Press Release: Vote Life, Canada! Accuses NL Media of Cover-Up And Same Double Standards as Religious Social Action Coalition

Monday, September 10, 2007

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Vote Life, Canada! Accuses NL Media of Cover-Up and Same Double Standards as Religious Social Action Coalition (RSAC) in Failing to Cover Scandalous Details of Recent Arrest of Eric Alcock

Issued by:
Vote Life, Canada!
National Address: 1075 Bay St., Suite A102-602,
Toronto, ON, M5S 2B2

Contact: Eric Alcock, President and NL Provincial Director, Vote Life, Canada! 709-773-0700

St. John’s, NL September 10/—Vote Life, Canada! thanks VOCM radio for its invitation to join Randy Simms on Open Line the day after the arrest last Wednesday past of Eric Alcock, President of Vote Life, Canada! “In so doing,” states Alcock, “VOCM proves itself as the only credible NL news source in covering the despicable actions that were taken against him and the assault upon his rights of free assembly and free speech. No other media outlet gave anything other than begrudged and biased coverage, if they covered the story at all.”

However, Alcock notes that while he appreciated the interview with Randy Simms he nevertheless takes “strong exception to Randy’s argument that due to the volatility of the subject of abortion in our society I was wrong to rain on the RSAC’s parade and run the risk of detracting from or usurping their message.”

Alcock outlines this scenario: What if our NL Premier had announced a grand scheme to address some deficient aspect of NL society? Imagine someone, let’s say a writer or journalist, upon hearing the Premier’s announcement, accused him of hypocrisy and a small minded approach to the issue. Suppose the journalist had noted he would be in attendance the next day at the Press Conference called by the premier in order to present his viewpoint.

Alcock asks, “Would anyone think that strange? Would anyone, in fact think twice about it? Isn’t this the stuff of everyday life and politics in our province? We claim to believe in vigorous open minded debate. We say it’s a healthy thing for the people of NL. A ‘loyal opposition’ is both expected and honoured in our democratic society.”

“Why then are my actions on behalf of Vote Life, Canada! viewed any differently,” asks Alcock? “The answer is all too obvious. The message advanced by Vote Life, Canada! is not politically correct and the powers that be—those that shape the thinking and attitudes of NL society, such as the RSAC and mainstream media—do not want any change in the status quo on child killing in our land. Therefore they will censor and squash all dissent in regard to that subject.”

Alcock then takes the scenario “a step further downward into its shameful depths.” Suppose the Premier or his aides, knowing that this journalist “protestor” planned to attend his Press Conference, did not want the journalist’s viewpoint being expressed there for fear that it would “detract from the message of his good initiative.” Imagine then police had been called beforehand to be present and immediately the journalist, an “unwanted visitor,” arrived, he was ushered away, amid his protests, into a paddy wagon for the duration of the press conference. Suppose one of the police officers, while taking the journalist away, mocked him: “Your little media circus is not going to work here.”

“Can anyone imagine,” asks Alcock, “that the only effort by NL media to decipher the details of such an outrageous arrest in the days following the event would be one ten minute interview on Open Line? No? That’s comforting because we didn’t really think any serious, open-minded, democratically disposed NL’ er would ever buy into such a deplorable, hypocritical cover-up. We suspect that the airwaves would still be reverberating with cries of outrage and demands for apology.”

This scandalous incident illustrates, with respect to the issue of legal child-killing in our province, who the real extremists are.