Gushers, gaffes and how it happened
It’s been “Helium Week” in Medicine Hat, and while most Hatters have harkened back to periodic tables of longago chemistry classes, the News didn’t make the grade when it came to reporting on a new city endeavour.
Yours truly got it wrong, announcing on Wednesday morning that the valuable and elusive gas had already been discovered by city drilling crews.
They haven’t, it must be said and repeated.
In actuality, a well-kept plan to begin exploring for helium in southern Saskatchewan begins later this month. So how’d it happen? Well, so well-kept a secret it was at city hall that only bits and babs of the plan dripped out over a nine-month period.
Sources will remain unnamed (of course, and no matter what), but the reporter appears to have added two and two and arrived at five.
It’s no excuse that 95 per cent of the story is absolutely correct, really everything after the headline and the first 50 words.
Unfortunately, the 5 per cent that’s an overreach is key. It doesn’t help that it was in 80point type, announcing “It’s a gusher!”.
That leaves the wrong and, frankly, dangerous impression that the city has a store of helium in hand and for sale.
The obvious assumption would be that the drilling gambit is a sure thing and that the city is ready to rake in profits.
On both points, it most certainly is not.
Continuing coverage of the issue points that out.
It’s best practice to double check math, and we hope that you will trust the News to get it right in the future.
Election speculation
Jamie McIntosh held on to announcing his re-election campaign until this week, arguing that folks aren’t really interested in a fall election until after Labour Day, and he’s probably right.
In 2013, Labour Day and the following nomination day brought new names out of the woodwork.
There are now 13 registered campaigns for councillors for eight seats up for grabs this fall.
A very limited survey of registered candidates finds the best guess for the size of the field will be between 15 and 22.
There were 12 candidates total in 2013 and 23 in 2007.
So far this time, only one has a website up and running.
Scott Raible announced that he’ll oppose incumbent mayor Ted Clugston on Sunday night of a long weekend, stating transit changes were the last straw.
Last straw or not, the teacher and former owner of 93.7 Praise FM had a notable billboard campaign up and running by mid-week.
Several reporters here still feel there’s one notably named candidate kicking the can around and planning a mayoral campaign.
A look ahead
The city’s public services committee meets Monday to discuss the creation of a sports council to actively pursue events and tournaments.
100 years ago
The first conscripts would be in uniform by the end of November, the News quoted Prime Minister Robert Borden saying to a veterans group in Ottawa in early September, 1917.
Debate over the Military Service Acts, instituting a draft of military aged men and compulsory service, had raged since the spring, including riots in Montreal. The bill passed in late August as a Union government appeared to form ahead of a general election.
Labour and Liberal backers had agreed to support a draft of men if accompanied by “conscription of capital” — income tax targeted at wartime profits by manufacturers and suppliers.
The News supported a “Win the War Government” but, however, lambasted Borden who was seen to manoeuvring himself into the leadership role, rather than allowing a new bipartisan choice for national premier.
In Medicine Hat, the local branch of the Sons of England passed motions cheering conscription as well as temporary voting measures to strip the vote from citizens of enemy nationality but give it to the wives of servicemen.
Internationally, a Russian Division abandoned its position in Romania “retreating in disorder,” leading to much speculation about the Russian political situation.
Redcliff had outshone Medicine Hat when it came to Labour Day celebrations, the
News reported. The largest ever crowd seen in the town watched baseball, soccer and athletic events to the benefit of the Red Cross.
Connaught school pupil Muriel McBride won $5 from the Canadian Club for producing the best essay in the region during Grade 8 exams in the spring.