Western Standard launches a new "awards" program -- The Globies

The Western Standard has launched a not-altogether-tongue-in-cheek awards program called The Globies, designed to allow readers to vote on their perceptions about bias, or lack of it, in news stories. The site allows readers to click on a 10-point range of choices from "balanced" to "biased" on various highlighted news stories; and to submit their own examples clipped from the nation's papers and newscasts.

Heavy with irony, the site introduces itself:

Welcome to the Globies, where we recognize the most breathtaking examples of unbiased Canadian political print news!

The Ottawa Press Gallery plays a crucial role in our democracy, giving Canadians straightforward, thoughtful insight into Canadians politics.

Without their enlightening and well researched articles, you wonder how average Canadians might ever see beyond their own narrow view of the world.

Help us recognize our nation's political journalists by submitting the most remarkable models of balanced coverage you come across! (News pieces only, not opinion columns).

The site is clearly designed to cock a snook at the Globe and Mail and other mainstream media that the Western Standard considers too liberal. It also seems designed to get attention paid and sell some subscriptions to the upstart Calgary-based magazine which now has a paid circulation of 25,000.