Noooosssse-Stretcher.

I am not sure what to call this.

I can think of a word, but the legal department doesn't let me use it. And my mom reads this stuff, and she still thinks I'm a nice person.

I flipped open yesterday's Globe & Mail to read:PM backs down on policy for fallen Hours after funeral, Harper lets families decide whether public can see arrival of bodies

I am not sure the headline writer got it right.

Commenting on Captain Nichola Goddard's funeral, and her father's criticism of the Ramp Ceremony media ban, the Prime Minister said:

"I had given fairly clear instructions that, when bodies were to come home, families were to be consulted," Mr. Harper said at a news conference in Victoria. "And if all families were agreed on making that particular ceremony public, that our government should have no difficulty with that. I'm not sure what happened in this case."

No, we're all 'not sure what happened in this case.'

As late as April 25th Harper himself defended the policy on House of Commons, saying "It is not about photo ops and media coverage, it's about what's in the best interests of the families."

On the same day, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor told the CBC that the Government had decided to ban all media coverage to have a consistent policy.

And it wasn't just 'this case.'

The Canadian Press reported the Coporal Matthew Dinning's father had spoken out against the ban last month, playing a home video of the arrival of his son's body at the funeral in Wingham, Ontario.

It appears that the instructions were quite clear to everyone -- except the man who apparently gave them.

The revolution will not be broadcast....

The media dissing match sunk to a new low this afternoon when Little Stevie told everyone he was picking up his marbles and playing with other kids...

Alex Panetta ran tonight's CP wire story on Harper announcing in London that he feels the national media are biased against him, so he's going to avoid them.

This stems from his demand that his staff assemble a list of reporters who are allowed to ask questions at press conferences.

Yesterday, a large number of journalists simply got up and left the Darfur newser when they refused to submit a list, and Harper refused to take their questions.

I'm not sure I blame the journalists on this one.

Certainly, the Story-Tories will say its our right, we're doing things differently, and the media are out to get us, so they can get stuffed. They will also point out that Harper's polling numbers are going up, that this is an Ottawa story, and that regional media will be pretty happy.

But it omits two small facts.

First, reporters don't go to newsers where they know they can't ask questions. Why would they? And if they aren't there, they are normally talking to some one else... like the opposition.

Second, regional media don't follow Prime Ministers around on election planes. Now you might think, but hey, we'll just deal with the regional media during the election.

But you've still got to worry about the kids on the plane.

And they can be very cruel.

Don't believe me?

Go ask my buddy Paul Martin about his Christmas holidays. He can tell you all about the liberal media and bias.

Better yet, ask Alex Panetta, who wrote tonight's wire story.

Alex is the guy who was told by Martin's staff that if he wrote a certain story, they'd never talk to him again. He wrote the story anyway.

Alex? He's still at the same desk, and Paul and his staff, well...they're not.