Tories manoeuvre to limit media questions

[CHIMO]

Tories manoeuvre to limit media questions
Tug-of-war spills into accountability announcement

OTTAWA — Stephen Harper held his shortest news conference since winning power Tuesday after a test of wills with reporters over who controls questions posed to the prime minister.

The abbreviated news conference came after the corridors outside the House of Commons were converted into the scene of a bizarre cat-and-mouse episode between a prime minister intent on message discipline and reporters insistent on unfettered access to government.

Harper and reporters have been at loggerheads over access to the new Conservative cabinet as well as who controls his press conferences. That squabble led to a testy exchange after the prime minister turned up to answer questions about his marquee accountability legislation.

Harper opted to overlook reporters who had lined up in front of the room to ask a question, and called upon another journalist sitting behind them.

His decision to recognize freelance reporter Tim Naumetz prompted protests from his colleagues lined up at the front of the room. When Naumetz demurred, the prime minister pressed him.

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[HEyHEY]

1. Good article, thanks for posting

[Spazito]

2. Geez, what a POS Harper is not to mention a coward

The reporters should boycott and refuse to report anything Harper has to say on any issue and only report the opposition's position until Harper backs down, imo.

[Bassic]

3. That's a good Idea. I just hope our media has enough

backbone to go throuhg with this or something to the same effect. If they let themselves be punished into submission, we'll end up with U.S.-type conservative-only media.