Media Coverage: Breakfast Television two-fer

On the 30th, after coming to Artspace to interview both Kathleen Smith about the SLAPP suite, as well as talking to Artspace members about ongoing actions at our home, the two following clips were aired.

There is no embedding option, so you'll have to go to their website to watch them.  There are two commercials before the clips start.

The first was aired at 6am, with Kathleen's interview.  It starts at the 4:39 mark.  Not a lot of information in such a short clip, but I think the basics were covered.  I think it could be called a media win.

Then there was the second clip, aired at 8am.  It starts at the 3:00 mark.

Now, we know the camera man did a good job while here, but this is now the second time things went haywire in editing.

Where to start?

How about;

"... residents at a local assisted living centre say they need help."

*head-desk*

We are not an assisted living centre.  We are a co-op.  We are private homes, not a facility.

How many times does that have to be said?

"Artspace Independent Living..."

That would be Supports for Independent Living.

"... say they can't reach an agreement..."

Wait a minute.

No one from the SAIL board was there during the interview.  There was no statement from SAIL.  These were members to talk about what's been going on outside our homes.

"... with the union for higher wages due to the amount of funding they currently receive from Alberta Health Services."

Well, that's sort of true.  With the current funding, SAIL can't meet AUPE's wage demands.  However, this makes it sound like AHS is somehow shortchanging SAIL in funding.  They're not.  They are getting the same level of funding as anywhere else.  Sure, it'd be nice if there were more funding, but that's a completely different issue from the labour dispute.

"... residents of the facility..."

*head-desk*

Not.

A.

Facility.

"... say they're now trying to contact the province."

Then is goes to one of our members talking about the different people he sent documents to.   Including that he got no replies from any of them.

This is just weird.  It's not that we're just now trying to contact the province.  We've already been doing that.  With government changes, we'll have to do it again, but this is not something we haven't done before.

Then it goes to a clip from Rachel Notely.  She's talking about funding.  She seems to be suggesting that there should be two tiers of funding.  It makes me wonder the context of the interview, and the question she is responding to.

"AHS representatives say current funding is sufficient for the needs of the client and feel no need for an increase."

And it was.  The SAIL staff were being paid about $4 more per hour than others who provided home care.  AUPE is demanding they be paid the same as staff that work in large places like hospitals and long term care, not comparable places like Abby Road.  AUPE's demands would have the SAIL care staff being paid more than the LPNs at Abby Road.

Hardly equal pay for equal work.

Though it might explain why some of our members have heard the striking SAIL staff refer to themselves as nurses.

The story makes it an AHS issue.

This is not an AHS issue.

This wasn't even supposed to be about the labour dispute between SAIL and AUPE.  No one there could speak for SAIL or the labour dispute, because no one there was a SAIL board member.  It was about AUPE picketing our private homes, and their behaviour towards our community - the exposure of which lead to the SLAPP suit against Kathleen for talking about the situation online.

Behaviour like this.





What the heck happened between filming and airing?

Sorry, Breakfast TV.  This one is going to have to fall under Media Fail, for turning it into a completely different story.




One interesting thing about when City TV was out here.

Suddenly, no one on the picket line was willing to talk to the camera man.

Now, there's a switch!