The Dragons head for the exits on Dragons’ Den.
Canadians, it seems, are pretty good at showing Americans how to be capitalists. But at home, the Dragons are heading for the exits, providing an inescapable metaphor mirroring the decline in fortunes for Canada’s public broadcaster as some of its best talent has left amid scandal and tough government-mandated budget cuts.
Last week, it was marketing guru Arlene Dickinson who announced her departure, just a week after financial author David Chilton announced he would leave the show, which airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
The departure of two well-liked judges from the popular series, which features all-too-hopeful contestants creatively pitching judges to invest in their sometimes quirky inventions, means the CBC has some giant entrepreneurial shoes to fill. Finding telegenic Canadian high rollers who have hundreds of thousands in seed money each season is no easy task.
And it raises the question of how the broadcaster, already saddled with crippling layoffs, will be able to sustain its flagship program. The close timing of announcements suggested to some it was less a case of moving on than stars leaving a sinking ship.
Read the full story.
cbcexposed is all about exposing the waste of the CBC ... over 1 billion dollars a year of taxpayer money funds the cbc and a lot of that taxpayer money is wasted.
CBC in dire straights following NHL loss
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is planning to cut 657 jobs over the next two years in an effort to cut $130 million from its budget.
The news was not unexpected, given warnings from CBC President Hubert Lacroix that the network is in dire straits following the loss of NHL hockey to Rogers Communications.
In a major change of direction, the broadcaster announced it would no longer compete with other networks for sports programming, which have the upper hand because they own specialty sports channels and multimedia platforms.
But the broadcaster said it would continue to compete for sports events of "national significance," such as the Olympics.
Read the full story.
The news was not unexpected, given warnings from CBC President Hubert Lacroix that the network is in dire straits following the loss of NHL hockey to Rogers Communications.
In a major change of direction, the broadcaster announced it would no longer compete with other networks for sports programming, which have the upper hand because they own specialty sports channels and multimedia platforms.
But the broadcaster said it would continue to compete for sports events of "national significance," such as the Olympics.
Read the full story.
CBC slashing operating budget of local services
CBC English Services says at least 144 more people will be out of work following yet another round of layoffs, with the West experiencing the brunt of the cuts.
Jennifer McGuire, editor-in-chief of CBC News, informed her staff in a letter Thursday that 144 positions would be eliminated across the country, possibly yielding even greater job losses as remaining positions are recategorized.
McGuire categorized the layoffs as part of the public broadcaster’s commitment to be “more local at lower cost” by slashing the operating budget of local services by $15 million.
In February, CBC announced it would look into selling its Toronto headquarters as a cost-cutting measure.
McGuire said that after layoffs, the company will have more than 1,100 staff across the country.
Read the full story.
Jennifer McGuire, editor-in-chief of CBC News, informed her staff in a letter Thursday that 144 positions would be eliminated across the country, possibly yielding even greater job losses as remaining positions are recategorized.
McGuire categorized the layoffs as part of the public broadcaster’s commitment to be “more local at lower cost” by slashing the operating budget of local services by $15 million.
In February, CBC announced it would look into selling its Toronto headquarters as a cost-cutting measure.
McGuire said that after layoffs, the company will have more than 1,100 staff across the country.
Read the full story.
Canadians judge CBC as being less objective
In the August issue of Policy Options, Dr. Conrad Winn claimed that CBC television news is biased in favour of the left.
The claim was based on the results of a recent COMPAS survey ...
As noted by Dr. Winn, the results showed that Canadians valued the quality of CBC’s news program but apparently judged the network as being less objective than the other networks.
Based on this presumed CBC bias, it’s been argued that the network be prevented from collecting taxpayers money through annual budgets.
Read the full story.
The claim was based on the results of a recent COMPAS survey ...
As noted by Dr. Winn, the results showed that Canadians valued the quality of CBC’s news program but apparently judged the network as being less objective than the other networks.
Based on this presumed CBC bias, it’s been argued that the network be prevented from collecting taxpayers money through annual budgets.
Read the full story.
Exposed - CBC is secretive and misleading
The president of CBC published an article in Huffington Post recently asking Canadians for help in deciding CBC's future. Good idea but the plea received modest reader feedback; a few hundred people at most cared enough to comment or like the article. Is it a sign that CBC has lost the public, that Canadians have stopped believing in and what CBC and its managers say?
