It is with a heavy heart I had to remove the Tom Olsen Blog link from this site. But he has either passed on or passed away. In any event he has moved through the veil of post- journalism tears.
He will soon re-emerge (but not ressurect) on the dark side as part of Premier Ed Stelmach's Communications Team. Good for him ...and even better for Ed!
Ken,
ReplyDeleteI think the hirings of Tom Olsen and Paul Stanway are good ones. And not just for the experience both have with media. Both gave Ed more than a few jabs when they were columnists. That Ed chose to hire them shows that he is not just looking for sycophaunts.
I think it also shows how the media must always paint a picture to be seen as "tough" against the administration of the day, even if it means that most of what we tend to get are the bad news stories, with little of the good. That both Olsen and Stanway went to work for Stelmach would seem to illustrate this. Stanway in particular must like Ed more than he made it appear in his recent columns.
I think the Premier's choices for communications professionals shows a great deal of political maturity on his part too.
ReplyDeleteAs for Paul liking Ed in spite of recent columns, constructive criticism from those close to you is critical to sound leadership. Without it you get the Dubya White House.
Amen. Key is "constructive". Probably indicates why Rick Bell from the Calgary Sun wasn't asked. The guy is a fountain of "destructive criticism" (and king of terrible puns). I think we have all heard enough of his latest moniker for Stelmach.
ReplyDeleteExcellent - becoming part of the Bureau of Public Affairs is a great way to learn the ways of propaganda. Goebbels may be dead, but Klein government perfected his formula so that future generations could learn.
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