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Veteran Pro-Life Journalist to Be Ousted from Ontario Gov't Press Gallery

TORONTO, October 21, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A vigorous effort is being made to expel Queen's Park correspondent and pro-life Interim newspaper columnist Frank Kennedy from the Queen's Park Press Gallery for holding and actively expressing his point of view.

A 15-year member of the Q.P. Press Gallery, Kennedy, a popular and well-liked part-time member of the gallery was brought in last Friday for a closed-door session with the Q.P. Press Gallery executive for what they considered his `advocacy' and aggressive promotion of the pro-life cause.  Gallery president Alan Findlay, told Kennedy that the executive could not dismiss a member outright but would put in a recommendation to the 24 full-time members of the press gallery and call for a vote.   Kennedy stands little chance of winning the vote given the pro-abortion bias of the mainstream media who are represented by the 24 full-time members.

Kennedy's greatest offence he says is placing a pro-life bookmark in reporters' drop boxes.  "Their chief complaint with me" Kennedy says "appears to be that on one occasion I put in a colourful book mark - which was a story idea based on an article that appeared in Newsweek - in our open mail boxes. The bookmark showed an amazing photograph of Samuel Armas' hand at 21 weeks gestation extending from his mother's uterus during fetal surgery to correct his spinal bifida. The reverse side showed Samuel at 3-1/2 years of age and another photo of Samuel at 5 years of age with his mother, looking healthy and happy. I told them they could go to the web and find all kinds of interesting stories about Samuel, but they didn't appear interested."

During the recent CBC strike, the Gallery was told to lock out their two CBC legislative reporters but they refused, saying it was a violation of the independence of journalists at Queen's Park. "Its reporters," Findlay said, "as representatives of their media organizations, are granted membership in order to ensure the public receives the best possible scope of media coverage."  That same Alan Findlay is now wanting to lock Kennedy out of the QP press gallery.

Kennedy plans to approach the new Speaker of the House to plead his case. Kennedy feels this attack on him is politically-motivated.

In an interview with LifeSiteNews.com Kennedy noted that even the darling document of the lib-left falls on his side in this case.  Citing the UN Declaration of Human Rights Article 19, Kennedy quoted: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

Expulsion from Queen's Park will deny Kennedy first-hand access to the activities of the government - courts, legislature, officials, and records, thus compromise his ability to report on news and information for The Interim, Canada's only pro-life newspaper.

To express your concerns to Alan Findlay:

416 325-7825

See the famous photo of baby Samuel that is on the bookmark
http://www.lifesite.net/fetaldevelopment/samuel.html

See The Interim online:
http://www.theinterim.com

jhw

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