On 20 March 2004, John Ralston Saul delivered the inaugural
Joseph Howe lecture at King''s College School of Journalism in
Halifax, Nova Scotia. One of Canada''s foremost thinkers on issues
of media, politics and society, Saul spoke to the legacy of Joseph
Howe, his famous defense in 1835, and of his contributions to a
distinctly Canadian position on freedom of speech and freedom of
the press. His speech recalls a time when political debate was
prioritized in society and covered by the media, and when the
democratic foundations of this country were first articulated and
then pursued via social reforms.
"We''re curious. And we''re actually not in a rush," says Saul
of our current situation. Why then, with the collective level of
education and individual life expectancy steadily on the rise, have
we not allocated more time to engaging in public debate of ideas
and to covering these debates in the media? Why, when the creation
of Canada as a country is still remembered as the result of
all-night discussions and passionate engagement, have we not chosen
to continue discussion simply as a means of maintaining an active,
conscious citizenry?
Saul applauds the examples of responsible, courageous
investigative journalism in evidence today, and urges a wider move
away from the results-focused, low-content buzz that comprises so
much of mainstream media both in print and on television, and which
stands in direct contradiction with participatory democracy and
with freedom of the press. Cutting through murky constructs like
intellectual-property rights and access to information, he
identifies the journalistic challenge of locating shapes in the
mass of information and beneath the misleading hype around secrets.
In a style that is highly articulate, humorous and emphatic, John
Ralston Saul provides a succinct, relevant look at Canadian
history, our current whereabouts, and an ambitious rally for
participatory democracy and intelligent media for the future.