For years CBC has claimed, critics would say whined, that it has suffered from underfunding. CBC does need more money just to keep providing existing programming but the arguments the CBC uses to defend current or increased funding have clearly not worked. Why? Is it deliberate or a faulty communications strategy?
CBC claims to be open, transparent and accountable for the $1 billion dollars in taxpayers' money it receives. The $1 billion is spent on English and French radio and TV and miscellaneous other services. If more funding is needed to serve Canadian audiences, especially in TV, CBC needs to be far more transparent about how it spends its money and explain more convincingly why more dollars are required. The problem: CBC is too secretive and misleading.
Read the full story.
For years CBC has claimed, critics would say whined, that it has suffered from underfunding. CBC does need more money just to keep providing existing programming but the arguments the CBC uses to defend current or increased funding have clearly not worked. Why? Is it deliberate or a faulty communications strategy?
CBC claims to be open, transparent and accountable for the $1 billion dollars in taxpayers' money it receives. The $1 billion is spent on English and French radio and TV and miscellaneous other services. If more funding is needed to serve Canadian audiences, especially in TV, CBC needs to be far more transparent about how it spends its money and explain more convincingly why more dollars are required. The problem: CBC is too secretive and misleading.
Read the full story.
Exposed - CBC operating outside mandate
The Internet is remaking the media landscape. Google and Facebook have gobbled up the revenue streams that used to go to newspapers and broadcasters, which is problematic, since Google and Facebook don’t convince corrupt engineers to spill the beans on taxpayer ripoffs.
The CBC’s mandate says that it should “provide radio and television services incorporating a wide range of programming that informs, enlightens and entertains.” That comes from the Broadcasting Act, which was passed in 1991, when the CBC’s budget was $1.7 billion.
There’s nothing in that mandate about delivering news stories to mobile phones, a key part of the CBC’s new plan. That makes me nervous, since newspapers are desperately trying to make money from that. How can we do that if subsidized CBC reporters are giving away what we’re trying to sell?
CBC, in survival mode, must seek revenue where it can, but it’s past time for the government to re-evaluate its mandate and funding level, and figure out what role the CBC should play in the Internet era.
Read the full story.
The CBC’s mandate says that it should “provide radio and television services incorporating a wide range of programming that informs, enlightens and entertains.” That comes from the Broadcasting Act, which was passed in 1991, when the CBC’s budget was $1.7 billion.
There’s nothing in that mandate about delivering news stories to mobile phones, a key part of the CBC’s new plan. That makes me nervous, since newspapers are desperately trying to make money from that. How can we do that if subsidized CBC reporters are giving away what we’re trying to sell?
CBC, in survival mode, must seek revenue where it can, but it’s past time for the government to re-evaluate its mandate and funding level, and figure out what role the CBC should play in the Internet era.
Read the full story.
Exposed: Another CBC Correction
Honest Reporting Canada Prompts CBC Correction: Netanyahu Didn’t Backtrack on Renouncing “One-State Solution”.
Following an HRC complaint, CBC.ca issued the following correction after erroneously claiming in a March 19 report that Israeli PM Netanyahu had backtracked on renouncing the “one-state solution”.
See both the error and correction here.
Following an HRC complaint, CBC.ca issued the following correction after erroneously claiming in a March 19 report that Israeli PM Netanyahu had backtracked on renouncing the “one-state solution”.
See both the error and correction here.
Peter Mansbridge skirts new CBC policy
Despite a policy announced by CBC Thursday forbidding paid appearances by its on-air journalists, The National anchor Peter Mansbridge will still be speaking in Niagara Falls May 1.
Mansbridge was announced this week as the guest speaker for the annual Pathstone Foundation Hope Award Gala, to be held at Club Italia. Late Thursday, however, the CBC released a note to staff stating "CBC/Radio-Canada will no longer approve paid appearances by its on-air journalistic employees."
But Ellis Katsof, chief executive officer of Pathstone Mental Health, said Mansbridge's appearance is a go.
The contract to book Mansbridge was signed two weeks ago, he added. Even before the new policy, CBC had a "very clear process for screening speaking engagements."
The policy does not affect CBC freelancers such as Rex Murphy.
CBC did not offer comment when contacted Friday.
Read the full story.
