Hot off the Press! (well not exactly...)

These linked stories aren't new but now is the perfect opportunity to read some of The Hamilton Spectator’s expertly investigated and sensitively written series on line.

They will be free for only a limited time while The Spec is updating their website to accommodate the 21st century and us in the blogosphere. (Finally, I can keep up with what is happening here when I’m away)

One article that I wished I had been able to link to but couldn’t is ‘Canada’s Culture of Secrecy’.

Start by reading Kevin Cavanaugh’s editorial on this subject. I have to say, Kevin is by far one of my favorite editors at the Spec but then again; there hasn’t been any one editorial that I haven’t agreed with fully or in part.

Then read Ian MacLeod’s piece on government cunning subverting access laws.

The meaty stuff is the full story by Robert Cribb and Fred Vallance-Jones. Their piece includes charts, maps and describes how the access to information audit was accomplished across Canada.

If you haven’t caught similar articles in your own regional publications, since it was coordinated nationwide, I think you’ll be glad you read these.

It couldn’t have been more exciting for me as a reader to know that newspaper editors and writers across Canada have made the journey possible for Canadians and have put our frustrations into factual commentary, cemented the ‘unknown’ into the ‘known’.

The words of these newspaper journalists have blown life into what many of them themselves have butted up against and what most of us already experienced living this frustration of our governments - yet had nothing to back us up.

Now, while your perusing The Spec’s website, it is my recommendation to read the series on these two stories:

Blind Faith is an incredible investigation by three Spec reporters, who engaged in months long, detailed research into the financial inter-twinement of big pharamceutical companies and university health research departments.

I have referred to this series in past posts to this blog.

The Randy Mogridge Story is heart wrenching and another one that I have referred to, except with a Habamus twist, which in my blog post, will refer you back to the Secrecy series.

A forewarning, before reading this one. I have to let you know that it is going to be difficult to stomach without anger when you learn what has happened to Randy before he died, but I recommend it no matter what.

This is a story that needs to be turned into a movie and do what the likes of A Civil Action or Erin Brokovitch, did for the environment as I hope Randy's would do for mental heatlh consumers.

I don’t know if any of our Canadian producers could give it the necessary effort that has similar effects of American movie bravado, but in any case THIS is one story that needs to be told, over and over and over again, until somebody “gets it”. (CTV are you out there?)

So there you go, Habamus says: "Don’t miss out on excellent Hamilton journalism it’s some of the best in Canada!"