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The Kai Nagata Note Sending Shivers through Canada's Media
Top young CTV reporter tells why he quit. Plus: his follow-up to an outpouring of response.
Nagata at work during recent federal election: 'As a reporter... holding my breath.'
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CTV bureau chief quits job, blasts network news
-
Page disrupts throne speech with 'Stop Harper' sign
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Big Media's Sway Will Be Tested at Ballot Box
Most corporate news outlets buttressed Harper's drive for a majority. But has the game changed?
[Editor's note: Part farewell, part manifesto, this blog post by CTV's Quebec City Bureau Chief Kai Nagata, suddenly unemployed by his own choice, immediately went viral over the weekend. We reprint it here, along with a second post he published Saturday.]
WHY I QUIT MY JOB, July 8, 2011. Until Thursday, I was CTV's Quebec City Bureau Chief, based at the National Assembly, mostly covering politics. It's a fascinating beat -- the most interesting provincial legislature in Canada, and the stories coming out of there lately have been huge. The near-implosion of the Parti Quebecois has kept the press gallery hopping well into summer. If you're not from Quebec, it's hard to explain the place the National Assembly holds in the popular imagination -- but suffice to say that within francophone journalistic circles it carries more prestige than Parliament Hill. I had the privilege to be working next to several of the sharpest reporters in the country.
The city is beautiful, ancient, and a great place to learn French. As master and commander of my own little outpost, I had significant editorial control over what I covered and how I treated it -- granted, within a recognizable TV news formula. My bosses trusted and encouraged me, my colleagues at the station in Montreal were supportive and fun to work with, and my closest collaborator, cameraman/editor Fred Bissonnette, quickly became a close friend.
I was a full-time employee making good money, with comprehensive benefits and retirement options (I was even lucky enough to be hired before Bell bought CTV and began clawing back some of those expensive perks.) It was what I would qualify as a "great job," especially for a 24 year old. Many of you told me how proud you were of my quick climb. But there was a growing gap between the reporter I played on TV, and the person I really am and want to become. I reached my breaking point suddenly, although when I look back now, the signposts were clear.
Not why I quit my job:
Let me pause for a minute and tell you the reasons for which I did not quit my job. I didn't quit my job because I had a falling out with anyone at CTV or the National Assembly or in my life outside work. And I didn't quit my job because it was too hard. It's true that the position demands responsibility. You have to know what's happening, what's important, and deploy your limited resources accordingly (namely, me and Fred). When I went to bed I turned email notifications off on my Blackberry, but I left the ringer on. After all, when you're the network's only reporter between Montreal and the Maritimes, they have to be able to reach you. But I would say, humbly, that I didn't just meet expectations -- I excelled. In everything I was asked to do, I performed consistently at a level above my experience. We made some good TV. So I didn't quit my job because I felt frustrated or that my career was peaking. I quit my job because the idea burrowed into my mind that, on the long list of things I could be doing, television news is not the best use of my short life. The ends no longer justified the means.
Of television news:
I'm trying to think of the reporters I know who would do their job as volunteers. The people who feel so strongly about the importance and social value of the evening news that, were they were offered somewhere to sleep, three meals a day, and free dry-cleaning -- they would do that for the rest of their days. I'm not saying those people don't exist, but such zeal is scarce. People do the job for all kinds of reasons. A few are raging narcissists. Many have kids to feed and mortgages to pay. Most believe they are fighting the good fight, if indirectly. In my case, I discovered it was something I was good at, I could see the potential to get better, and in the meantime, people were willing to trade me a lot of money to put the other things on hold. But even though I had the disposable income, I never bought a television. I was raised without one, and once I moved out on my own I decided I didn't want one in the house.
TV news is a curious medium. You don't always know whose interests are being served – or ignored. Although bounded by certain federal regulations, most of what you see in a newscast is actually defined by an internal code -- an editorial tradition handed down from one generation to the next -- but the key is, it's self-enforced. Various industry associations hear complaints and can issue recommendations, or reward exemplary work with prizes. There are also watchdogs with varying degrees of clout. But these entities have no enforcement capacity. Underneath this lies the fact that information is a commodity, and private TV networks are supposed to make money. All stations, publicly funded or not, want to maintain or expand their viewership. This is what I'll call the elephant in the room.
Consider Fox News. What the Murdoch model demonstrated was that facts and truth could be replaced by ideology, with viewership and revenue going up. Simply put, you can tell less truth and make more money. When you have to balance the interests of your shareholders against the interests of the viewers you supposedly serve, the firewall between the boardroom and the newsroom becomes a very important bulwark indeed. CTV, in my experience, maintains high standards in factual accuracy. Its editorial staff is composed of fair-minded critical thinkers. But there is an underlying tension between "what the people want to see" and "the important stories we should be bringing to people". I remember as the latest takeover was all but finalized, Bellmedia executives came to talk about "growing eyeballs" in the "specialty channels". What they meant was, sports are profitable -- so as long they keep raking in cash, we can keep funding underperforming assets like our news division. (The same dynamic exists at the CBC, by the way.)
Certainly it would be a poor move, optics-wise, to make cuts in local news. For some reason job losses and factory closures in the media sector tend to generate a lot of coverage. But at every network, the bean counters are looking at a shrinking, aging audience (fixed incomes are harder to sell to advertisers) and there is intense pressure to keep the numbers up.
Human beings don't always like good nourishment. We seem to love white sugar, and unless we understand why we feel nauseated and disoriented after binging on sweets, we'll just keep going. People like low-nutrition TV, too. And that shapes the internal, self-regulated editorial culture of news.
Take newsroom aesthetics as an example. I admit felt a profound discomfort working in an industry that so casually sexualizes its workforce. Every hiring decision is scrutinized using a skewed, unspoken ratio of talent to attractiveness, where attractiveness often compensates for a glaring lack of other qualifications. The insecurity, self doubt, and body-image issues endured by otherwise confident, intelligent journalists would break your heart. And clearly there's a double standard, a split along gender lines. But in an environment where a lot of top executives are women, what I'm talking about applies to men as well. The idea has taken root that if the people reporting the news look like your family and neighbours, instead of Barbie and Ken, the station will lose viewers.
