Spinning the seal hunters
Newsweek: "Despite mounting pressure to cancel the yearly seal hunt, in which hundreds of thousands of baby harp seals are killed simply for their pelts, the Canadian government is allowing the bloodbath to continue."
With that as the backdrop, I watched Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams debate Heather and Paul McCartney on the seal hunt. I expected it could be a great case study for issue managing special interest groups. It could have been, that is.
First off, someone should tell Williams that smiling once in a while might be a good idea.
I think Williams did the right thing by taking advantage of the CNN forum to get his message out, but did a lousy job doing it. Rather than make the case for the hunt (which incidentally, I am quite skeptical of), he spent most his time on the Larry King show in a reactive mode.
Like most fights that play out on TV, there's only two sides to this. The McCartney's have the benefit of being on the side that has great visuals. Williams has a bunch of guys with guns and clubs killing seals - not the easiest thing to message around.
I think he could have done a much better job laying out an economic and ecological case for the hunt, but he resorted to a fragmented approach of calling the McCartney's ill informed and peppering the discussion with factoids which lacked an overall messaging theme.
From an internatinal perspective, Williams lost. Last count Google news had 400 international stories related to this issue. Williams had a chance to at least have some compelling messages on the record, but just didn't get any across tonight.
UPDATE: This gem of a quote from CTV's coverage - "First of all, the information that hasn't been given is that 90 per cent of these seals are killed by bullets, they are not all clubbed," Williams said in a debate that aired on CNN's Larry King Live."
Makes you all warm and fuzzy inside, doesn't it? Assuming Williams was trying to comment on the humaneness of the way seals are killed, he could have positioned this somewhat better.
posted by JMP at 10:46 PM
RSS Feed
11 Comments:
Anyone who knows the self-reliant character of the Newfy could see Premier Williams seething below his sweaty surface at having to defend his province's traditions and economic policies to a pair of sophomoric and supercilious do-gooders. The premier is quite right in arguing that there is little difference between the seal hunt and the abatoir. One can only feel sorry for all that veal that is being neglected by the likes of Sir Paul and his wife.
2:15 AM
ggvonm: I think Williams did the right thing by going on to defend the hunt - I just think he did a forgettable job doing it. Especially given who his audience for this debate is. The US Humane Society, which is behind the McCartney visit, is clearly trying to raise the debate about this Canadian issue in America. In that way, America is Williams audience and I don't think he did what he needed to do to help people understand his side of the story.
2:18 PM
the mccartneys spent more money on this little adventure then a newfoundland sealing family probably sees in a lifetime.our annual seal harvest is no different then the processing of cattle,hogs,chickens that americans have on their table every day.the only difference is that we newfoundlanders have to do ours out in the wild,not behind closed doors.i look out my window and can see the home of a family whose livelihood depends on next months hunt.he'll risk his life in a 16 foot boat and two weeks later have an extra 1500 - 2000 dollars to help his family if he's lucky.we have been doing this for 500 years.we find no glory in it.it's a culture and a way of life few like you would understand,nor would want to take the time to do so.
4:50 PM
table mountains: Had Williams led with the kinds of arguments in your post, he would have been far more effective. Instead I think he got lost in a tit-for-tat debate with a rock star and his wife.
7:59 PM
How truly sad that ALL you poor Canadians need to rely on killing to survive! What a credit to humanity you are. The hunters should get REAL jobs which benefit people and humanity, not national economies. Like me -- a doctor.
9:48 PM
Only a doctor would make a comment like that..Sorry not everyone has the opportunities to go to medical school. When you grow up in an outport community, with no electricity, no running water, no money etc...how the hell are you going to go to school to become a doctor? And by the way scholorships in Canada are no where near as funded as they are in the states...Its like going to Africa and saying to some goat farmer the same crap, why do you have to be a killer, why can't you be a lawyer...Ridiculous??? of course. Think about it. You have no idea what it is like in a Newfoundland outport, and until you do, I suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself. Also, a real job??? Must have been nice letting your parents or the government pay for all of those years for you to study to be an ass. Whoa a real job, I bet you wouldn't know real work unless it bit you in the ass. Go out on a fishing boat for a week, see what real work actually is.
10:11 PM
Sealing is not a sport...it's a livelihood. I don't see the McCartney's protesting bull fights, fox hunts ant the like in which animals are tortured simply for fun in the name of sport. Of course, it's hard to cuddle up to a bull and they don't come across as cuddly. As to the comment that ALL Canadians know how to do is kill...does the war in Iraq ring any bells? Those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
10:32 PM
It is barbaric cruelty to hunt seal cubs for vanity. Those fur coats belong on the animal not on some hag's back. Get off your lazy asses and out of your comfort zones, get educated, and find something else to do to make a living!
1:39 AM
ok East Coast fishermen, time to speak out... come on, now - tell the outraged frothing-at-the-mouthers how if the seal hunters didnt reduce the fish eating population, theyd have to pay someone to do it.. or they themselves would go hungry, too .. yes, even (gasp) American fishermen!
2:43 PM
The Larry King show was a farce and I just wish people would read accurate infomration about the seal hunt; I have posted an essay on my site on the topic.
6:54 PM
I can't believe this one-sided story and most of the naive responses of the all-to-sainty americans that responded it...let's not forget the doctor. By the way, PhD or MD and in what field. Many of my PhD friends don't have the time nor the interest to respond to such an inane article on seal hunting. What "internet university" did you get your PhD from doctor?
I digress...I don't like to waste my time on this issue but to say "why don;t you go complain about the "scientific" whale slaughter in Japan. Oh but wait a minute...it's not on an ice flow where the blood is more apparent. Let me see...hmmm....if we could only put the huge whale carcass on the ice flow, put his Lordship beside a japanese "researcher" that could provoke an outpouring of grief from our fellow naive americans...what you do think Doc?
3:17 PM
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home