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Rebel News

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This article is about the Canadian media website. For the Australian radio broadcaster, see Rebel Media.
The Rebel Media
Screenshot
File:Rebel Media screenshot.png
Type of site
Politics
News and opinion
Available inCanadian English
Headquarters116 Tycos Drive, Unit 2
Toronto, Ontario M6C 1V9
Canada[1]
OwnerThe Rebel News Network Ltd.
EditorEzra Levant
Key peopleEzra Levant (founder)
URLtherebel.media
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedFebruary 14, 2015; 9 years ago (2015-02-14)
Current statusActive

The Rebel Media (officially The Rebel News Network Ltd.,[2] stylized as THEREBEL.media, and shortened to The Rebel) is a Canadian far-right [3][4] online political and social commentary media website founded in February 2015 by the former Sun News Network host Ezra Levant. It has been described as a "global platform" for the anti-Muslim ideology known as counter-jihad.[5][6]

Former Sun News Network parliamentary correspondent Brian Lilley and former Sun News reporter Faith Goldy later joined the outlet.[7] Gavin McInnes, founder of the Proud Boys far-right men's organization, is also a contributor.[8]

Many of The Rebel's contributors announced their departure – or were fired – in the second half of August, 2017, following Faith Goldy's prominent coverage of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and her interview with The Daily Stormer.

The Rebel Media broadcasts its content on the Rebel Media website and its YouTube channel, which peaked on August 16, 2017 at 873,800 subscribers, however with the August departures, it had fallen to 842,200 as of August 31. In September–October the channel has renewed its growth, and, as of November 16 it has over 860,000 subscribers.[9]

It has been considered a part of the alt-right movement,[10][11] although it rejects the term.[12]

History

2015–2017

The Rebel Media was formed by Levant and Lilley following the closure of the Sun News Network. Levant said that his online production would be unencumbered by the regulatory and distribution difficulties faced by Sun News Network and that its lower production costs would make it more viable.[13] A crowdfunding campaign raised roughly $100,000 for the project.[14] The site soon attracted a number of other former Sun News Network personalities such as David Menzies, Paige MacPherson, Faith Goldy, Patrick Moore, and briefly by Michael Coren.[15]

In the summer of 2015, the channel, led by Levant, launched a campaign to boycott Tim Hortons, a chain of Canadian coffee shops, after it rejected in-store ads from Enbridge due to complaints from customers opposed to the oil pipeline projects being promoted by the ads.[16]

In early 2016, the Alberta government banned The Rebel Media's correspondents from press briefings on the grounds that, because Ezra Levant had testified in court in 2014 that he was a columnist or commentator rather than a reporter, none of his current correspondents could be considered to be journalists. On 17 February 2016, the government admitted that it made a mistake and said that it would allow The Rebel Media correspondents into press briefings.[17] The Canadian Association of Journalists supported preventing government from choosing journalism coverage."[18]

In late 2016, The Rebel Media advocated for accreditation by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to permit its access as journalists to their event. The Rebel Media had previously published articles claiming that the public is being deceived about climate change.[citation needed]

Rebel Media did receive support from the federal Canadian government and three journalism organizations and eventually was granted access by the UN.[19]

Following the Quebec City mosque shooting on January 29, 2017, Rebel promoted a conspiracy theory that the shooting was perpetrated by Muslims.[20][21] In 2017, Rebel Media hired as its British correspondent convicted criminal[22] and far-right activist[23] Tommy Robinson, founder of the avowedly anti-Islamic English Defence League.[24][25]

Departures, March 2017 to present

Lauren Southern left the organization in March 2017.[26]

Jack Posobiec also no longer works for the Rebel.

Co-founder Brian Lilley quit the Rebel on August 12, 2017, following the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia writing, "What anyone from The Rebel was doing at a so-called 'unite the right' rally that was really an anti-Semitic white power rally is beyond me. Especially not a rally dedicated to keeping up a statue of Robert E. Lee, a man that whatever else he stood for, also fought on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of America’s bloodiest conflict." Lilley accused The Rebel of exhibiting a "lack of editorial and behavioural judgment that left unchecked will destroy it and those around it."[27]

Freelancers Barbara Kay and John Robson also quit the Rebel and the company was denounced by Conservative MP Michael Chong and Alberta politician Doug Schweitzer of the United Conservative Party.[28][29]

Faith Goldy, a former journalist and online show host of The Rebel, was fired on August 17, 2017, for her participation in a podcast associated with The Daily Stormer, a neo-nazi and white supremacist news site.[30] In the course of reporting on the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Goldy seemed to be working to provide mainstream respectability to the white nationalist demonstrators, arguing that they suggested a wider "rising white racial consciousness" in America and characterizing a manifesto by white supremacist Richard Spencer that called for organizing states along racial lines as "robust" and "well thought-out."[31]

Gavin McInnes left the Rebel at the end of August 2017. Levant wrote “We tried to keep him, but he was lured away by a major competitor that we just couldn’t outbid" in an email to the independent news site Canadaland.[32][33]