The problem with the CBC:
Aside from feeling sexually attracted to the people on screen, the target viewer, according to consultants, is also supposed to like easy stories that reinforce beliefs they already hold. This is where the public broadcaster is caught in a tough spot. CBC Television, post-Stursberg, is failing in two ways. Despite modest gains in certain markets, (and bigger gains for reality shows like Dragon's Den and Battle of the Blades) it's still largely failing to broadcast to the public. More damnably, the resulting strategy is now to compete with for-profit networks for the lowest hanging fruit. In this race to the bottom, the less time and money the CBC devotes to enterprise journalism, the less motivation there is for the private networks to maintain credibility by funding their own investigative teams. Even then, "consumer protection" content has largely replaced political accountability.
It's a vicious cycle, and it creates things like the Kate and Will show. Wall-to-wall, breaking-news coverage of a stage-managed, spoon-fed celebrity visit, justified by the couple's symbolic relationship to a former colony, codified in a document most Canadians have never read (and one province has never signed). On a weekend where there was real news happening in Bangkok, Misrata, Athens, Washington, and around the world, what we saw instead was a breathless gaggle of normally credible journalists, gushing in live hit after live hit about how the prince is young and his wife is pretty. And the public broadcaster led the charge.
Aside from being overrun by "Action News" prophets from Iowa, the CBC has another problem: the perception that it's somehow a haven for left-wing subversives. True or not, the CBC was worried enough about its pinko problem to commission an independent audit of its coverage, in which more consultants tried to quantify "left-wing bias" and, presumably using stopwatches, demonstrate that the CBC gives the Conservative government airtime commensurate with the proportion of seats it holds in the House of Commons. Or something like that.
Jon Stewart talks about a "right-wing narrative of victimization," and what it has accomplished in Canada is the near-paralysis of progressive voices in broadcasting. In the States, even Fox News anchor Chris Wallace admitted there is an adversarial struggle afoot -- that, in his view, networks like NBC have a "liberal" bias and Fox is there to tell "the other side of the story." Well, Canada now has its Fox News. Krista Erickson, Brian Lilley, and Ezra Levant each do a wonderful send-up of the TV anchor character. The stodgy, neutral, unbiased broadcaster trope is played for jokes before the Sun News team gleefully rips into its targets. But Canada has no Jon Stewart to unravel their ideology and act as a counterweight. Our satirists are toothless and boring, with the notable exception of Jean-René Dufort. And on the more serious side, we have no Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow. So I don't see any true debate within the media world itself, in the sense of a national, public clash of ideas. The Canadian right wing, if you want to call it that, has had five years to get the gloves off. With a majority Conservative government in power, they're putting on brass knuckles. Meanwhile the left is grasping about in a pair of potholders. The only explanation I can think of is they're too polite, or too scared. If it's the latter, I think it's clear enough why.
Coming out of the closet:
I have serious problems with the direction taken by Canadian policy and politics in the last five years. But as a reporter, I feel like I've been holding my breath. Every question I asked, every tweet I posted, and even what I said to other journalists and friends had to go through a filter, where my own opinions and values were carefully strained out. Even then I'm not sure I was always successful, but I always knew at the CBC and subsequently at CTV that there were serious consequences for editorial. Within the terms of my employment at CTV, there was a clause in which the corporation (now Bellmedia) literally took ownership of my intellectual property output. If I invented a better mouse trap, they owned the patent. If I wrote a novel, they got a cut. Rhymes on the back of a napkin? Bellmedia is hip to the jive, yo. And if I ever said anything out of line with my position as an "objective" TV reporter, they had grounds to fire me. I had a sinking feeling when I first read that clause, but I signed because I was 23 and I wanted the job. Now I want my opinions back.
I'll say off the bat that my views don't completely mesh with any one political party. I'm not a partisan operative and I never was. Fiscally, I believe a government should be conservative. Caution seems like a good thing in stewarding the public purse. At the same time, I believe we should be taxed according to our capacity and that revenue invested, sometimes massively, in projects for the public good. Under those criteria, I see no sense in buying stealth fighters more than a decade after the Cold War, or building bigger prisons when crime rates are decreasing. If we have that kind of capital to spend, it should go on high-speed rail or renewable energy infrastructure.
On what we call the "social issues," I think a government ought to err on the side of keeping its mouth shut. If a woman needs to get an abortion or a gay couple wants to get married, one minister's opinion shouldn't be relevant. If a theatre festival wants to explore home-grown terrorism or an arm's-length agency criticizes a military ally, there better be a damn good justification for yanking their funding. And when science debunks ideology, reason should be allowed to prevail in determining public policy.
A caution: there are a number of small-c and big-C conservatives that I like a lot. My grandfather, for example. Or any number of federal staffers and MPs. But those blinded by tribal partisanship might not like what I have to say.
Right now, there's a war going on against science in Canada. In order to satisfy a small but powerful political base, the PMO is engaged in a not-so-clandestine operation to dismantle and silence the many credible opponents to the Harper doctrine. Why kill the census? Literally in order to make decisions in the dark, without the relevant data. Hence the prisons. Why de-fund scientific research? Because whole branches of the natural sciences are premised on things like evolution, a theory the minister responsible made it clear he doesn't understand -- and likely doesn't believe in. Why settle for weak platitudes on climate change? Because despite global scientific consensus, elements of the Conservative base don't believe human activity could warm the planet. Centuries of rational thought and academic tradition, dating back to the Renaissance, is being thrown out the window in favour of an ideology that doesn't reflect reality.
Meanwhile, we're wrapping up a real war, one that invites us to take stock of where we stand in the world ten years after it began. When I joined the infantry reserve, I asked about the possibility of volunteering for a peacekeeping mission (a practice this country invented). I was told by the warrant officer I spoke to that with all available resources tied up in Afghanistan, indefinitely, I could forget about wearing a blue beret. One Conservative campaign ad told us Canada is a "courageous warrior," and yet we lost our seat at the UN Security Council. The Canada whose values I thought I was signing up to promote and defend is increasingly unrecognizable from an international vantage point.