Mansbridge was announced this week as the guest speaker for the annual Pathstone Foundation Hope Award Gala, to be held at Club Italia. Late Thursday, however, the CBC released a note to staff stating "CBC/Radio-Canada will no longer approve paid appearances by its on-air journalistic employees."
But Ellis Katsof, chief executive officer of Pathstone Mental Health, said Mansbridge's appearance is a go.
The contract to book Mansbridge was signed two weeks ago, he added. Even before the new policy, CBC had a "very clear process for screening speaking engagements."
The policy does not affect CBC freelancers such as Rex Murphy.
CBC did not offer comment when contacted Friday.
Read the full story.
Exposed - CBC is now an empty husk
When an institution that I can remember from my childhood—a staggeringly long time ago—starts to rot, it’s usually from the head, like the proverbial fish.
Governments all hate the CBC: they would prefer it to act like a state broadcaster, not a watchdog, which it used to be, at least to some extent. Years of laying waste to talent, and bone-deep cuts, had to have a cumulative effect. And they did. The CBC is now an empty husk, where everyone looks over their shoulders, fearing cross looks or worse from their Conservative overlords.
For its part, CBC management has become ossified, timorous and incompetent.
I can no longer defend yet another horribly broken institution, once a landmark that helped to pull this country together. At this juncture it really doesn’t matter who broke it—one can level blame at more parties than we have fingers to point. But surely the time has now come to bury it before the stink of decomposition overpowers us all.
Read the full story.
Governments all hate the CBC: they would prefer it to act like a state broadcaster, not a watchdog, which it used to be, at least to some extent. Years of laying waste to talent, and bone-deep cuts, had to have a cumulative effect. And they did. The CBC is now an empty husk, where everyone looks over their shoulders, fearing cross looks or worse from their Conservative overlords.
For its part, CBC management has become ossified, timorous and incompetent.
I can no longer defend yet another horribly broken institution, once a landmark that helped to pull this country together. At this juncture it really doesn’t matter who broke it—one can level blame at more parties than we have fingers to point. But surely the time has now come to bury it before the stink of decomposition overpowers us all.
Read the full story.
Exposed - CBC should review ethical code of conduct
It’s been a tough couple of months for our public broadcaster. But this latest blunder is all of its own making. CBC Senior Business Correspondent Amanda Lang tried to "sabotage" an earth-shattering exposé of Royal Bank’s illegal use of Temporary Foreign Workers -- while she was accepting money from the same bank.
Trying to quash such a far-reaching and courageous story would be bad enough, except it turns out RBC was regularly paying Lang for speaking gigs, the CEO of RBC had endorsed her book...and she was romantically involved with an RBC board member! Enough is enough.
Tell the CBC to review its ethical code of conduct and stop defending its celebrity hosts.
Read the full story.
Trying to quash such a far-reaching and courageous story would be bad enough, except it turns out RBC was regularly paying Lang for speaking gigs, the CEO of RBC had endorsed her book...and she was romantically involved with an RBC board member! Enough is enough.
Tell the CBC to review its ethical code of conduct and stop defending its celebrity hosts.
Read the full story.
CBC President Hubert Lacroix defends CBC ethics in midst of scandals
The head of CBC defended the news organization’s journalistic ethics Tuesday amid criticism from the prime minister that “a lot” of Radio-Canada employees “hate” conservative values.
While Hubert Lacroix would not comment directly on Stephen Harper’s comments to a Quebec radio station, he spoke to the values that underscore the broadcaster’s journalism.
Lacroix’s comments on the integrity of CBC practices come one day after Harper said in an interview with a Quebec City radio station, FM93 Québec, that “a lot” of Radio-Canada employees “hate” conservative values.
On the topic of speaking before Senate committee in the midst of scandals like Amanda Lang and Jian Ghomeshi, Lacroix said he’s very proud of his job, of CBC Radio-Canada and its employees.
Read the full story.
While Hubert Lacroix would not comment directly on Stephen Harper’s comments to a Quebec radio station, he spoke to the values that underscore the broadcaster’s journalism.
Lacroix’s comments on the integrity of CBC practices come one day after Harper said in an interview with a Quebec City radio station, FM93 Québec, that “a lot” of Radio-Canada employees “hate” conservative values.
On the topic of speaking before Senate committee in the midst of scandals like Amanda Lang and Jian Ghomeshi, Lacroix said he’s very proud of his job, of CBC Radio-Canada and its employees.
Read the full story.
Did CBC journalists break Code of Conduct?