British contributor Caolan Robertson no longer works for The Rebel.[33] Robertson claims he was fired for 'knowing too much' about the Rebel's finances claiming that the company dishonestly solicited donations for projects that were already funded, and concealing how that money was spent.[33] He also claimed that Southern was fired for refusing to tape a fundraising appeal for the Rebel's Israel trip after fundraising targets had already been met. Robertson also played audio of Levant offering him thousands of dollars of what Levant himself called "hush money". Levant denies these allegations and says he will present evidence opposing this in court, claiming that he was being "blackmailed" by Robertson and his partner.[4][34][35][36] Levant has since briefly talked about The Rebel's finances in his online show and released a summary on The Rebel's website.[37][38]

Connection to the Conservative Party of Canada

After the leadership race, it was revealed that Scheer's close friend and campaign manager Hamish Marshall was a director on the far-right site The Rebel Media ( he says he had left the Rebel after the leadership race ended though former Stephen Harper former press secretary, Andrew MacDougall, has disputed it .[39]). Scheer was criticsed for not denouncing the Rebel after the Unite the Right rally[40],eventually he did.He cited leadnow for influencing his decision.

In a interview with the Toronto Life, he revealed that go to news source are "CTV, CBC, National Post, Globe and Mail,as well as iPolitics, Huffington Post and even the Rebel"[1]On August 17,2017, Scheer stated that he barely followed them.[1] [2][41][42]

On October 16, 2017 , The Globe and Mail asked Scheer if he knew that Hamish Marshall for the Rebel during the leadership campaign but he ended the interview. Scheer denied that he knew Marshall's clients but the party denied his statement.Both Levant and Marshall downplayed Marshall role stating that he was a simple "IT guy", however, it was revealed that Marshall used his business knowledge and skills to help Rebel developed its controversial brand [43][3]

The day after, Marshall was named campaign chair for their 43rd Canadian federal election.[4]

Advertiser boycott and cruise cancellation, May 2017 to present

Beginning in May 2017, The Rebel was the target of a boycott campaign by the social media activist group Sleeping Giants whereby advertisers were pressured to withdraw their adverts from The Rebel Media's YouTube channel and website. Within a three-month period in 2017, the activist group claimed that The Rebel had lost approximately 300 advertisers, including CCM Hockey, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Red Lobster, Reitmans, Penguin Books Canada, Volkswagen Canada and Tangerine Bank.[44] along with PetSmart, the Hudson's Bay Company, General Motors Canada, the Royal Canadian Mint, the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation, Ottawa Tourism, Porter Airlines, and Whistler Blackcomb ski resort.[45]

The city of Edmonton withdrew from city advertisements after complaints on social media about the controversial nature of Levant's comments. According to Councilor Oshry, the city would have made this decision regardless of political leanings, because of controversial articles.[46]

Another activist group, Hope not Hate, pressured Norwegian Cruise Lines into cancelling a scheduled Caribbean cruise which was to feature talks by Rebel Media personalities, many of whom have since left the media website.[33]

Conservative Party of Canada boycott, August 2017

Conservative Party of Canada leader Andrew Scheer announced after Charlottesville that he will stop doing interviews on Rebel Media due to its “editorial directions".[33] Conservative MPs Michael Chong, Chris Alexander,[29] Peter Kent, Lisa Raitt, and former interim leader Rona Ambrose had previously disavowed the site.[47][48]

Brian Jean, Jason Kenney, and Doug Schweitzer, who are running for the leadership of the United Conservative Party of Alberta, have condemned the Rebel and said they will no longer grant interviews to the company.[49]

