Western Standard

The Western Standard is a Canadian conservative social commentary media website operated by Western Standard New Media Corp. and its president Derek Fildebrandt.[1][2] The Standard is based in Calgary, Alberta, where its main offices are located.[3][4] The Standard also has bureaus in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg and Ottawa.[5][6]

Western Standard
Type of site
Politics
Available inCanadian English
HeadquartersCalgary, Alberta
Founder(s)Derek Fildebrandt (President)
EditorDave Naylor
URLWesternStandard.news
CommercialYes
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Fildebrandt is the majority shareholder.[1] Dave Naylor, a former city editor with the Calgary Sun, joined as news editor and a minority shareholder. All of the company's shareholders reside in Alberta.[1]

The Standard's revenue is generated through subscriptions and advertising.[1]

History

Ezra Levant co-founded the Western Standard, in 2004 as an Alberta-based magazine with an emphasis on Western Canada and political conservatism.[7] Levant later sold the publication's remaining assets to Matthew Johnson, the former legislative aide to former Conservative Party MP Rahim Jaffer. In October 2007, the magazine ceased publication of its print edition after failing to become profitable.[8] It existed briefly as an online magazine,[9] which quickly became stagnant.

On October 23, 2019, Derek Fildebrandt bought the rights to the magazine from Johnston and relaunched it as a conservative commentary and news website.[2][10][4] Johnston, a former conservative Albertan politician, occasionally contributes columns to the relaunched site. In 2021, the Western Standard announced that it had opened bureaus in Victoria, Vancouver, Regina, Winnipeg, and Edmonton. [5] As of March 2023, the Victoria and Winnipeg bureaus do not have any staff, although there is a columnist based in Winnipeg.[11]

The Western Standard obtained "Qualified Canadian Journalism Organization" status with the Canada Revenue Agency in 2022, permitting it to apply for government news subsidies.[12][13] Fildebrandt has opposed government funding or grants for Canadian media organizations. He wrote in a column the organization applied for QCJO status "just for fun."[14][15] While a QCJO, as of March 2023 The Western Standard does not appear on the CRA's list of media outlets receiving grants, thus making subscribers ineligible to apply for the associated tax credit. [16]

Controversies

Publication of Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons

On February 13, 2006, the Western Standard published the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons depicting unflattering images of Muhammad.[17] Syed Soharwardy, a Calgary Imam and president of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, complained about the publication to the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission.

On December 21, 2007, Johnston apologized directly to Soharwardy and Canada's Muslim community for the publication of the cartoons and Soharwardy withdrew his complaint against the magazine.[18]

Levant refused to apologize and a hearing was scheduled for January 2008.[19] On the day of the hearing, Levant republished the cartoons on his personal website.[20][21] At the request of Levant and his lawyers, Levant was allowed to videotape his interview with Shirlene McGovern, a human rights investigator with the Alberta Human Rights Commission. Levant later posted the videos on YouTube.

On February 15, 2008, Soharwardy announced he was withdrawing his complaint against Levant. He said in a guest column for The Globe and Mail that publishing the cartoons "was irresponsible and was intended to cause strife," but acknowledged their publication "may not fall outside the limits of free speech."[22] In August 2008, the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission rejected a similar complaint against Levant made by the Edmonton Council of Muslim Communities.[23]

Retraction of restaurant and social gathering story

On June 9, 2021, the Western Standard reported that Premier Jason Kenney, Minister of Environment and Parks Jason Nixon and Minister of Health Tyler Shandro had been regularly ignoring their own COVID-19 restrictions since the start of 2021. The reporting relied on sources that the Western Standard kept anonymous.[24]

The story reported they had arranged for secret social gatherings at Bottega 104, a restaurant in downtown Edmonton. The article also reported that Kenney attended social functions at the private residence of a lobbyist. At the time, COVID-19 protocols in Alberta restricted restaurants to takeout and delivery service, and private gatherings in homes were limited.[24]

Kenney called the story "false and defamatory," and had a cease-and-desist letter sent to Fildebrandt and the Western Standard.[24][25] Brock Harrison, a spokesperson for the premier's office, wrote on Twitter that the story was "a total fabrication with no basis in fact"[26] and said the Western Standard did not try to get comment from the premier's office.[27] It was later revealed The Western Standard asked for comment at 5:49 p.m. MT, seven minutes before publishing the article.[24]

On June 11, 2021, Fildebrandt said the story "should not have been published" and fully retracted the story in a public apology.[28][29]

Coverage of "Natural Woman" hoax

On January 23, 2023, Western Standard reporter Jonathan Bradley published a story titled "Transgender group calls for Aretha Franklin song Natural Woman to be banned."[30] The group making the demand is a satirical group called the Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance (TCMA).[31]