CBC journalists took VIP rides aboard government-chartered aircraft as guests of a Conservative minister for stories lauding cabinet’s environmental leadership. The junkets were arranged by Parks Canada at public expense. Journalists who took the trips declined interviews.
“As far as I know all practices were followed,” Evan Solomon, host of CBC-TV’s Power & Politics talk show, wrote in an email exchange with Blacklock’s; “At CBC the producer makes the arrangements.” Solomon referred all questions to an ex-producer who quit the network four years ago.
Financial accounts tabled in Parliament show Solomon was a guest of then-Environment Minister Jim Prentice aboard a private plane chartered by Parks Canada to tour British Columbia’s Gwaii Haanas National Park.
“That plane ride into Haida Gwaii was part of the doc,” said Solomon, adding the trip “complied with CBC policy”. The junket resulted in a 17-minute feature story on CBC National entitled Survivormen: Wilderness Summit
The story did not tell viewers Parks Canada had paid for arrangements.
CBC executives also had no comment. Managers of the Crown broadcaster have had an unusually close relationship with Parks Canada in the past, once accepting a five-figure cash payment to cover the agency’s Arctic search for two 19th century shipwrecks.
Codes of conduct for private broadcasters restrict payments to newsrooms by individuals or corporations that are the subject of stories. The Radio Television Digital News Association Code Of Ethics states, “Electronic journalists will not accept financial compensation from those who seek to influence news coverage”. A Canadian Association of Broadcasters Code Of Ethics states, “It shall be the responsibility of broadcasters to ensure that news shall be represented with accuracy and without bias; broadcasters shall satisfy themselves that the arrangements made for obtaining news ensure this result.”
Read the full story.
“As far as I know all practices were followed,” Evan Solomon, host of CBC-TV’s Power & Politics talk show, wrote in an email exchange with Blacklock’s; “At CBC the producer makes the arrangements.” Solomon referred all questions to an ex-producer who quit the network four years ago.
Financial accounts tabled in Parliament show Solomon was a guest of then-Environment Minister Jim Prentice aboard a private plane chartered by Parks Canada to tour British Columbia’s Gwaii Haanas National Park.
“That plane ride into Haida Gwaii was part of the doc,” said Solomon, adding the trip “complied with CBC policy”. The junket resulted in a 17-minute feature story on CBC National entitled Survivormen: Wilderness Summit
The story did not tell viewers Parks Canada had paid for arrangements.
CBC executives also had no comment. Managers of the Crown broadcaster have had an unusually close relationship with Parks Canada in the past, once accepting a five-figure cash payment to cover the agency’s Arctic search for two 19th century shipwrecks.
Codes of conduct for private broadcasters restrict payments to newsrooms by individuals or corporations that are the subject of stories. The Radio Television Digital News Association Code Of Ethics states, “Electronic journalists will not accept financial compensation from those who seek to influence news coverage”. A Canadian Association of Broadcasters Code Of Ethics states, “It shall be the responsibility of broadcasters to ensure that news shall be represented with accuracy and without bias; broadcasters shall satisfy themselves that the arrangements made for obtaining news ensure this result.”
Read the full story.
Exposed - Why does CBC exist?
The CBC and its predecessors were created in part to provide a commercial-free option to private radio. The idea, refined over the years, was to offset the corrupting influence of advertising, which favoured content that was allegedly crass and popular and conservative, and replace it with the higher moral, cultural and liberal ideological values that only a public broadcaster could provide when funded by the state.
The CBC, on television and through its aggressive digital Web-based operations, has been in the commercial market for decades, more recently manipulating and abusing its massive public subsidy to compete with the private sector on the Internet. Radio was the last fig leaf on the CBC’s phony claims to non-commercial integrity, and now it is gone completely.
Reviewing the CBC’s mandate should begin with the question: Why does this organization still exist, using government money to compete in a commercial market on commercial terms. Either it is private or public.
Read the full story.
The CBC, on television and through its aggressive digital Web-based operations, has been in the commercial market for decades, more recently manipulating and abusing its massive public subsidy to compete with the private sector on the Internet. Radio was the last fig leaf on the CBC’s phony claims to non-commercial integrity, and now it is gone completely.
Reviewing the CBC’s mandate should begin with the question: Why does this organization still exist, using government money to compete in a commercial market on commercial terms. Either it is private or public.
Read the full story.
