The following letter was copied to us by a long time follower who is questioning the CBC code of journalistic practices ... we agree completely.
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Jack Nagler
CBC Ombudsman
CBC Canada
May 29, 2020
Dear Mr. Nagler,
Please treat this email as an official complaint against the following CBC web page article:
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Twitter has added a warning to one of U.S. President Donald Trump's tweets about protests in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd in police custody, saying it violated the platform's rules ...
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My complaint is as follows: As quoted in the offending article, Trump's tweet that drew the Twitter warning is as follows:
"...these THUGS are dishonoring of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!".
From this quote, it is clear that President Trump is speaking about looters and arsonists, and others engaging in violence. Yet the headline, and the article, states that Trump is referring to "protestors" in general. The vast majority of people protesting in Minneapolis are non-violent, engaging in peaceful demonstration . Only a small minority are engaging in violence. It is only the small latter group Trump is referring to.
Yet the Associated Press, and the CBC, say that Trump is referring to "protest". This is in the CBC headline. It is in the first sentence: "...about protests in Minneapolis". This is factually incorrect. In fact, President Trump retweeted a tweet from Lara Trump which reads as follows:
"Looting is not protesting. Burning down local homes and businesses is not protesting. How sad the memory of #GeorgeFloyd has been lost in all of this.
The CBC code of journalistic practices says that reporting should be accurate. Yet in this article, the Associated Press article, which the CBC web page is carrying, is not accurate. It falsely claims that Trump is referring to Protestors" and "protests" when he is in fact talking about violence.
The above constitutes my complaint.
Hope you and family are safe and doing well during the quarantine.
Sincerely,
David Murrell
Fredericton, NB