Bradley reported that the group wrote on Twitter that (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin should be banned from Spotify and Apple Music because it inspires "acts of harm against transgender women" and there is "no such thing as a 'natural' woman."[31]

Later that day, a Twitter post from TCMA said the organization was fictional and the media outlets who covered the comments as fact never asked for comment to verify the post. TCMA said their intention was to provide commentary on "woke" culture and "media stupidity."[32]

See also

References
  1. Anand, Bharat; Di Tella, Rafael; King, Gary; Legg, Heidi (12 February 2022). "The Future of Media Project: Canadian Media Ownership Index". harvard.edu. Harvard University. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  2. Fildebrandt, Derek (23 October 2019). "The Western Standard Is Back". Western Standard. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  3. "Contact". Western Standard. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  4. Levant, Ezra (24 October 2019). "The Western Standard is back! Derek Fildebrandt takes over Ezra's old magazine". Rebel News. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  5. "About". Western Standard. 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  6. Chen, Alice (21 March 2022). "Western Standard opens a new Ottawa bureau". The Hill Times. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  7. Levant, Ezra (4 January 2004). "Western Standard will be antidote to Maclean's, the CBC". National Post.
  8. Levant, Ezra (5 October 2007). "150 million pages of fighting the good fight". Western Standard.
  9. Scott, Norval (9 October 2007). "Western Standard's print edition goes under". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  10. Fildebrandt, Derek (22 October 2021). "The Western Standard at two years old". Western Standard. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  11. "Editorial Team".
  12. Goldsbie, Jonathan (4 April 2022). "The low bar for accessing government news subsidies". Canadaland. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  13. Fildebrandt, Derek (8 March 2022). "Trudeau's media approval board agree, the Western Standard are 'qualified journalists'". Western Standard. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  14. Goldsbie, Jonathan (11 April 2022). "Explainer: Canada's News Bailout, and what Facebook and Google have to do with it". Canadaland. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  15. Fildebrandt, Derek. "FILDEBRANDT: Trudeau's media approval board agree, the Western Standard are 'qualified journalists'". Western Standard. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  16. "List of qualifying digital news subscriptions". 14 September 2020.
  17. Woodard, Joe, "Prophet cartoons come to Calgary: Publishers defend move as free speech", Calgary Herald, 11 February 2006
  18. Johnston, Matthew. "The Shotgun: Syed Soharwardy will withdraw complaint from AHRCC". The Western Standard. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  19. "Imam drops rights dispute". Calgary Herald. 13 February 2008. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  20. Bonnell, Keith (12 January 2008). "Defiant Levant republishes cartoons". National Post. Archived from the original on 18 April 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  21. Human rights complaint dismissal spurs more debate Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine Paul Lungen, Canadian Jewish News, August 21, 2008. (Retrieved 21 October 2008).
  22. Soharwardy, Syed (15 February 2008). "Why I'm withdrawing my human rights complaint against Ezra Levant". The Globe and Mail.
  23. Brean, Joseph (7 August 2008). "Danish cartoon complaint rejected". National Post. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016.
  24. von Scheel, Elise (10 June 2021). "'False and defamatory': Kenney sends cease-and-desist letter to Alberta news outlet". CBC News. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  25. Braid, Don. "Braid: Former political foe's story of scandal 'a fabrication,' says Kenney". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  26. Harrison, Brock (9 June 2021). "The story published tonight by the @WSOnlineNews is a total fabrication with no basis in fact. The Premier has directed his lawyer to send a defamation notice to the publication and a demand that the story be removed immediately. (1/2)". Twitter. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  27. Harrison, Brock (9 June 2021). "In addition, contrary to the claim that "request for comment from the Premier's Office was not returned as of publishing," the Premier's Office has no record of such a request from the Western Standard". Twitter. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  28. Dryden, Joel (17 June 2021). "Alberta news outlet fully retracts article alleging premier broke COVID-19 restrictions at Edmonton restaurant". CBC News. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  29. Toy, Adam (17 June 2021). "Fildebrandt, Western Standard retract, apologize for Kenney restaurant story: 'Should not have been published'". Global News. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  30. Bradley, Jonathan (23 January 2023). "Transgender group calls for Aretha Franklin song Natural Woman to be banned". Western Standard. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  31. Wilford, Denette. "Aretha Franklin song controversy sparked by apparent parody account". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  32. Kennedy, John R. (23 January 2023). "No, A Trans Organization Does Not Think Aretha Franklin's Classic Is 'Harmful'". www.iheartradio.ca. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
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