We have withdrawn from humanitarian projects because aspects might offend Evangelists back home. We have clung so tightly to our U.S. allies overseas that we figure on lists of terrorism targets where we didn't before. We are deporting people to be tortured and closing our borders to the family members of foreign professionals. We have become, in Mr. Harper's characterization, an island. A sea of troubles lapping at our shores. In other words, we are closing the harbours when we most need to be building bridges.
On climate change, the conclusion I am forced to draw is that the current federal government has completely abdicated its responsibility. The message to my generation is: figure it out yourselves. The dogmatic refusal to accept that people have created this crisis and people must do what they can to avert it reminds me of the flat-earth crew. Except this time, we really are going to sail off the edge. We need to be recruiting international scientists, funding research, stimulating the green economy, legislating disincentives to fossil fuel use, and most importantly, reaching out and building alliances with the countries who are already taking a proactive stance. As an Arctic nation -- a country of inventors, diplomats, and negotiators, we should be taking the lead in brokering global accords that might save the world as we know it. Instead we are closing ourselves off, alienating our neighbours, and looking inward, to our past achievements. In the interests of short-term political gain, and medium-term profits for energy companies, Conservative politicians are abandoning my generation and any that hope to come after.
Meanwhile, the people who are supposed to be holding decision makers to account are instead broadcasting useless tripe, or worse, stories that actively distract from the massive projects we need to be tackling instead of watching TV.
Next steps:
What I need is to better myself spiritually, physically, and intellectually, so I can effect meaningful change in the world around me. I don't know yet where this impulse will take me, but I know I can't go back to working parallel to the real problems, hiding my opinions and yet somehow hoping that one viewer every night might piece together what I wanted to say. I thought if I paid my dues and worked my way up through the ranks, I could maybe reach a position of enough influence and credibility that I could say what I truly feel. I've realized there's no time to wait.
If storytelling turns out to be my true passion and the best use of my skills, then I'll continue down that path. If elder care, academia, agriculture, activism, art, education, Budo, or as-yet unforeseen pursuits turn out to make the flame burn brighter, I'll make the switch, or do them all. I'm willing to work with anyone of any religion or political stripe, if they're sincere about doing what it takes.
Right now I need to undertake a long-delayed journey of personal discovery. Having given away all the possessions that didn't fit into my truck, I've set out on the road again, heading West. I know I need to go home for a while. I need to surround myself with family and friends. I need to consult, meditate, and plan the next steps.
I'm broke, and yet I know I'm rich in love. I'm unemployed and homeless, but I've never been more free.
Everything is possible.
[Nagata published this a day later:]
A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN 24 HOURS, July 10, 2011. Sometimes I think of consciousness as a river. Most places, it's armoured over with concrete, sometimes several layers thick. We've all heard about the river, and we all find ways to dip a bucket now and then. Some groups (my dad is a Zen Buddhist) have put years of hard work into building wells -- reinforced, symmetrical structures, with sturdy rungs for those brave enough to climb down. Some people bottle that river water -- and indeed some drugs and other shortcuts can remind you what consciousness tastes like.
The river has always been there, and it's still there, far under our feet.
24 hours ago, when I posted my "manifesto," or "cri de coeur," or Howard Beale moment" or "Jerry Maguire mission statement," or "extremist left-wing rant," as it has variously been described, I had two very simple motives. I felt I owed it to the colleagues I would be leaving to explain my decision. And I needed to save my energy for driving, rather than telling the story to each and every friend and family member over the phone. When I was done digging a shallow grave for my TV career, I swung my pickaxe and stuck it in the ground. Then I sat down to rest.
When I took my eyes off the horizon and looked down at the ground, I realized something was seeping out around the blade of the pickaxe. A tiny bit of sweet, clear water trickled out over the rocks. But it didn't dry up, like I thought. Now there's a little spring gurgling along, winding its way through the dust, carving a little channel as it goes along. It tastes amazing.
The response:
I want to thank every single person who read that first post. I especially want to thank all of you who took the time to put your own thoughts down here in a comment, or repost the blog on Facebook, or discuss some of the ideas on Twitter or your own blogs. I wish I had time to reply to each of you.
I especially want to thank all the journalists who re-posted the link, possibly at a risk to their internal reputation. Thank you David Akin (Sun), thank you Muhammad Lila and Duncan McCue (CBC), Susan Delacourt and Antonia Zerbisias (Toronto Star), Stephane Giroux and Todd van der Heyden (CTV), Rob Silver (Globe & Mail), Don Macpherson (Montreal Gazette) and many more.
I also want to thank everyone who shared their own story. I am humbled.
There's a few people calling me a hack, a naif, radical, immature, irresponsible, narcissistic, insane, verbose, boring and so on. Oh yeah, also "David Suzuki Jr." That one was funny. Some of the other ones hurt. All this is great. I'm definitely not going to zap your comments. I hope we can debate, when I have some time.
So far though, the haters are a tiny minority. Most of the people who disagree with me have held their tongue, or been kind and polite. The rest of you have leaned over and wrapped me in a warm, soft, Kevlar blanket. I was pretty sure I was doing the right thing, but the online bonfire lit by my resignation has become a kiln: tempering the steel, galvanizing my resolve.
I think a few key things have been demonstrated here:
1. People will still read a 3,000 word essay.
2. People can recognize truth and honesty.
3. People are thirsty.
The river:
They say water is one of the most powerful forces on earth. It can create and destroy. It can trickle for millenia through limestone caverns, finding a way under miles of desert. Or it can crash over the beach and sweep whole cities away. I guess we'll see what this little spring turns into.
The discussion needs to continue. Conversations need to be had. But right now I need to rest. I barely slept last night. I've been reading every single comment, fielding calls from friends, and trying to keep up with the direct messages, texts, and emails. I need a break. I need to drive a bit to clear my head. Tomorrow I'm planning to cross over into the U.S. and shut off my iPhone. But this is far from over.
