gates or whoever.
Just because I had to work every day of my life since the time I was 30 when my dad died and left all our money to my “aunt” (who I thought was my aunt but was actually my dad’s girlfriend for all those years), I haven’t been able to take computer lessons or whatever. I am completely self taught. So if I made a c0mment about the wrong thing, sue me. Or maybe I should say “Sue-Ann Levy Me” ha, ha. I think you got my point.
And second, just because a guy’s got a girls name doesn’t make him automaticly a girl. Lots of very obvious men who have girls names and vice versa. Hockey players like Jean Bellivoe.. Terry Sawchuck. Girls names. Guys. That very beautiful news caster who’s not Lloyd Robertson, Sandy Rinaldi. Girl with a guys name.
And haven’t you ever heard that song by the immortal Johnny Cash? A Boy Named Sue? A true story about an Indian I think it was. A Boy Named Sue? A Boy Named Sue-Ann. Not really much of a stretch if you ask me.
So I’m saying Sue-Ann Levy’s a boy until there’s increminating pictures to prove otherwise. And I think you know what Imean without me having to spell it out for you.
Dumbass.
Toronto Hater,
of your hate TO so much why do you care who the next mayor is? Or am I missing some subtle irony in your name…
Let me tell you why I care (and every right thinking non-Torontonian should care) about who the next mayor of your pothole ridden, crime infested city is.
Because if you are dumb enough to elect another sprendthrift airhead like the one you’ve got at present, then all of us outside your pothole ridden, crime infested city will be expected to hand over even more cash then we already do to keep the place afloat. (Why we should bother is another matter completely.)
That why I want to see somebody like that Rocky fella who’s got his head screwed on right about money matters. Stick it to the lazy unions, the do-nothing civil servants and cash grabbing politicians and we all (even those of us smart enough not to live in your pothole ridden, crime infested city) will have more cash in our jeans, as our former great premier Mike Harris used to say.
That’s why.