montrealgazette.com |
In
an interview with Jian Ghomeshi, Doolittle mentioned she wrote the book to
answer what people still want to know about Rob Ford; firstly, how did Rob Ford
get to be mayor of Toronto and what in his upbringing caused him to be the way
he is. Through an incredible amount of
diligent research, Doolittle answers this questions many times over.
I
also found it interesting to have the whole story put together, or at least the
story so far. Hearing snippets and
pieces of the story on the news made the story seem like a fiction – more like celebrity
news than fact. I was greatly impressed
with Doolittle’s journalistic abilities in the telling of the story. As someone who studied journalism in the 90’s,
I was also amazed at the legal precautions newspapers are now required to
consider. I am quite certain the general
public, including myself, is unaware of how careful journalists must be to
present the news. Doolittle herself was
part of an investigation by the Ontario Press Council to ensure the Toronto Star was covering the Rob Ford
story in an honest and responsible manner.
“On October 16, 2013, the Ontario Press Council dismissed complaints
against the Star and Globe.
The panel found that both papers had acted responsibly while reporting
on a matter of significant public interest.”
(Crazy Town, p. 250 – 251)
Rob
Ford is certainly a character who will not soon be forgotten in Canada. In fact, Doolittle predicts that he will
likely win another term as mayor. The
general feeling seems to be that, other than his personal problems, he is doing
good things as mayor. The question I ask
is, since when is someone allowed to maintain any job, from janitor to judge,
when they are involved in illegal activities?
Even if it has yet to be proven in court, people in my profession would,
at least, be suspended from their job until the allegations were proven or
disproven in court. Doolittle explains
the legalities of why Ford can yet retain his office and the way councillors
have tried to curtail his power, but it still baffles me.
In
conclusion, I found this a fascinating read, which is saying a lot for someone
who generally can’t follow politics.