THE STATE OF JOURNALISM

I want to thank Lorrie Goldstein for examining the state of journalism today — an issue that should concern all Canadians (“How media bias works and why it’s inevitable,” Nov. 22).

The idea that journalists represented by Unifor are in any way influenced by the fact that we are a progressive union that will always engage politically to defend workers is ludicrous. It’s insulting to the integrity of journalists, including those we represent at the Sun.

As Goldstein points out, he works for a conservative paper. The fact that Sun journalists are dues-paying Unifor members does not seem to have affected that. One of his former Sun co-workers was president of the journalist union in Toronto, Local 87-M, for years. Yet, somehow, the paper remains a bastion of conservative thought in Canada.

Unifor does and will continue to stand up for the rights of all workers, so they can all enjoy the same union benefits as Sun journalists. Just last month, Unifor sent a delegation of our members from the media sector to Ottawa to meet with MPs from the Liberal, NDP and Conservative caucuses about the state of journalism in this country and lobby for the sort of support we saw announced this week — which will help keep journalism alive at the Sun and across Canada. Goldstein need only look up from his desk at the Unifor members in his own newsroom to see that Unifor’s political activities have no bearing on the great work journalists do every day.

JERRY DIAS UNIFOR PRESIDENT

(We can all agree that journalism needs our collective support and Lorrie agrees his colleagues do great work)