Peter Mansbridge better watch his wrinkled ass.
Oregon’s notorious Library Girl, Kendra Sunderland, is in talks with Toronto-based Naked News web network.
She’s a natural TV reporter, producer Lucas Tyler tells me. “Calm, cool and relaxed. There’s a lot of potential there.”
Clearly, Kendra has a lot to learn about TV journalists. They favour lattes at Starbucks.
But, hey, she’s a rookie. Walter Cronkite, Lloyd Robertson, Knowlton Nash, they all had to learn — and they didn’t even had to struggle with buttons.
She’s just not 100% confident in her own skin yet and her posture is a bit off. But she’s hit the ground running.”
Shoot for the moon, Kendra. Bad posture never hurt Peter Mansbridge.
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.
Exposed - Alberta Hardest Hit by Latest CBC Cuts
The latest round of CBC layoffs will eliminate 23 positions in Manitoba, the Canadian Media Guild's local president said Friday.
The public broadcaster announced Thursday that 241 positions were being cut across the country, bringing total job losses at the CBC to 1,400 in the past year.
Among western provinces, Alberta was hardest hit by Thursday's announcement -- the cuts there included the layoffs of eight camera operators in Calgary and another nine videographers in Edmonton.
Last year, CBC president and CEO Hubert Lacroix unveiled a five-year plan that will see the broadcaster trim one-quarter of its workforce by 2020.
Read the full story.
The public broadcaster announced Thursday that 241 positions were being cut across the country, bringing total job losses at the CBC to 1,400 in the past year.
Among western provinces, Alberta was hardest hit by Thursday's announcement -- the cuts there included the layoffs of eight camera operators in Calgary and another nine videographers in Edmonton.
Last year, CBC president and CEO Hubert Lacroix unveiled a five-year plan that will see the broadcaster trim one-quarter of its workforce by 2020.
Read the full story.
CBC creates libel chill for most Canadians
In short, CBC destroyed the life the Leenens had known.
When the case went to trial the evidence overwhelmingly showed that CBC left out key information, distorted the views offered up by Dr. Frans Leenen and had generally worked at making the interviews fit the story they had decided on before the project even began.
The evidence taken together resulted in condemnation from the bench through a strongly worded judgment from Justice Cunningham.
That judgment against CBC, handed down on April 20, 2000, also came with the largest penalty ever imposed on any Canadian media company - $950,000 plus costs.
CBC could have settled for 1% of that penalty and paid substantially lower legal costs if they had only been willing to say they were sorry back in 1996.
"Launching a libel action of this sort against the CBC involves enormous financial risk requiring monetary resources beyond the reach of most Canadians," Leenen said after the Supreme Court denied CBC's attempt to overturn Justice Cunningham's ruling.
"Even as an established professional, I could not have done it without the financial and moral support of my wife Mindy and her family. I risked personal bankruptcy to clear my name. By defending the indefensible all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, the CBC creates libel chill for most Canadians, and not the media."
Read the full story.
When the case went to trial the evidence overwhelmingly showed that CBC left out key information, distorted the views offered up by Dr. Frans Leenen and had generally worked at making the interviews fit the story they had decided on before the project even began.
The evidence taken together resulted in condemnation from the bench through a strongly worded judgment from Justice Cunningham.
That judgment against CBC, handed down on April 20, 2000, also came with the largest penalty ever imposed on any Canadian media company - $950,000 plus costs.
CBC could have settled for 1% of that penalty and paid substantially lower legal costs if they had only been willing to say they were sorry back in 1996.
"Launching a libel action of this sort against the CBC involves enormous financial risk requiring monetary resources beyond the reach of most Canadians," Leenen said after the Supreme Court denied CBC's attempt to overturn Justice Cunningham's ruling.
"Even as an established professional, I could not have done it without the financial and moral support of my wife Mindy and her family. I risked personal bankruptcy to clear my name. By defending the indefensible all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, the CBC creates libel chill for most Canadians, and not the media."
Read the full story.
CBC Ombud Upholds Complaint Against CBC Mideast Bureau Chief
CBC Ombud Upholds HRC Complaint; Israeli PM Did Offer Alternative To Iran Nuclear Deal
CBC Ombudsman Esther Enkin has upheld an HRC complaint finding that CBC Mideast Bureau Chief Derek Stoffel failed to explain that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu did offer alternatives to the emerging nuclear deal with Iran in his speech to the U.S. Congress.
According to Enkin’s April 13 review, the reporting “was not clear in its use of language” and was “too ambiguous”. Enkin said: “There either should have been attribution – that some observers, including the president of the United States, did not consider there had been any alternatives presented – or a clarification that the Israeli prime minister considered his proposals an alternative to any negotiated deal with Iran he could envision. (At the time of the speech no deal had been announced yet.)”
See the complete story, complain and review here.
