Canwest sues Palestinian activists for parody
By Nathan Allen
For putting out a Vancouver Sun parody issue in June 2007, members of the Palestine Media Collective are being sued by Canwest for trademark infringement. The lawsuit targets the unapproved use of the Vancouver Sun logo, which the satirists reproduced all-too accurately – but the case raises serious issues about free speech.
Last summer the papers, which were distributed around the Lower Mainland, took aim at Canwest for biased reporting on the on-going conflict in Israel and Palestine. Along with a number of daily and community papers across Canada, Canwest owns the Sun, the Province, the National Post, the Vancouver Courier and Global TV, which is run by the Asper family.
The parody, created by local artists Gordon Murray and Carel Moiseiwitch, confronted the public with questions about how the “truth” about this conflict is defined by newspaper editors and publishers. The papers were distributed on the 40th anniversary of the Six-Day War and featured headlines such as, “Celebrating 40 Years of Civilising the West Bank” and “Study Shows Truth Biased Against Israel.”
In our media-savvy culture, readers are accustomed to ‘spin’ and buzzword reporting of complex issues. Words such as “terrorist” and “freedom fighter” can be interchanged, depending on the editor’s perspective. Canwest’s position on the Israel/Palestine issue has been made quite clear. In 2003, Canwest CEO Israel Asper (now deceased) was quoted in a Jerusalem paper stating, “In all of our newspapers... we have a very pro-Israeli position... we are the strongest supporter of Israel in Canada.”
All of which makes the creative effort by Murray and Moiseiwitch a relevant and effective way to promote debate about the media’s coverage of a controversial subject.
But if imitation is the best form of flattery, Canwest is not willing to accept the compliment. Instead of taking the joke in stride, the organization is pursuing an anti-free speech agenda in order to maintain their false footing on a manufactured moral high ground. Their response is troubling for a media corporation whose reputation depends on delivering a product with at least the appearance of objective balance in its coverage.
Ultimately, the Canwest media em¬pire’s bullying of a small rebel alliance of Vancouver artists, known as the Palestine Media Collective, is far from funny. The media corporation’s attempt to suppress ironic critique should concern anyone who values the democratic right to free speech. The creators maintain that the parody was the exercise of their Charter Rights to the freedom “of thought, belief, opinion, and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication.”
Whether it be the impersonation of presidents and celebrities on SaturdayNight Live, Andy Worhol’s use of Campbell Soup cans, or the satirical songs of Weird Al Yankovic, the imitation of cultural symbols is a common artistic practice. There is a long tradition of satire and ironic commentary through our cultural history, from Jonathan Swift’s ‘modest proposal,’ to George Carlin’s question “if crime fighters fight crime and firefighters fight fire – what do freedom fighters fight?” Satire challenges perceived reality by turning familiar cultural references and symbols (like trademarks) on their head.
Whatever one’s opinion of the conflict on the West Bank, in a city where all major newspapers are owned by the same Asper family business, it is fair to question whether we are getting all sides of the story. Ultimately, every media outlet should be open to critique, as that is the only way to ensure the greatest possible objectivity.
However well executed, this small parody presents no real challenge to Canwest’s formidable business interests. One cannot help wondering to what extent Canwest’s current reaction is fuelled by the critique itself. Ironically, the fact that Canwest has reacted so strongly to this little prank suggests that maybe the satirical message hit the mark.
To learn more about the parody and the law¬suit, check out SeriouslyFreeSpeech.com.
