Канадский консервативный медиа-ресурс «The Western Standard»: история и противоречия.

Canadian media website

The Western Standard is a Canadian conservative social commentary media website operated by Western Standard New Media Corp. and its president Derek Fildebrandt. The Standard is based in Calgary, Alberta, where its main offices are located. The Standard also has bureaus in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg and Ottawa. Fildebrandt is the majority shareholder. Levant later sold the publication's remaining assets to Matthew Johnson, the former legislative aide to former Conservative Party MP Rahim Jaffer. In October 2007, the magazine ceased publication of its print edition after failing to become profitable. It existed briefly as an online magazine, which quickly became stagnant. On October 23, 2019, Derek Fildebrandt bought the rights to the magazine from Johnston and relaunched it as a conservative commentary and news website. The Western Standard obtained "Qualified Canadian Journalism Organization" status with the Canada Revenue Agency in 2022, permitting it to apply for government news subsidies. Fildebrandt has opposed government funding or grants for Canadian media organizations. He wrote in a column the organization applied for QCJO status "just for fun." While a QCJO, as of March 2023 The Western Standard does not appear on the CRA's list of media outlets receiving grants, thus making subscribers ineligible to apply for the associated tax credit.

On February 13, 2006, the Western Standard published the Jyllands Posten Muhammad cartoons depicting unflattering images of Muhammad. Syed Soharwardy, a Calgary Imam and president of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, complained about the publication to the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission. On December 21, 2007, Johnston apologized directly to Soharwardy and Canada's Muslim community for the publication of the cartoons and Soharwardy withdrew his complaint against the magazine. Levant refused to apologize and a hearing was scheduled for January 2008. On the day of the hearing, Levant republished the cartoons on his personal website. At the request of Levant and his lawyers, Levant was allowed to videotape his interview with Shirlene McGovern, a human rights investigator with the Alberta Human Rights Commission. Levant later posted the videos on YouTube. On February 15, 2008, Soharwardy announced he was withdrawing his complaint against Levant. He said in a guest column for The Globe and Mail that publishing the cartoons "was irresponsible and was intended to cause strife," but acknowledged their publication "may not fall outside the limits of free speech." In August 2008, the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission rejected a similar complaint against Levant made by the Edmonton Council of Muslim Communities.

On June 9, 2021, the Western Standard reported that Premier Jason Kenney, Minister of Environment and Parks Jason Nixon and Minister of Health Tyler Shandro had been regularly ignoring their own COVID 19 restrictions since the start of 2021. The reporting relied on sources that the Western Standard kept anonymous. Kenney called the story "false and defamatory," and had a cease and desist letter sent to Fildebrandt and the Western Standard. Brock Harrison, a spokesperson for the premier's office, wrote on Twitter that the story was "a total fabrication with no basis in fact" and said the Western Standard did not try to get comment from the premier's office. It was later revealed The Western Standard asked for comment at 5:49 p. m. MT, seven minutes before publishing the article.

On January 23, 2023, Western Standard reporter Jonathan Bradley published a story titled "Transgender group calls for Aretha Franklin song Natural Woman to be banned." The group making the demand is a satirical group called the Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance (TCMA). Bradley reported that the group wrote on Twitter that (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin should be banned from Spotify and Apple Music because it inspires "acts of harm against transgender women" and there is "no such thing as a 'natural' woman."