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MacPolitics: Part II: The Notebook Is Denied Media Registration For Liberal AGM, But We Find A Way To Offer Gavel-To-Gavel Coverage

Mar 4, 2022 | Free

By Andrew Macdonald

Dictator Vladimir Putin has just killed off the last independent TV and radio station in Russia.

At the same time, the Liberal Party of Nova Scotia office PR mouthpiece Catie Clark sent ‘registered media’ a Zoom passcode for the virtual AGM, set for today and Saturday, but she has ignored my many requests to be registered to cover the event.

Stone silence from Clark.

Here is what she wrote to registered media yesterday: “The link is the same for both tomorrow and Saturday. You’ve already received the agenda, so just pop onto Zoom to whatever parts you want to attend.

“Make sure your username identifies your name and media outlet.

“For any interviews, reach out to me and I’d be glad to coordinate.”

Clark also wrote to media on Thursday with this admonition: “Important note: the link is not for distribution. Registered media and Liberal attendees only.”

As a Nova Scotian journalist for nearly 35 years, I have routinely gone to political AGMs as a journalist. In my teens as a political junkie, I used to go to Liberal AGMs at the venerable Hotel Nova Scotian.

I even took in a few Tory AGMs in the mid- to late-1980s at the legendary Lord Nelson Hotel. At times, I was a guest of Top Tory John MacDonell.

At one AGM in the 1990s, the Tories met at the Hotel Nova Scotian, and I went to the 1999 Tory MLA hospitality suite for David Hensbee – his seafood chowder was superb. Then one of Hensbee’s over-enthusiastic supporters on learning I was a journalist, punched me out, hitting my face and sending me tumbling. Hensbee being a true gentleman did immediately apologize on behalf of his supporter, a man by the first name of Dwight.

But the Liberal Party office has denied access for The Notebook to  cover the AGM set for today and Saturday.

Rest assured, Dear Reader, I will be giving gavel-to-gavel coverage of the party’s convention this weekend.

I have found a way to cover it because I am industrious.

I want to thank many Liberal partisans who phoned Thursday with offers to use their convention Zoom passcodes.

After I wrote on Thursday that the embattled Liberal Party has refused to allow me to register for the convention, my phone literally blew up with offers of many Liberals willing to share their AGM passcodes.

For the record, I politely turned down these offers to share passcodes. As I have a paywall media website, I refrain from passcode sharing and so, ethically, I will not passcode share with Liberal Zoom passcodes. The offers from some Liberals while very kind, have politely been turned down.

I have, however, found an ethical way to cover the AGM, and the coverage will be gavel-to-gavel. Rest assured, Dear Reader, The Notebook will cover the AGM.

As I explained on Thursday, the reason I have been denied to ‘register as media’ to the Liberal AGM is because of my coverage of the Liberal Party scandal, involving the theft of $145,000 by a now-fired staffer.

Here is what I wrote Thursday:

Topic: Liberal Scandal Coverage: Paying The Price For Honest, Truth-Telling Reporting: Liberal Organizers Silent On Notebook request To be Accredited Media to Cover AGM

It’s been several days now since I contacted the PR staffer with both the Nova Scotia Liberal Party & the Nova Scotia Liberal caucus, a person named Caitie Clark.

On Tuesday night, I asked her to register me for the weekend Grit annual general meeting. That request fell on deaf ears and I called her and left more emails on Wednesday and again on Thursday. They, too, were ignored.

It’s rather a routine matter as a media to get registered for party conventions, but I am thinking our investigative journalism ongoing and continued coverage of the embattled Nova Scotia Liberal party is the reason why Clark won’t register me for the AGM.

I have been going to AGMs, all mainline parties, for decades, but it would seem the embattled Liberal party might not register me.

That won’t stop me from covering the proceedings.

It is frustrating that my requests to register as a media outlet to cover the Grit AGM is falling on the silent treatment.

My news career is nearing 35 years in the news trenches. Over three decades, I have interviewed  Maritime premiers and prime ministers.

My news career began with my first premier interview in 1988 – Honest It’s John Buchanan. And, every Nova Scotia premier since then has spoken to me in a news capacity. Maritime premiers such as Frank McKenna talked to me, as did prime ministers Jean Chretien and Brian Mulroney, who still frequently talks to The Notebook.

And, yet the Nova Scotia Liberal party is seemingly ignoring my request to cover the party’s AGM, set for this weekend.

That’s the price for breaking and like a dog with a bone covering the Liberal scandal on a continuing basis. The first news scoop on this file was published on Feb. 11, when I broke the news of the theft of over $145,000 from Liberal coffers.

So, The Notebook, will find a way to cover the AGM.

Notebook coffee mugs take famous Stephen McNeil message: “Stay The Blazes Home & Read The Notebook.” This photo is from a reader who enjoys a cup of java on weekends, while reading The Notebook.

After all, we are a media, just like other Nova Scotia media outlets.

The Macdonald Notebook is read by business titans and politicos – and each week, 1,500-plus folk visit our website.

Having my requests to register being ignored by Liberal official Caitie Clark is something you’d expect from Russia, but the last time I checked, Nova Scotia is a democratic province. There’s no doubting among many business titans and politicos that The Notebook is a media outlet.

Here are some reader endorsements as we enjoy our sixth year of Independent publishing.

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Halifax real estate developer, Wadih Fares, who is also Honorary Consul General in the Maritimes for Lebanon: “I have been reading Andrew’s stories for 17 years. I am always curious to see what he is going to write about and he is very curious himself but honest. He is passionate about journalism and above all he is trustworthy. We live in a very small, tight-knit community. Media has a big impact on our lives and it helps to talk to a journalist you can trust and that’s Andrew Macdonald. He is experienced, his stories are fair, balanced and very professional. That’s what good journalism is all about!”

Prominent Chester-Halifax realtor Piers Baker: “Andrew is a very fine writer and has oodles of information on the local real estate scene. He is probably the most tapped-in person in this part of the world.”

Betsy Macdonald, NDP caucus toiler: “The Macdonald Notebook is not ‘He said, She said’ journalism. Instead, it’s old-fashioned storytelling.”

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Mark Boudreau, director of Corporate Affairs for Loblaw Halifax: “Andrew is quintessentially Nova Scotian. He is a tough but fair reporter – and he cares about his readers. His columns are always insightful, and with him, you always get insight that you don’t in any other business reporting in the province.”

Former Nova Scotia PC leadership contender John Lohr on The Notebook: “Nova Scotia’s Political Publication.”

David Bentley: “Andrew’s big strength is his interest in other people and the contacts he has to tell stories that connect with other people.”

Banking and insurance entrepreneur, Jonathan Meretsky says of The Notebook: “Thanks for everything you do and your excellent journalism (that is informative and fun to read).”

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