As they used to say, stay tuned. ![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
- The Gem of Canadian Science that Harper Killed
- Who Mowed Down the Premier?
- Canada's Economy, Deconstructed (by a 12 year-old)
- Death in Remand: a Tyee Inquiry
- Now Is the Time to Talk up Big Ideas
- Bill C-38: the Environmental Destruction Act
- 'A Gut Feeling'
- Sexism Tinges Criticism of Teachers' Job Action
- Bias in BC's Pesticide Decision? Follow the Bouncing Verbs
- Why Blackberry's Embrace of HTML5 Is Good Karma
- The Gem of Canadian Science that Harper Killed
- Sexism Tinges Criticism of Teachers' Job Action
- Now Is the Time to Talk up Big Ideas
- The Ethics of Addiction Studies
- Bill C-38: the Environmental Destruction Act
- Alberta Fills Pipes with Corrosive Denial
- Does BC Stand for Ban Clotheslines?
- BC biotech company seeks approval for GM apple
- Bias in BC's Pesticide Decision? Follow the Bouncing Verbs
- What's Behind BC's Doors?
- Death in Remand: Stacked Deck
- Does BC Stand for Ban Clotheslines?
- 'Moonrise Kingdom'
- Tyee Builders Tally: Amazing!
- From Financial Advisor to Occupier
- 'Storage Wars'
- How Our Immune Systems Exaggerate Fear
- Does Simon Fraser University Need a Men's Centre?
- Now Is the Time to Talk up Big Ideas
- Why Blackberry's Embrace of HTML5 Is Good Karma
52
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off-the-radar
45 weeks ago
I want him for Prime Minister
wow.
we need more of him.
And a damned good reminder to me to speak up and live to my values.
zalm
45 weeks ago
Kai Nagata?
I've gotta admit, I've never heard of you, but then the TV's a rather dusty appliance in our house. Occasional Beeb (which is equally useless as CTV) and Newsworld when something's happening; and once in a while an old movie, but we don't even own a DVD player so there's not much reason to turn it on.
Your words are powerful though. I'd welcome hearing from you in another forum, not one bought and paid for by the entertainment-industry complex.
elahug2
45 weeks ago
....another brave young soul!
Never lose sight of that trickle of sweet clear water, Kai!
The truth remains a formidable force!
rantnic
45 weeks ago
"THE TRUTH BE TOLD"
A three thousand word essay is maybe what it takes. A dam lot better than a 30 second sound byte.
cboo44
45 weeks ago
"Truth" ?
Opinions and perceptions are not "truth". Some people mistake their own opinions for "facts", but then they haven't bothered to run their opinions past anyone whose views may differ. Respectful and open discussions and debates is where the "facts" and "truth" are found.
canary
45 weeks ago
Welcome to Kai
Yes, indeed Kai's words sent shivers through my heart and soul! I felt such joy and poured out tears at the same moment to read the eloquent heartfelt words of this talented Canadian journalist. One of our own,gifted Canadian thinker and writer with the courage to speak the truth.
Yes, that's exactly what I have been despairing about...that "the Harper Government" through all of it's actions and decisions has as much as said "Figure it out yourself" to the coming generation in regard to the viability of living in a degenerating planet.. It's as if it has been decreed that full steam ahead involves madly digging up all resources come carbon hell and high water. Make all the bucks for the big companies NOW!!!
Welcome Kai to the West Coast. I hope The Tyee offers you a position if you decide to come this far west. Heaven knows there is enough to investigate out here on the last steppe to China and the questionable deals being made.
Please, Tyee; add another sector to your pie graph where hiring another staff member can be accommodated. I may be a pensioner but I can dig down a bit deeper into my pocket to put forward my dollars for that one.My check is in the mail!
Nevgoz
45 weeks ago
INTEGRITY
I couldn't agree more. We desperately need more integrity in government at both the Federal and Provincial levels. Corruption is prevalent in big business and government. Unfortunately, Canada has become increasingly Americanized. We have a plethora of TV channels but little quality program. The CBC & CTV are not global enough in their reporting.
jack the bear
45 weeks ago
It is news when someone
It is news when someone tells the story as it is. While hilarious that someone might characterize his original posting with its varied descriptions, it is not surprising. Feathers are ruffled whenever someone correctly identifies the audience as what is being bought and sold in the dissemination of news..
I have had a distant and passing awareness of this young man for most of his life - hadn't given him a moment's thought in several years, and hadn't seen him on the tube (I watch way too much TV, but CTV gives me hives, so have never seen him at work).
Kudos to him for having the courage to follow his conscience and his heart. He left at the right moment; it is implicit that once he would have reached a position of sufficient authority to wring some change he would have had the right stuff hammered right out of him.
The question arises: Would another term of Paul Martin have seen a similar result Kai or did it take the extreme dissonance between the stated position and the reality represented by the current Conservative government to lance the boil. Pushing sixty and a policitical observer since my school grades were in single digits, I am still absolutely astounded at the continued and continous assaults on what I have come to see as reasonable conduct in Canadian political life. It is all to well documented for me or anyone else to have to illustrate the obvious.
Kai Nagata has bailed at a time and with a stature that he should be able to carve an interesting, independent niche for himself, should he choose to stay in the business of news. If he opts for senior care, the raising of orchids or busking as a fire breather, those professions will likely be richer for his presence, and Vancouver's East End has contributed a strong, independent voice to Canadian journalism.
edward01ca
45 weeks ago
Kai's View Are Very Similar
to those of Donald Gutstein whose book, "Not a Conspiracy Theory: HOw Business Propaganda Hijacks Deemocracy". I am about half way through his discussion of the rise of the neocons in North America and especially in Canada. The media only parrot what their corporate owners want them to say and they are never critical to corporations if they can avoid it. I wonder just how many of us are sick and tired of the pablum that passes for news on all three networks in Canada. I have the same opinion as Kai about the royal visit. Just who really cares when there is so much &%^$ happening in the world right now. Tyee, you need to hire this guy.
