Longtime journalist and former CBC Chairman Patrick Watson is back in the news, but hopefully, only for a few brief moments. That's all his latest or shall we say recycled idea deserves. His proposal for a national state-funded newspaper - described by one MP as loopy - deserves even less attention than the Philadelphia Flyers will likely get on some obscure Pennsylvania golf course.

Appearing before the Senate Transport and Communications committee - which is studying the issue of media concentration and ownership - Mr. Watson resurrected his "national newspaper" idea from it's 32-year slumber, last forwarded in 1971. And even in that era when Trudeau's "just society" - although certainly not just for the generations of future taxpayers left with the bill - was at its zenith, saner heads prevailed and rightly ditched this loopy idea.

To buttress his everything-old-is-new-again call for a 21st century Canadian of Pravda - the old Soviet communist rag - Mr. Watson noted that the CBC is a "nationally funded public news service with an arms-length relationship which works pretty well." Let's just call this an assertion of Mr. Watson's opinion as opposed to a verifiable statement of fact and leave it at that.

If the thought of a print version of the "people's network" doesn't send shivers down your spine and make you shake your head in disbelief, please check yourself into the morgue now and save the world's oxygen for those of us who are alive - and livid - enough to slag this loopy and dangerous idea with vigour.

In his Senate testimony, Mr. Watson went to great lengths to point out that his newspaper proposal would not be for small-C consumers, but for capital-C citizens. "It would canvas world sources for the international stories that don't find room on front pages now obsessed with celebrities and diet scares." Hey Patrick buddy, ever heard of a Google search?

Apparently - in Mr. Watson's world - the millions of folks who take public transit to work across the country and are interested in some national news, local weather, last night's boxscores and Ben and J-Lo's wedding are small-C consumers as opposed to capital-C citizens. While he dismisses our reading tastes from his lofty perch at the intersection of Elitist Avenue and Social Boulevard, he sees no problem whatsoever with fleecing the paycheques of us poor, ignorant policy-challenged, working stiffs to pay for his utopia of Pravda for the policy privileged.

As an avid reader of eight to ten hard copies of newspapers daily and another 15 or 20 on-line publicaton, Mr. Watson is engaging in hyperbole of the most extreme and dated kind. Our regional and national newspapers cover the daily grind of politics, international affairs, business and yes sports and pop culture. It's called life, and heres a newsflash for Mr. Watson, people - and more than a few - do enjoy reading some of life's lighter material.

For those who desire more serious print content, have no fear as longer policy features are back in vogue - not only in weekend papers - but week-long series on a variety of topical issues are now commonplace. Just last week, Sun media ran a series on the topical issue of decriminalizing marijuana.

Other media organizations have made similar and recent multi-day forays to explore everything from health care to seniors' accommodation to the monarchy to our democratic deficit. It's hardly the world of all Hollywood, all the time as Mr. Watson attempts to portray. Perhaps he should pick up something other than the National Enquirer next time he's in the grocery checkout line!

The idea of a national newspaper was "loopy" three decades ago, today it is simply stupid, unwarranted and offensive. We live in a 500-channel TV universe with several specialty channels devoted to public policy. The plethora of newspapers in print and on-line is mind boggling. A trip to Chapters yields hundreds of choices in magazines and dozens in public affairs commentary … from every perspective imaginable.

The proposition that that Canadians are poorly served in coverage or analysis of public affairs issues is indefensible. The $900 million confiscated annually from taxpayers to fund the CBC is offensive enough; further siphoning of scarce tax dollars for a "public newspaper" would be criminal. Mr. Watson's idea belongs in the garbage can as opposed to the blue box. Recycling this idea again and foisting it upon another generation of small-C consumers or large-C citizens would be tantamount to public policy pollution; dirty, immoral and unwarranted.