Exposed - CBC and Canadians don't recognize each other
With the CBC’s TV ratings down 40% to a specialty channel-like 5% share of viewers even before it lost its NHL contract, according to Canadian Media Research, it’s worth asking again what has gone wrong with the Mother Corp and what should be done about it? The answer to the first question is that it no longer represents ordinary Canadians to themselves in a way they like or even recognize.
The result is a chorus of CBC reporters and producers affirming their assumed superiority by churning out a constant stream of intellectual bigotry that alienates its listeners. The latter are migrating in droves to the proliferation of media available on the Internet, beyond the captive audience that used to be delivered to the CBC by CRTC regulations.
The response to the CBC’s problems is clear enough, given its inability to acknowledge let alone correct its ideological bias. End its $1-billion of government subsidies. The CBC does not present an accurate face of Canada to Canadians. The two don’t recognize each other anymore.
Read the full story.
The result is a chorus of CBC reporters and producers affirming their assumed superiority by churning out a constant stream of intellectual bigotry that alienates its listeners. The latter are migrating in droves to the proliferation of media available on the Internet, beyond the captive audience that used to be delivered to the CBC by CRTC regulations.
The response to the CBC’s problems is clear enough, given its inability to acknowledge let alone correct its ideological bias. End its $1-billion of government subsidies. The CBC does not present an accurate face of Canada to Canadians. The two don’t recognize each other anymore.
Read the full story.
Exposed ... CBC stars are hypocrites
Just when you thought the CBC couldn’t sink any deeper into its self-made quagmire, the public broadcaster’s senior news editors again show they’re sharing an ethical compass with Bernie Madoff.
At the time, not a single CBC News executive (and there are layers of them) appeared troubled by the fact that high-profile CBC journalists had, for years, leveraged their state-subsidized celebrity to pad their bank accounts.
I’m convinced they thought that the CBC could make the scandal go away, with the connivance of allies in the mainstream media. Bad call.
Putting it bluntly, McGuire, Lang and Mansbridge are rank hypocrites. They were all for paid speaking gigs until they were against them.
Read the full story.
At the time, not a single CBC News executive (and there are layers of them) appeared troubled by the fact that high-profile CBC journalists had, for years, leveraged their state-subsidized celebrity to pad their bank accounts.
I’m convinced they thought that the CBC could make the scandal go away, with the connivance of allies in the mainstream media. Bad call.
Putting it bluntly, McGuire, Lang and Mansbridge are rank hypocrites. They were all for paid speaking gigs until they were against them.
Read the full story.
Exposed - Hubert Lacroix admits to challenges
The current CBC business model is going to die, according to its president.
The public broadcaster is currently facing issues with funding and keeping viewers, listeners and readers engaged and needs to find new ways to do both, said CBC President and CEO Hubert LaCroix during a discussion on public broadcast’s future, hosted by the RTA School of Media on March 5.
“The funding model of receiving a cheque from the [federal] government and lobbying like crazy so that your cheque is not weaker or smaller than the one that you got the year before is not the best funding model,” LaCroix said.
Creating engaging content across multiple platforms is another issue the CBC is tackling.
LaCroix said the Internet is a new source of search and display but not of advertising revenue for the CBC.
LaCroix said that the challenge is connecting with Canadians one-on-one because now they are more likely to trust social media rather than a news anchor.
Read the full story.
The public broadcaster is currently facing issues with funding and keeping viewers, listeners and readers engaged and needs to find new ways to do both, said CBC President and CEO Hubert LaCroix during a discussion on public broadcast’s future, hosted by the RTA School of Media on March 5.
“The funding model of receiving a cheque from the [federal] government and lobbying like crazy so that your cheque is not weaker or smaller than the one that you got the year before is not the best funding model,” LaCroix said.
Creating engaging content across multiple platforms is another issue the CBC is tackling.
LaCroix said the Internet is a new source of search and display but not of advertising revenue for the CBC.
LaCroix said that the challenge is connecting with Canadians one-on-one because now they are more likely to trust social media rather than a news anchor.
Read the full story.
Exposed - CBC threatens to skew public opinion
The Friends of Canadian Broadcasting are hoping to make greater funding for the CBC a campaign issue in the upcoming federal election.
Of course the Friends want more – much more – of your money and mine for the state broadcaster, the lefty broadcaster whose goal is to help the Tories’ rivals win this fall’s election, the broadcaster that is most popular with smug elitists such as the folks who support Friends.
