The federal government really needs to be giving the media technical briefings on COVID-19. There is way too much info being announced at podiums — sometimes with errors — and the details are written out hours later.
I want to punch up here, not down. Here are some shortfalls:
I want to punch up here, not down. Here are some shortfalls:
This morning the PM misspoke about when Canadians will receive the emergency benefit:
A day prior, a minister and a department gave mixed messages on whether Ottawa will tax the emergency benefit.
You need to know the answer if you’re a Canadian out of work and trying to budget for the coming weeks.
You need to know the answer if you’re a Canadian out of work and trying to budget for the coming weeks.
Also on Wednesday, we had mixed messages on when the Quarantine Act actually came into effect.
After the House passed the bill this week, Finance Canada took six hours to get its news release posted on its website; a few reporters got it by email two hours prior, but not the press gallery.
Last week, Finance showed up 12~ minutes before Morneau spoke to hand out the backgrounder on spending package. They ran out of photocopies. They emailed it — but there was a lag in getting it online. I tweeted it out after two MP staffers asked me for it:
I messed up on Wednesday because I was jotting down the numbers as Miller listed them. A vigilant staffer noted my error and sent me the details that were going to go out — ISC published its release a day later.
When Ottawa announced the restrictions on the border with the United States, southern Manitoba readers bombarded my inbox asking what counts as “essential travel.” If your own kid stateside is having a baby, can you cross? A delivered U.S. parcel being sent back to the retailer?
Before that, for restrictions on people from outside N. America entering Canada, govt asked at least one outlet to correct the timing — it was at midnight but govt wrongfully said noon. So they had a correction and an un-correction. Reporters were livid. Cdns abroad confused.
This government has done much better than what I’ve seen elsewhere for access. They have heeded our advice to improve things in recent weeks. We are all operating in crazy pace, on minimal sleep. I get it. Freeland recognized there was an information-flow issue on March 18: 
Technical briefings are when you have senior bureaucrats, who actually crafted the policy, explain how things work in a very boring/factual tone. They answer Qs but are usually not to be named. They fill in the blanks before politicians speak, so we can ask leaders *why* not how.
Thousands of Canadians in their pyjamas are watching the daily press conferences with multiple ministers. That makes for a really different audience target than us in the press pack asking questions. I think it’s driving the repetition (and spin).
The list of questions from the phone are also jammed with reporters who are either immunocompromised, or simply trying to follow self-isolation guidelines. Few get their question in — and many are about technical details. (This is partly the fault of media asking long/similar Qs)
Things are moving so fast and a lot of us (comms people, ministers’ staff, journalists) are not sleeping great. But details are coming way late, from many depts, and these policies impact people's lives. I’ve mentioned this to folks in PMO, minister’s offices and depts.
When the officials and the media get it right the first time, it helps shore up the public’s trust in both institutions, in a very stressful situation.
(TL;DR: I'm too awkward to be on TV this often and I'd much rather ask a bureaucrat my pedantic questions.)
