Fridays with Tory

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Canada's Tory government is taking heat for using Friday afternoons to release negative news to the public. "The Tories took office promising clean, open governance and vowing not to practice the same old politics as previous government," reports the Canadian Press. "But they've stuck to one tried and true tactic -- releasing negative news when it will get the least media attention." Recent examples include a Foreign Affairs report on the misplacement of government documents and a major climate change report that questioned Conservative claims about greenhouse gas reductions. Public relations professional have long understood that releasing unwanted news late on Friday helps minimize bad press, although some are saying that the internet and the rise of a 24/7 news cycle has made this tactic less effective.