Skywalker
45 weeks ago
I salute Kai Nagata!
The only other person I can think of at the moment who rates as high on the list of respected journalist as Kai is one John Pilger. I know there are likely others. It takes real backbone and integrity to stand for truth in a business that has been so terribly corrupted by the effects of corporate concentration.
bfearn
45 weeks ago
Thanks very much for this but....
it will make your life more difficult. Not that difficult is a bad thing however Conservatives especially will fight back whenever any threat appears to their having too much.
I once asked a senior politician how much CO2 was produced when one gallon, about 8 lbs, of fossil fuel was burned. He didn't know but guessed at 2 lbs. The correct answer is about 25 lbs but he couldn't accept that burning something that weighs 8 lbs could produce 3 times the CO2. And these are the guys that are running the country!!
maryinga
45 weeks ago
Everybody knows
Everybody who makes any effort to stay informed knows that what Kai is saying is the plain truth. This last few days of the royal tour has led us to shut off CBC almost entirely, in existential despair. We were watching the Greek government illegally detain boats lawfully docked in their harbours...and wanted coverage of that. Too bad for us. Short of the alternative press, it is apparantly not much newsworthy that an illegal blockade of Gaza is being maintained by neo=con supporters of Isreal around the world....or that an indigenous people are being slowly starved to death on their own soil. Why speak of the Geneva Conventions to people who would rather watch pathetic middle aged women salivate over a glimps of a good looking young couple?
When the CBC announced that the theme of the royal tour was YOUTH AND THE MILITARY I groaned with despair. Not my grandson thank you very much.......but what can a 65 year old pensioner femal do against the determined build-up of all this tripe???
Nothing, I thought. But now this article makes me think again.....there is a march on Washington mid August against the proposed pipeline from Alberta to Texus. I think my partner and I are going to join it...a couple of old social democrats from Alberta just might make a difference.
So all you disgruntled elders out there..lets get behind this young man, and all the others like him, dying in jobs that make poor use of their talents. A new world is possible....lets be part of it.
Robyn555
45 weeks ago
Another career for you?
Why don't you run for Prime Minister? You would be a great improvement over the people running the country right now, and I'd certainly vote for you!
VivianLea Doubt
45 weeks ago
people are thirsty...
I never heard of Kai prior to this blog post which I read yesterday, and reposted to facebook for others to read, and I admire his decision as well as enjoy his words.
I cannot help but groan over the comments that he should be prime minister, not to mention hired by the Tyee, and the rather god-like stance he seems to have acquired. Kai is exercising what he laid out very clearly: "The dogmatic refusal to accept that people have created this crisis and people must do what they can to avert it ...". In other words, please stop idolizing Kai and simply become a decent human being. Let's begin to fix the crises of our country, first and foremost by crying foul when it is foul - and not by slavishly declaiming a leader/saviour. Our woes must be fixed by ourselves.
scunny
45 weeks ago
Thanks for sharing such an informed perspective
A lot of us suspect such things but there is no substitute for first hand experience.
Welcome to the outside, Kai!!! ( :-)
Skywalker
45 weeks ago
@ VivianLea Doubt
I agree with you but sometimes when you look up at the sky at night and see a shooting star, it is exciting. It might take a few Kai's to give the rest the heart to help fix the woes.
snert
45 weeks ago
24 years old, eh.
I bet it'll be the last time anybody promotes someone that young to bureau chief.
alive
45 weeks ago
yeah , but
snert has a point!
the usual routine is to promote someone who already has a family to support, and cannot just cut and leave.
It is easy enough for us to condemn the journalists who wind up doing what they are told; what we should do is to write to the head offices and complain, and maybe quit buying their papers etc?
Worrywart
45 weeks ago
One More Stands Up
This is great and hopefully more will stand up for honesty and the basic human dignity so lacking in the Neocon kooks that run our country. Just like the young lady who held up the "Stop Harper" sign, we have another small opening to the lies surrounding Harper and his multinational backers.
If the truth can sneak past the mainstream media and on to the people, Harper is toast.
Skywalker
45 weeks ago
Memo to Palmer, Baldrey, Beatty and Smyth et al.
Are you guys reading any of this?
mjb4861
45 weeks ago
Information Gap
So Mr. Nagata resigns his post at CTV three days ago, and the first I hear of this is from an independent on-line newspaper. Nothing from CTV or the Globe and Mail (as you would expect), but also nada from either the CBC, Global, or any of the Postmedia newspapers. Clearly this is a story that even the competitors would like to see disappear, and another reason why this country needs alternative and progressive news sources like the Tyee to tell the stories that wouldn't otherwise be reported...
Sherwin
45 weeks ago
Modern Media
Kudos to Nagata for shedding some much needed light on the lack of quality reporting in modern press, ahem, media. Less and less of modern media passes as proper journalism and I think it's time we expect the press to act like the press. Our democracy needs it.
Sally Bowles
45 weeks ago
Yeah, I don't watch televised news much anymore.
Most of my news comes to me online. CBC just doesn't have the chops, but then, neither does its corporate 'competition' in Global or CTV. I mean, they all represent the interests of the rich and powerful anyway, so reading them is a complete waste of time.
George Monbiot has a fantastic op-ed in The Guardian today about journalists taking a form of Hippocratic Oath. It seems there are a couple of journalists left with integrity.
cheena1
45 weeks ago
Good Luck and Good Wishes Kai!!
I may have commented on the first piece - but I just want to reiterate what a refreshing essay this was to read!!
Kai, you have the integrity I wish all journalists, 'trusted' newscasters, and talking heads had!
After reading, I had commented to some friends about 'wouldn't it be wonderful if all of the above did the same, en masse, to make sure that all people of our great country were aware of what is going on in/with the corp. owned media and their slant on the news.
"We"- being a large number of Cdns - I'd guess in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, that are aware of how our country is being devastated by this party, are trying our damned best to inform the public and to instill in them the knowledge that if we all stand up together, we can force the dismantling of the current government. It will happen, I'm sure - but how much easier it would be with many journalists of your integrity .... sigh...
zalm
45 weeks ago
snigger... chortle...