In what has to be one of the most preposterous, over-the-top issues ads since the Liberals’ unhinged attack ad in the 2006 federal election that threatened a Tory win meant “Soldiers with guns. In our cities. In Canada,” the Friends are asking Canadians to help “Free the CBC.”
Free it from what?
In 2014 dollars, the Chretien government gave the CBC just under $1.2 billion a year. Under Paul Martin, it got just over $1.2 billion. Now its overall budget is just over $1 billion. But it’s still over a billion.
No other broadcaster in the country, indeed no other cultural institution gets anywhere near what Mother Corp extracts from hardworking Canadians every year.
If anything, the CBC, with its enormous budget and vast network of taxpayer-funded assets across the country, coupled with its obvious bias against conservative ideas and the Tory government, threatens to skew public opinion.
The danger of an unchallenged left-wing “public” broadcaster is even greater with the demise last month of the Sun News Network.
The CBC should have to survive in the TV and radio markets just like any other broadcaster.
Read the full story.
Of course the Friends want more – much more – of your money and mine for the state broadcaster, the lefty broadcaster whose goal is to help the Tories’ rivals win this fall’s election, the broadcaster that is most popular with smug elitists such as the folks who support Friends.
In what has to be one of the most preposterous, over-the-top issues ads since the Liberals’ unhinged attack ad in the 2006 federal election that threatened a Tory win meant “Soldiers with guns. In our cities. In Canada,” the Friends are asking Canadians to help “Free the CBC.”
Free it from what?
In 2014 dollars, the Chretien government gave the CBC just under $1.2 billion a year. Under Paul Martin, it got just over $1.2 billion. Now its overall budget is just over $1 billion. But it’s still over a billion.
No other broadcaster in the country, indeed no other cultural institution gets anywhere near what Mother Corp extracts from hardworking Canadians every year.
If anything, the CBC, with its enormous budget and vast network of taxpayer-funded assets across the country, coupled with its obvious bias against conservative ideas and the Tory government, threatens to skew public opinion.
The danger of an unchallenged left-wing “public” broadcaster is even greater with the demise last month of the Sun News Network.
The CBC should have to survive in the TV and radio markets just like any other broadcaster.
Read the full story.
Exposed - Fifth Estate questions CBC probe
A new episode of "The Fifth Estate" takes aim at the internal CBC probe of Jian Ghomeshi, with one "Q" employee saying his faith in the broadcaster has been shaken due to lingering questions about the investigation.
A transcript of the episode hosted by Gillian Findlay reports that almost all known employees who worked for "Q" in the summer — 17 in total — say they were not approached or questioned by CBC management as part of the internal probe.
Brian Coulton, who began as an intern on "Q," says in the episode that Ghomeshi's treatment of his employees amounted to "emotional abuse."
Asked whether his faith in CBC has been shaken, Coulton says yes.
Read the full story.
A transcript of the episode hosted by Gillian Findlay reports that almost all known employees who worked for "Q" in the summer — 17 in total — say they were not approached or questioned by CBC management as part of the internal probe.
Brian Coulton, who began as an intern on "Q," says in the episode that Ghomeshi's treatment of his employees amounted to "emotional abuse."
Asked whether his faith in CBC has been shaken, Coulton says yes.
Read the full story.
Exposed - Another CBC Libel Suit
Paint company wins $85,000 libel award in suit against CBC
In a significant defamation case, the Colour Your World company has won $85,000 in damages against the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for a report about the potential health hazards of mercury in latex paint.
Mr. Justice William P. Somers of the Ontario Court's General Division found the CBC liable for a 12-minute report broadcast on its Marketplace program in April 1990.
Taking all the factors into account - including the finding of malice - he awarded $70,000 in general damages. He also awarded $14,850 in special damages.
Read the full story.
In a significant defamation case, the Colour Your World company has won $85,000 in damages against the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for a report about the potential health hazards of mercury in latex paint.
Mr. Justice William P. Somers of the Ontario Court's General Division found the CBC liable for a 12-minute report broadcast on its Marketplace program in April 1990.
Taking all the factors into account - including the finding of malice - he awarded $70,000 in general damages. He also awarded $14,850 in special damages.
Read the full story.