Notable contributors

Former contributors

See also

References

  1. ^ "Rebel News Network Ltd - North York". YellowPages.ca. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  2. ^ "Inside Rebel Media: How Ezra Levant built an extreme media juggernaut - National Post". nationalpost.com. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  3. ^ Scott, Mark (16 May 2017). "U.S. Far-Right Activists Promote Hacking Attack Against Macron". The New York Times.
  4. ^ a b "A fight over a four-bedroom house: The Rebel Media meltdown and the full recording at the centre of the controversy". Globalnews.ca. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Inside Rebel Media: How Ezra Levant built an extreme media juggernaut | National Post". nationalpost.com.
  6. ^ Yang, Jennifer (22 October 2017). "A Toronto imam was accused of hate-preaching against Jews. But that wasn't the whole story". The Toronto Star.
  7. ^ "The Rebels". TheRebel.Media. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  8. ^ "Gavin McInnes -- Rebel Host".
  9. ^ The Rebel Media profile on SocialBlade.com
  10. ^ "The Rebel's steady spiral downwards - Macleans.ca". www.macleans.ca. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
  11. ^ "A Rough Week for Canada's Version of Breitbart News – Adweek". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
  12. ^ Rebel Media (2017-08-15), Why The Rebel rejects the Alt-Right, retrieved 2017-10-24
  13. ^ Gerson, Jen (24 February 2015). "Former Sun News host Ezra Levant launching his own conservative website following network's demise". National Post. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  14. ^ "Ezra Levant crowdfunds latest media venture after Sun News goes dark", Metro, 26 February 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  15. ^ "Michael Coren on Twitter". Twitter.
  16. ^ "Tempest in a Tim Hortons cup: Enbridge ad debacle births a boycott". Globe and Mail. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
    - "Tax Season Tim Hortons yanks Enbridge ads, sparks Alberta backlash". CBC News. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  17. ^ Edmiston, Jake (17 February 2016). "Alberta NDP says 'it's clear we made a mistake' in banning Ezra Levant's The Rebel". National Post. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  18. ^ "Alberta government must reinstate Rebel's access to the legislature: CAJ". The Canadian Association of Journalists. 17 February 2016.
  19. ^ Craig, Sean (1 November 2016). "UN offers The Rebel press accreditation for climate conference after environment minister's intervention". Financial Post.
  20. ^ Nagata, Kai (22 February 2017). "Kai Nagata on Quebec City and the ominous trajectory of Rebel Media's Ezra Levant". National Observer. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  21. ^ "Canada's Rebel is joining the global class of paranoid, far-right media". Macleans. May 19, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  22. ^ "EDL Leader Jailed For Passport Offence".
  23. ^ Graham Ruddick, "ITV defends EDL founder's appearance on Good Morning Britain", The Guardian, 20 June 2017.
  24. ^ Metro.co.uk, Nicole Morley for (20 June 2017). "Piers Morgan calls ex-EDL leader Tommy Robinson a 'bigoted lunatic'".
  25. ^ "Tommy Robinson is a radical extremist. His hate preaching has no place on our televisions". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  26. ^ Lauren Southern (9 March 2017). "Going Independent". YouTube.
  27. ^ Houpt, Simon (August 15, 2017). "Rebel Media co-founder quits over company's perceived ties to right-wing groups". Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  28. ^ Harper, Tim (15 August 2017). "Is this the beginning of the end for Canada's Rebel Media?r". Toronto Star. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  29. ^ a b "Tension between The Rebel and conservatives erupts anew". Cbc.ca. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  30. ^ "Ezra Levant: Why we had to say goodbye to Faith Goldy". YouTube. 2017-08-17. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  31. ^ Lett, Dan (19 August 2017). "Rebel Media's meltdown and the politics of hate". Winnepeg Free Press. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  32. ^ "Gavin McInnes Leaving The Rebel". CANADALAND. 2017-08-17. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Rebel Media meltdown: Faith Goldy fired as politicians, contributors distance themselves". National Post. 2017-08-18. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  34. ^ "Blackmail: Setting the record straight". YouTube. 2017-08-17. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  35. ^ Caolan Robertson (2017-08-17), WHY I LEFT THE REBEL MEDIA., YouTube, retrieved 2017-08-18
  36. ^ Ezra Levant (2017-08-17). "I will release many documents, on a video, in defamation court, and as evidence of extortion to the police". twitter.com. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  37. ^ "Rebel Media financial disclosure". The Rebel. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  38. ^ "The Rebel's fundraising revealed". The Rebel. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  39. ^ https://twitter.com/AGMacDougall/status/919998919375015936. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  40. ^ "Mulroney denounced racism in the '80s. Why can't Andrew Scheer right now?: Mochama | Metro News". metronews.ca. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
  41. ^ https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/scheer-pressured-to-distance-from-rebel/ar-AAq9MZy
  42. ^ "Andrew Scheer's campaign manager on ending his Rebel ties - Macleans.ca". Macleans.ca. 2017-08-17. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
  43. ^ "Andrew Scheer's Ties to Rebel Media Are Now Impossible to Deny". The Walrus. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
  44. ^ "300 Businesses Pull Ads From Rebel Media". Huffingtonpost.ca. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  45. ^ ROBERTSON, SUSAN KRASHINSKY (1 June 2017). "Advertisers bow to pressure to pull ads from The Rebel". The Globe and Mail.
  46. ^ Mosleh, O. "Edmonton pulls online ads from right wing Rebel Media after social media backlash", 660 News, 7 June 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  47. ^ "A Growing List Of People Who Have Cut Ties With The Rebel". Canadalandshow.com. 14 August 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  48. ^ [1] [dead link]
  49. ^ "United Conservative Party's Brian Jean, Jason Kenney distance themselves from Rebel Media". Globalnews.ca. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  50. ^ "Ezra Levant: The Rebel's unrepentant commander - Macleans.ca". Macleans.ca. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  51. ^ Rebel Media. #BLMKidnapping: Real Talk with Faith Goldy and Lauren Southern. YouTube
  52. ^ "The mainstream media has gotten very tame (Guest: Barbara Kay)". Therebel.media. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  53. ^ "Rebel Media Loses Another High-Profile Contributor". Canadalandshow.com. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.

External links


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