Susan Delacourt and Bruce Campion-Smith of the Toronto Star sink to a new low with this absolute joke of a story (see here) on the infamous torture-claiming professor Amir Attaran and Errol Mendes, saying the Conservative government is behind the FOI requests of their university files.
No credible journalist could defend running this article which is based only on the ramblings of some well-known anti-Conservatives.
They even goes so far as to hide Attaran’s relationship with Iffy by saying the Conservatives are “alleging he was close to Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff – the two share a Harvard background.”
In fact, Attaran owed his job at Harvard to Iffy (see here) and as Adrian MacNair pointed out, has a history of making unsubstantiated claims, specifically on Afghan detainee torture (see here).
Update: The NP’s Jonathan Kay rips into Delacourt and Campion-Smith here
BC Blue: One BC Conservative's view on it all... 
February 11, 2011 at 10:45 AM
Good post but you made the mistake of using the words ‘credible journalist’ in a blog entry about Susan Delacourt.
The 2 should never appear together.
February 11, 2011 at 10:53 AM
I’ve also noticed Robert Fife re-Tweeting this bull today
February 11, 2011 at 10:57 AM
I love Conservatives. Everything is a crisis. You guys don’t say “I disagree with Susan and Bruce’s article…”, you say “no credible journalist could defend running this article”. You don’t agree with someone, so you attack them personally.
I also love how you treat being friends with Her Majesty’s Leader of the Official Opposition as evidence of a crime. Not surprising, really. As Mr. Ignatieff says, Liberals attack issues, Conservatives attack people.
February 11, 2011 at 11:06 AM
Amir, is that you?
February 11, 2011 at 11:01 AM
Ha ha! poor Amir Attaran and Errol Mendes, getting a taste of their own medicine, being the subject of ATI requests!
What about transparency?
What are they trying to hide, that they are so indignant?
February 11, 2011 at 11:07 AM
Hey! I just remembered! It must have been Don Burroughs who pointed the finger at the Conservatives!
Who is Don Burroughs? Remember this?
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/930337–tories-planning-spring-election?bn=1
February 11, 2011 at 11:08 AM
lol…perfect!
February 11, 2011 at 11:39 AM
Laughed my @$$ off after reading this “story”…Delacourt is what she is and that is a joke. Last week she was “breaking” a “story” of when the CPC were going to call an election(March 29th)with her source being a Bob Doroughty and today this. Next week it will be something else that is earth shattering about the government or conservatives without any proof and credibility. Look time has past her by and others are taking her spot so her little “stories” is all she has nowadays. Her pro-Liberal bias is legendary with her brother works for the Liberals.
February 11, 2011 at 11:41 AM
Don Burroughs
February 11, 2011 at 1:00 PM
Sorry sir, I new the name was something like that..
February 11, 2011 at 11:54 AM
Ms. Delacourt should get her boots – and take a hike!
Atimar and Mendes – If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear!
Get over it.
February 11, 2011 at 11:59 AM
It only costs 5 bucks to file an ATI request.
If the BT community ever set up a tip jar, I would definitley hit it. The real story is always more interesting than the spin as you know.
February 11, 2011 at 12:07 PM
If I had a bird, the Star would not qualify as the liner.
February 11, 2011 at 12:16 PM
If there is nothing “bias” or “Nothing they are hiding” – what are they all upset about? Every time I ever see Amir on giving his liberal slant – I always change the channel. You have to be a complete “nut” not to know he is nothing but a liberal hack – one of Iggy’s little errant boys…
February 12, 2011 at 8:18 AM
[…] the lamest front-page “exclusive” in the history of Canadian journalism” (see here), she decided to do a second […]
February 12, 2011 at 8:37 AM
Thanks to Susan, lots of info has come out re the two so called profs. They have both contributed to the liberal campaigns and to the ndp. We were reminded Amir wanted the taxpayer to pay for fertility treatments for his wife, he has called our troops torturers and worse. He was involved in a possible scandal at Harvard and Iggy gave him cover, and office space and got him his job in Canada.
Maybe, if it only costs 5.00 all of us should file a FOI on both of them.
Question, could you vote for a leader with friends like these.
I wonder if his wife like the fact that the world now knows she has a dud for a stud.
Do either of these so called profs have tenure yet, can they be released. They are a joke and their attempt to be victims has backfired on them.
February 12, 2011 at 8:48 AM
Last I heard (July ’10), Attaran was still only an “associate” professor but doesn’t declare that standing in his correspondence or contact info etc
March 16, 2011 at 1:32 PM
[…] anti-Harper University of Ottawa professors Errol Mendes’ and Amir Attaran’s who allege a “witch-hunt” against them and Heather MacIvor from the University of Windsor who […]
March 28, 2011 at 9:33 PM
[…] There can be no way that the people who booked Mendes didn’t know about his tin-foil hat episode when he ran to the Toronto Star saying that the Conservative Party was digging up dirt on him and his buddy, the Afghan torture-claiming Amir Attaran (see here). […]