Exposed - CBC 2 million dollar libel suit
On Feb. 27, 1996, Dr. Martin Myers, a respected cardiologist at Toronto's Sunnybrook hospital, sat down to watch TV. He thought he was going to see a program in which he had taken part about the pharmaceutical industry. As an expert in heart drugs, he had given an interview to explain a complicated medical debate over a drug used to treat high blood pressure.
What he saw was a sensational exposé about killer drugs, kickback schemes and secret files. The tease for the program was a voice clip that said, "People are dying, people who don't need to die are dying."
Dr. Frans Leenen, a top research scientist with Ottawa's famous Heart Institute, also had been interviewed for the program. He was out of the country on Feb. 27, and didn't see it until he returned. He sat down to watch a videotape and learned that he, too, was accused of covering up the killer drugs.
In less than an hour, Dr. Leenen saw his reputation torn to shreds.
To clear their names, the doctors each sued for libel. Dr. Myers asked for an apology plus $25,000. Dr. Leenen asked for an apology plus $10,000. The CBC decided to fight.
A very expensive decision. Last November, a judge awarded Dr. Myers a hefty $200,000, plus interest and costs. Three weeks ago, Dr. Leenen won a breathtaking $950,000, plus interest and costs. His total settlement could amount to more than $2-million, a record for Canadian libel.
The corporation carries no libel insurance, and will have to pay every penny itself.
Read the full story.
What he saw was a sensational exposé about killer drugs, kickback schemes and secret files. The tease for the program was a voice clip that said, "People are dying, people who don't need to die are dying."
Dr. Frans Leenen, a top research scientist with Ottawa's famous Heart Institute, also had been interviewed for the program. He was out of the country on Feb. 27, and didn't see it until he returned. He sat down to watch a videotape and learned that he, too, was accused of covering up the killer drugs.
In less than an hour, Dr. Leenen saw his reputation torn to shreds.
To clear their names, the doctors each sued for libel. Dr. Myers asked for an apology plus $25,000. Dr. Leenen asked for an apology plus $10,000. The CBC decided to fight.
A very expensive decision. Last November, a judge awarded Dr. Myers a hefty $200,000, plus interest and costs. Three weeks ago, Dr. Leenen won a breathtaking $950,000, plus interest and costs. His total settlement could amount to more than $2-million, a record for Canadian libel.
The corporation carries no libel insurance, and will have to pay every penny itself.
Read the full story.
Exposed: CBC oversimplifies fracking
CBC Ombudsman Series - reviewing past complaints against the CBC
Complaint:
CBC News, especially in New Brunswick, has devoted a lot of coverage to the proposed development of shale gas through a process called hydraulic fracturing. An opponent of the development, Jim Emberger, thought the language used to describe fracking oversimplified it to the point of bias.
CBC Ombudsman Conclusion:
I agree with you that in its brevity, it misses a great deal of the complexity and nuance. It does not achieve a “clear and accessible manner.” I also agree that it does not provide enough information for a reader to make up his or her mind.
Read the full report.
Complaint:
CBC News, especially in New Brunswick, has devoted a lot of coverage to the proposed development of shale gas through a process called hydraulic fracturing. An opponent of the development, Jim Emberger, thought the language used to describe fracking oversimplified it to the point of bias.
CBC Ombudsman Conclusion:
I agree with you that in its brevity, it misses a great deal of the complexity and nuance. It does not achieve a “clear and accessible manner.” I also agree that it does not provide enough information for a reader to make up his or her mind.
Read the full report.
Exposed - CBC publishes incorrect fact
CBC Ombudsman Series - reviewing past complaints against the CBC
Complaint:
The complainant, Constantine Kritsonis, felt it wasn’t enough that CBC News acknowledged and corrected an error in a wire service story. He thought there was a lack of accountability and wanted to see the original story again after he was advised of the edit. He also questioned the system of accountability for publishing material.
CBC Ombudsman Conclusion:
While it is regrettable that the original piece was published with an incorrect fact, the system worked in correcting it.
Read the full story.
Complaint:
The complainant, Constantine Kritsonis, felt it wasn’t enough that CBC News acknowledged and corrected an error in a wire service story. He thought there was a lack of accountability and wanted to see the original story again after he was advised of the edit. He also questioned the system of accountability for publishing material.
CBC Ombudsman Conclusion:
While it is regrettable that the original piece was published with an incorrect fact, the system worked in correcting it.
Read the full story.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)