When Ostriches Threaten the Narrative: National Observer Targets Rural Dissent Again
MEDIA WATCH | Maggie Hope Braun | Gather2030 | June 4, 2025
📰 MEDIA WATCH
When Ostriches Threaten the Narrative: National Observer Targets Rural Dissent Again
By Maggie Braun | Gather2030 | June 2, 2025
📎 Read the Article: “A BC ostrich cull has brought out climate conspiracies — and RFK Jr.”
What do ostriches, bird flu, and antibody research have in common?
Apparently, if you read the National Observer, they’re all part of a dangerous conspiracy “threatening to undo generations of scientific and social progress.”
In their May 15 article, “A BC ostrich cull has brought out climate conspiracies — and RFK Jr.”, journalist Marc Fawcett-Atkinson covers a heartbreaking legal dispute involving Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood, BC. But instead of fairly representing the farmers' concerns, the article quickly pivots into ideological labeling—framing the situation as another front in a supposed far-right war on science, climate policy, and public health.
What the farm actually did was contest the CFIA’s order to destroy their entire flock after two birds tested positive for avian flu. They also tried to raise awareness about ongoing antibody research related to ostrich immunity. Whether or not one agrees with their scientific claims, the farm followed legal channels, went to court, and mobilized public support through peaceful means.
“We're fighting for the lives of our agricultural sector,” said farm co-owner Katie Pasitney in a livestream, “and we’re obviously trying to keep our animals alive in the process.”
Instead of engaging with these legitimate claims—about procedural fairness, scientific innovation, and rural livelihoods—the article accuses the farm of fueling “climate conspiracies,” lumps their supporters in with “anti-vaxxers,” and warns of a broader “far-right populist” strategy.
Let’s be honest: this isn’t journalism. It’s narrative enforcement.
A Pattern of Smears
This piece is part of The National Observer’s ongoing series called “The Takeover”—a collection of articles targeting rural organizers and anyone who questions the direction of federal climate and health policy.
It comes just days before their AI-focused KICLEI hit piece:
📎 “A weaponized AI chatbot is flooding city councils with climate misinformation”
This article targeted KICLEI Support, falsely implying that helping local councils ask tough questions is somehow a threat to democracy.
We’ve responded directly:
📎 RESPONSE TO NATIONAL OBSERVER’S “WEAPONIZED CHATBOT” ARTICLE – June 1
📎 When the Questions Reveal the Narrative – May 20
Why This Matters
Every time a small farm or rural council pushes back against a one-size-fits-all mandate, the same thing happens: the media uses ideological framing to isolate and discredit them. Instead of debating the merits of a case, they paint it as “anti-science,” “far-right,” or “conspiratorial.” This is not just unfair—it’s dangerous to the democratic process.
At no point does the article seriously consider:
Whether the CFIA followed fair and transparent procedures
If natural immunity research should be further investigated
Why rural communities increasingly distrust federal regulators
“If you do come, this is a peaceful, humble place of kindness and gratitude,” said Pasitney, inviting supporters to the farm—not for confrontation, but for protection and solidarity.
What’s unfolding in Edgewood isn’t a conspiracy—it’s a case study in local people standing up for their animals, their property, and their principles. And for that, they’ve been mocked by the press, sidelined in court, and vilified in public.
We believe Canadians deserve better.
🧭 Gather 2030 and KICLEI will continue supporting transparent, principled localism—not because it’s convenient, but because it’s right.
— Maggie Hope Braun
The public at large verses the individual. An age-old tension! A community (reject the term society as it is way to broad in scope and loses its purpose and meaning) operates as a collective, yet individuals have their own interests, rights, and responsibilities. A balancing act that shapes laws, governance, ethics, and everyday interactions.
Keep in mind that there are only 2 laws needed:
1. Do not encroach on another or their property - the basis of criminal law.
2. Do everything you promised you said you would do - the basis of contract law.
If you never read The Declaration of Independence, I highly recommend you read it.
When the collective good is prioritized, policies are aimed at public welfare, like universal healthcare, infrastructure, and environmental protections.
When individual freedoms take precedence, personal choices and rights become the focus, like free speech, entrepreneurship, and private property.
Historically, this debate has driven countless movements, revolutions that championed individual rights, and social policies aimed at benefiting the greater good.
Communities constantly adjust as values shift.
The purpose of civil local government is to ensure local values and local control.
And as a reminder:
No administrative court supersedes the Constitution.
No administrative law can bind a citizen.
No administrative tribunal can be referred to as a court.
No administrative adjudicator can be referred to as a judge.
No administrative process or tribunal can describe its processes in terms such as order, subpoena, warrant, or the record, as these are reserved for constitutional judiciary.
Your unalienable rights to life, liberty, and property cannot be taken from you without due process of law.
Statutes, regulations, bylaws, and rules are designed to make everything illegal, and sold back to you in the form of fees and conditions upon which you must abide. A topic for in depth discussion.
If you sign any agreement, service or otherwise, you are bound by it.
Thanks for calling out the misleading and derogatory information.