"Respectful and open discussions and debates is where the "facts" and "truth" are found."
[SNIDE COMMENT DIRECTED AT ANOTHER COMMENTER REMOVED. -MODERATOR.]
zalm
45 weeks ago
red pill, blue pill
Another ex-Guardian who took the red pill is Jonathan Cook, ex-Mideast staffer who has carried on in the best tradition of investigation and reporting, and thorooughly despised by Israeli hardliners in the government and the synagogues. After going on twenty years there, his opinion now is as valuable as his reporting. Check out one of his latest,
http://www.jkcook.net/Articles3/0562.htm#Top
...and see how the nonsense we have to put up with as regards a so-called Fourth Estate in this country extends also to Britain, as I'm sure everyone who's heard the name Murdoch this week is well aware.
http://www.jkcook.net/Articles3/0562.htm#Top
DCollet
45 weeks ago
Yeah, I don't watch television either
Incredible. Like I was talking to myself but I am not nearly so gifted with words. I wish you all the best and sincerely hope to hear from you once you get back on the path. I think you will find the path that leads to where you want to go.
But, I have to say, this is like a flashback to my college days when we were going to save the world. Too many of us lost our way or simply gave up.
Thank you
limam01
45 weeks ago
You should work for Aljazeera English
Incredible. That is what I called true Journalism.
Please take my advice for Aljazeera. You won't regret it :)
http://english.aljazeera.net/
Thank you
Finegrind
45 weeks ago
Are you for real..?
[OFFENSIVE COMMENTS REMOVED.] You claim everything at work was gravy and your position was one which many thought you were lucky to have at your age, yet you were not satisfied. Puzzling to say the least. Most of the rest of us wake up in the morning and go to work, where we do all sorts of stuff we really don't want to do. That's called reality, or to put it another way a means to an end. I think you are spoiled and need to hammer nails all day, clean out a few garbage bins, freeze yer bits off shovelin snow for a few months, get burned good by some deep fryer grease or perhaps some welding slag that slipped down your sleave...Then shut up and keep doin it until the boss says go home...REALITY...My parents often used the term spoiled brat to describe kids like you.
Finegrind
45 weeks ago
BTW
I am personally offended by your use of the terms broke and homeless. Using these words in the paragraph below this statement "Having given away all the possessions that didn't fit into my truck, I've set out on the road again, heading West. I know I need to go home for a while." shows your lack of understanding pertaining to reality. Homeless and broke would mean, to those that have been there, that you are walking with your empty backpack to a local shelter because hunger has taken over. I have a hard time with your subtle indications of self pity and passive attempts for empathy...pathetic...
Talon
45 weeks ago
You are my sunshine!
Thanks Kai for a big blast of sunshine on this cloudy Vancouver morning. This edition of The Tyee has been remarkable: a revelation of sorts from Rafe and this refreshingly candid statement from a real Canadian gent. My personal optimism curve just turned upwards. I am happy to be in your company as a fellow Canadian. Thank you very much. Talon
Alan Abel
45 weeks ago
Mixed reaction
I have mixed feelings about this kind of public confessional. On the one hand, it offers laypeople valuable first-hand, tell-all insight into the mind of a MSM journalist. This kind of insight is going to stun the less politicized among us, but for the converted who know how the MSM operates, Kai's confessional merely serves as reinforcement for what we already know.
On the other hand, I find this public outpouring a tad narcissistic. I'm trying to imagine the quiet reaction of the principled 55-yr-old journalist who has dealt with all the BS for three decades in trying to do right, put food on the table, send his kids to college... and along comes some star bureau chief kid who quits on a whim after a couple years in the profession. Call me cynical, but it seems a bit too romantic, idealistic, navel-gazing and GenerationMe a move to me. My only question to Kai is: Did he arrive at his decision to go West from a Tim Horton's cup rim?
I also agree with Vivian's sobering remarks. Let's not turn this kid into a media golden idol or martyr. Let's put it in an earthly context and see it for what it is: A young, bright journalist who is left-of-centre and discovers the big journalism biz is not for him.
Further, many great journalists have left the profession with little or no self-promotional fanfare. Some of them even went on to write very telling books on their life in the biz. What separates some of those journalists from Kai is maturity and humility.
Journalism is still a noble profession even if those who own it are not, and there are good people in MSM. I wonder if 10 years from Kai will have discovered he could have made more of a difference than he thought he'd be able to make as a MSM journalist?
G West
45 weeks ago
@Alan Abel
Umm! I'd say I have a mixed reaction to your reaction Alan - although I do agree with your pat on the back for VivianLea Doubt's observations too.
This young man's decision must have been pretty difficult for him too I'd wager - and, I doubt he wants to be prime minister anyway.
That said, I'll support anyone who takes a principled stand on an important issue any time they decide to do it.
I'm not interested in making excuses for the 'faces' at CTV and/or the CBC who've fallen into getting along by going along far too easily over the years. Why the local CBC TV station couldn't have found someone more vital, alive and actually interesting and thoughtful than a warhorse (and a worn out one at that) like Tony Parsons is a far more interesting question in my view.
The rot is pretty well everywhere these days - I don't think we need to make 'allowances' for those who pretend to ignore it any longer.
That kind of thinking sounds a lot like Baldrey and Palmer railing about what's wrong with citizen journalism.
Cheers
youbetcha
45 weeks ago
If at first you don't succeed, Kai Kai again!
I wish you were closer so I could give you a hug
Thanks for sharing
Shine on!
Marjorie Stewart
45 weeks ago
Kai Nagata Note
First real Canadian authentic journalist to join Pilger, Sainath, Monbiot, Fisk, Palast. We've waited a long time for Kau Nagata.
Hope he can live up to his beginning.
oldisland
45 weeks ago
Generation Gap
At twice Kai's age, I have wisdom and experience going for me. Been there, done that, and thought I made the smart decision by quitting a less-than-perfect-workplace even though it was an awesome job. People with fewer options stayed on, and now I am doing a much different job that is less-than-perfect-but-terrific-too but I won't make that mistake twice.
