Describing the Montreal-based multi-million dollar duty refund scam (G
& M, August 5, 1991, buried on page B2) without mentioning Jews is
the equivalent of reporting Custer's Last Stand without mentioning Indians,
or perhaps World War II without mentioning Germans.
Unfortunately, this kind of self-censorship in the service of a powerful
minority pressure group is becoming more and more prevalent in Canadian
journalism. No doubt it proves expedient in the short term insofar as it
forestalls charges of anti-Semitism and racism, or worse. Ultimately, the
practice is self-defeating since it leads to loss of credibility and resentment
on the part of mainstream Canadians who expect a higher standard from their
national newspaper.
In this case your attempt to cover up the identity of the offenders is
quite futile, since full details have been published in the Montreal Gazette
which is freely available in most Canadian cities.
Sincerely,
Ian Macdonald
August 5, 1991