Wednesday proved to be an interesting day in the newsroom, especially for staff reporter John Cairns.
Cairns provided coverage in the Oct. 3 edition of the News-Optimist of Gerry Ritz's presentation to the North Battleford Rotary Club Monday.
In his story Cairns made reference to the fact beef was on the menu, this in the middle of the XL Foods E. coli disaster that has resulted in closure of the meat processing plant and recall of more than 1,500 beef products. He quoted Ritz as saying, "We had some great Canadian beef for lunch. I don't know where it came from. I don't care. I know it's good, I know it's safe."
These were no doubt words that had Ritz's handlers cringing, but it is doubtful his comments raised any eyebrows among those at the luncheon. In the newsroom we certainly viewed it as another amusing "Ritzism."
How naïve are we? It became apparent when Cairns' phone began ringing Wednesday that the quip had once again landed Ritz in the soup with the national media and the opposition in Parliament.
The story appeared in the Newspaper Wednesday, but was featured as the lead story on our website Tuesday. Some sharp eyed pundit saw it and once again the Battlefords were on the national radar.
The quote was used by New Democrat MP Malcolm Allen to rake Ritz's reputation over the coals in Question Period (his absence from the chamber has been a bone of contention during the crisis) and the calls coming to Cairns' were from national media representatives wanting to get their hands on a sound bite or seeking permission to use the quote in their coverage. The McLean's Magazine website even offers up a link to the story on the News-Optimist website and when the audio clip has been used with credit given to the Battlefords News-Optimist. We have arrived.
Its interesting how Ritz's offhand remarks can so effectively steer attention away from the real issues in this incident, just as they did and the listerosis outbreak in 2008. Is it possible Ritz plans it that way?
Whatever his strategy, his media handlers had him on a short leash Wednesday when he appeared at a news conference in Calgary. Questioning there was cut short. Despite their efforts to tone down Ritz's natural penchant for the witty quip it is obvious there is nothing the media types can do when Ritz is alone on the podium.