CalgaryRealtor
45 weeks ago
Bright future
It is refreshing to read a member of the younger generation express themselves with the clarity Kai uses. Our country will be in good hands with the likes of you Kai
Boomergirl
45 weeks ago
A noble profession indeed
"Journalism is still a noble profession even if those who own it are not..." I couldn't agree more.
canary
45 weeks ago
Truth or consequences - look to the horizon
I'm not really surprised that a few (just a few) comments on this thread are disdainful of the action and some of the responses to Kai Nagata's decision as he has shared so publicly. This is following a young promising journalist's revealing his very personal and surprising decision about his inside experience of MSM marketing of what news they believe the public need to be fed. To every action there is a counter action (or reaction); so it is said.Fortunately, Kai has the integrity to counter the media farce.
Some commentors here then, believe that we should shut up, shoulder up, and put up with what "our betters" have decided on how our society is to be run, what we are to know and probably what we should think about it!
To take a second cold hard look at how you are spending your life and using your talents, my friends is not being spoiled; it is having courage to say "I want to live my life, short or long, however it may be in truth and integrity" In fact, I would offer that this is a practice of life evaluation that might best be done yearly, in fact!
I choose to search for the truth in what information is available in my world especially about the state of the health of the planet and I prioritize that goal.
And I choose not to believe any leaders of this country that say these climate matters are not important.
Thank goodness for 2 young people so far lately, that I have seen stand up and speak this message very visibly, in front of these very leaders.
Hooray!
jwstewart
45 weeks ago
A modern day...
Steven Slater
Jeffrey J.
45 weeks ago
Stunning and Courageous
Kudos to Kai Nagata! What courage he has demonstrated. Talk about direct action!
May he be an inspiration to all of us.
Thank you Tyee for publishing this.
canary
45 weeks ago
Impressive!
I just heard this 24 year old journalist speak over the radio, The CBC; The Current, this morning. I am even more impressed by his clear and thought provoking analysis "in the moment" than to read his blog; which is an outstanding explanation in itself, about his dissatisfaction with the media pablum that is available over Canadian TV, today.
Blogs seem to be where it's at these days. If powerful news providers in general are unwilling to seek the truth (unlike The Guardian in Gr. Britain) then individual investigation about the possible links between corporate business and elected power as in the case of Murdock,in Great Britain; brave bloggers will pick up the challenge. Is it reported that PM Cameron is calling not just 1 but 2 Inquiries?
There are well known bloggers here in B.C. who are searching for and finding
information for which the public are clamouring.Why are the local MSM not touching these glaring situations and glaring questions with a 10 metre pole???
michael maser
45 weeks ago
Speaking truth to power ...
can arise at different times in one's life, and, as one who has met these and also "bailed" from situations that I found professionally goading and galling, albeit more quietly than Kai, I commend him for having the courage to so and to trust that his life-journey will work out. From my experience - bailing from the mining industry as a promising geologist and from conventional schooling as an equally promising classroom teacher - I'm glad I did so, when I did it, and I know I am healthier for it.
Sometimes change is best advocated from within, sometimes from without.
The Big Lies that presently entrance mainstream society (of which Kai names but a few) are aided and abetted by MSM; I'm sure he'll find a way to contribute more effectively in influencing this situation, and I'm confident he'll sleep better for it.
cghzd
45 weeks ago
Better News
Aljaera Canada is prpably looking for a few GOOD men.
viustudent1
45 weeks ago
@cboo44
Wow Kai,
I aplaud you for your efforts in trying to bring about awareness about the deviant nature of the Media.
I further aplaud you for choosing to take the time for self reflection.
I admire that you were able to hold an audience and that a telivision set was not needed to do so.
I am in full support of your positions under the heading titled "out of the closet"
I thank you for affirming what I believe to be true, as it makes the world a bit of a smaller place.
Good luck on your journey, and may the water of the river continue to run.
All my relations
Marysue52
45 weeks ago
Congrats for not capitulating, Kai
If you had just toed the lines of BS the corporate media (and their corporate sponsors) wanted you to do, then you would have become just another Lloyd Robertson, Jon Ferry, Vaughn Palmer, Tom Fletcher, Mike Smyth, Barbara Amiel, etc., with no integrity or credibility whatsoever.
BDD63
45 weeks ago
Well Done Kai
It's your life. You obviously have brains and want to use them as you see fit. And Finegrind and Vivian Doubt - jealous?
Mustafarian
45 weeks ago
Jerry McGuire moment
Dear Kai,
I very much enjoyed your Jerry McGuire moment. As someone who in recent years has become a hardened cynic I thank you for this lovely moment of clarity. I have come to dislike opinions, they seem to have become a cheap and useless commodity. Everyone has one, they all partly right but mostly wrong. Everyone thinks they know the ‘truth’ and write off those that don’t agree with them. In our world the truth itself is a commodity. Who knows what it really is.
But of course this cynicism is bred by the dominant institutions of the society. In fact I know there are deeper truths out there, and people sense them. Overall frameworks of right and wrong, of dreams and outlooks, that people understand regardless of the dribble machine served by media, government, corporations and other such things.
And I feel that’s what you tapped into to. And I see it as part of a larger phenomenon. As exemplified in Bradley Manning, who in his own Jerry McGuire moment could no longer be a willing participant in war crimes, and in act of great courage (allegedly) leaked a ton of US government secrets to all of us (through Wikileaks). So that we may all understand better how governments, and other powerful institutions operate. He paid a biter price for his moment of clarity. But there are thousands like him. Like you, young people in positions of influence in powerful institutions, who are seeing the light. And it terrifies those institutions. And it signals a light at the end of the tunnel. It signals that an end to their ideological dictatorships is possible, and perhaps inevitable. Something to celebrate for sure, even in the heart of this hardened cynic!
I suggest you look into a career in independent media. At a time when corporate media, and the people in it, are in sharp decline – in relevance, viewership, and also in morals, ethics, and courage – a ‘spring’ is in the air (I smell it all the way from Cairo), a renaissance, for independent media, recording the history of the people, where courage in confronting power will again bring public trust, confidence, and relevance. The independent media is set again to become an ally of the people as democratic revolutions transform and sweep away the ideological dinosaurs that our powerful institutions have become.
ShaneInWpg
45 weeks ago
Now that we've found ONE courageous Canadian journalist
Now that we've found ONE courageous Canadian journalist it is time to organize something new and effective for a change.
Generally 'Canadian' "activists" are far too careful and really only out to placate their consciences!
Way to go Kai. When you get some sort of organization going call me
Shane Nestruck (in Winnipeg)
VivianLea Doubt
45 weeks ago
opinion
Shane, why not form your own organization? Skywalker, since you asked the question if Baldry et al are reading this, are you still reading them? Why? GWest, thanks for your pat on the back. Alan Abel, my post was not intended as sobering, and I quote myself: "I admire his decision as well as enjoy his words", speaking of Kai, of course.
Today's Tyee has an article called "Did he lie, mom?" about the controversy surrounding another media celebrity. We admire these people and take inspiration from them, and then we often find that they disappoint us when they exhibit human qualities. Is it they who disappoint, or do we disappoint ourselves? The question is worth exploring, I think.
From my perspective, I want to give credit to Kai for inspiration; in fact, because I found his words so inspiring I circulated his blog on facebook as well as to my email circle. What I don't want to do is to make Kai the sole saviour of the dismal media situation in Canada. It has been sometime since I watched CTV, or any television, for that matter, and I routinely comment on CBC's portrayal of what passes for news. It is inevitable that these words will be misconstrued of course, so I shall say that these are merely my choices, among others, and not choices I am advocating for anyone else. What I truly wish to promote is the idea of consumption choices: Television depends on viewers, radio on listeners, print media on readers and of course this also determines their revenue in a very real way. If you don't like the pap that is oozing out at you from any given media outlet, then please stop supporting it.
In media, in politics, in the myriad of things we buy and surround ourselves with, it seems we are all looking for the quick fix - the hallmark of our culture, some would say. To say that we need to look within ourselves, each of us to determine for ourselves the way to begin to solve the pressing problems of our culture does not in the least denigrate Kai or his words, it in fact echoes what he said: "I want my opinion back".
What I want back is that diversity and multitude of opinions and ideas that used to characterize a democracy. Opinions and ideas that can never be characterized by one single person, no matter how eloquent.
PHOEBE
45 weeks ago
Courage and Honesty
Truth and Honesty is the oldest and most powerful of all of the human values.
~ Gary King
Kai,
Thank you. Your honesty and courage have released me.
For quite some time I, along with many others, have been watching the decline of Canadian journalism. It is currently at a shameful low. Trite items such as a pampered prince and his princess, and raving hockey fans have led the top of broadcasts - while the world is unravelling. Political lies and deceit are spoon-fed to the media and regurgitated to the public without question.
Rather than engaging the public in intelligent reasoning and conversation, broadcast news has become the 'dumbing' factor in our lives.
Shame, on those at the top that have no respect for their viewers and shame on them for being gutless and lacking backbone...
I applaud you Kai, for your wonderful essay. You have given me hope that others of your generation will stand up and bring new honesty and spiritual energy into our society. By that I mean a wholesome attitude for the truth and a nurturing of individual freedom and courage to face what the times are about to unfold. It will not be pretty.
Canada is a very special place in the world, with a very special task for the future. It needs people like you!
At 24, I left a major international corporation in Toronto, for reasons not unlike yours. I headed to Vancouver with a suitcase and lived a meagre life. I then made my way to the Yukon and became a silver miner, and took over at the helm of the local union.
Following studies at an art institute I entered the film profession. Money never piled up in my bank account, as it would have had I stayed in Toronto. Rather I became wealthy in other ways. I have had freedom in my life. I am now almost 65 with many years left to be creative. Retirement is not a word in my vocabulary.
Kai, keep the faith. You will always be helped along, because you are a courageous soul. No matter what - keep the faith.
Thanks for your good deed.
You have my heartfelt wishes for a tremendous and fulfilled future...
A.
Tom Hawthorn
45 weeks ago
Twaddle
Courageous? Courage in journalism is getting untold stories before the public.
We learned a predator was stalking the women of the Downtown Eastside because of the relentless reporting of Lindsay Kines and his companions at the Vancouver Sun, who also exposed the police's shameful misbehaviour.
We learned about the sponsorship scandal because of the reporting of the Globe and Mail's reporters in Quebec.
We learned about the torture and neglect of Ashley Smith because of the reporting of CBC's fifth estate.
We learned about the dangers of widespread use of Tasers by police forces thanks to the reporting of CBC/Radio Canada and Canadian Press.
We learned about the mistreatment of Afghan detainees because of the reporting of the Globe and La Presse.
We learned logging-truck drivers were dying because of dangerous working conditions because of the reporting of the Prince George Citizen.
All these stories appeared in the mainstream media, all prepared by hard-working reporters who dug up and shared information powerful people wanted to suppress.
Meanwhile, too many people celebrate a ho-hum career decision by a young journalist with too little experience and too much self regard: "I didn't just meet expectations — I excelled." Every day in this country, reporters battle the authorities and their editors and their owners to get stories before the public. Sometimes, they quit (to write novels, or get honest jobs, or to work for a better media outlet). Sometimes, they're fired.
You don't have to hold a job in television news to know it can be shallow and sensationalistic. Meanwhile, he becomes this week's shiny media bauble — the very thing he complains about.
To top it all off, he describes himself as broke and homeless. A guy with a truck and an iPhone who can tootle around the countryside to find himself is not broke. I suggest he spend some time working with the truly broke at the food bank and the truly homeless on the streets to find out what that life is like.
Here's a challenge for all of you above who praise this fellow. If you care about reporting in this country, donate $10 or $20 or $50 each to The Tyee's election fund.