CBC Ombudsman Esther Enkin has upheld an HRC complaint finding that CBC Mideast Bureau Chief Derek Stoffel failed to explain that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu did offer alternatives to the emerging nuclear deal with Iran in his speech to the U.S. Congress.
According to Enkin’s April 13 review, the reporting “was not clear in its use of language” and was “too ambiguous”. Enkin said: “There either should have been attribution – that some observers, including the president of the United States, did not consider there had been any alternatives presented – or a clarification that the Israeli prime minister considered his proposals an alternative to any negotiated deal with Iran he could envision. (At the time of the speech no deal had been announced yet.)”
See the complete story, complain and review here.
CBC Mideast Bureau Chief Tweet Must Be Challenged
On Israel Independence Day no less, CBC Mideast Bureau Chief Sasa Petricic issued the following tweet which implicitly drew a moral equivalence between ISIS terrorists and foreign recruits to Israel’s armed forces.
Comparing ISIS’ recruitment from abroad, with a democratic country’s obligation to protect its citizenry from threats by internationally-designated terror groups is beyond the pale.
As well, in March Petricic was accused by Haaretz journalist Anshel Pfeffer of having issued a tweet that he claimed was a “gross misrepresentation” of his analysis of what gave Benjamin Netanyahu his election victory.
Today’s tweet, however, should be viewed as the straw that broke the camel’s back. Petricic’s implicit drawing of a moral equivalence between ISIS terrorists and foreign recruits to Israel’s armed forces must be challenged.
See the tweet and read the full story here.
Comparing ISIS’ recruitment from abroad, with a democratic country’s obligation to protect its citizenry from threats by internationally-designated terror groups is beyond the pale.
As well, in March Petricic was accused by Haaretz journalist Anshel Pfeffer of having issued a tweet that he claimed was a “gross misrepresentation” of his analysis of what gave Benjamin Netanyahu his election victory.
Today’s tweet, however, should be viewed as the straw that broke the camel’s back. Petricic’s implicit drawing of a moral equivalence between ISIS terrorists and foreign recruits to Israel’s armed forces must be challenged.
See the tweet and read the full story here.
Exposed - Management Failure at the CBC
Our mission statement at CBC Exposed is to open the eyes of Canadians about the waste and goings on at the CBC. To this end we ask our readers to submit their stories for publication.
Here is one such story from a reader who wishes to remain anonymous. As usual, feedback is welcome at cbcExposed@gmail.com
_______________________________________________
Recently, the CBC conducted a search for a new General Manager of Programming. The newly-minted (2014) CBC English TV Head, Heather Conway, (a very nice industrial relations major with little or no prior experience working with a broadcaster) went out of her way to try to make the hiring process appear fair by hiring a private sector head-hunting firm to assemble a list of potential candidates for the job.
After having searched all across Canada and around the world, surprise! Long-time CBC insider Sally Catto got the job. The fix was in from the start, and putting the job out to public tender, merely a pretence of ‘fairness’ on Conway’s part. At least Stursberg didn`t pretend.
What Conway might have done, before going back to the ‘old CBC’ way of doing things, was to advertise the job in good faith, rather than just for show. She could have dared to hire someone from outside the organization. Sending a message that it’s no longer business as usual at the CBC, no longer CBC insiders hiring CBC insiders. Unfortunately, all those recent CBC firings will use up a lot of her newcomer`s goodwill. So she needs to keep her co-managers onside. She also needs them because what does she know about how to run a broadcaster?
The question is: what will Conway do about internal malfeasance in her department? Will she adopt the CBC habit of turning a blind eye to her colleagues’ transgressions in order to retain a star executive - in order to ingratiate herself with her staff? Will she even try to put an end to the self-serving rule of CBC-insider culture? How will she address the conflict of interest surrounding Catto, Fraser, Platt and Moss? Will she go into damage control and try to cover it up?
Or will she act in the interests of Canadian taxpayers, and begin the unpleasant job of rooting out the bad apples and giving them the heave ho? Can Heather Conway be counted on to bring meaningful reform to the CBC? Or will she keep her head down to give herself a lighter ride?
TIME FOR A CHANGE
CBC corporate culture is suffocating our national network under mediocre leadership at a time when innovative, exemplary leadership is needed. Wouldn`t someone (anyone) with demonstrated private sector broadcast industry talent have been a better choice than Catto, Conway or Lacroix? Someone with a background which is actually suited to the job requirements - rather than a proven follower who was never a filmmaker, programmer, or broadcaster to begin with. Someone capable of revitalizing and leading the broadcaster out of the wilderness.
In the private sector, a corrupt, biased, or mediocre manager is eventually shown the door. At the CBC, they get a promotion and a pay raise. But in times of crisis, a true management turn-around artist is required. How will the CBC get rid of the dead wood to make room for superior talent when the union rulebook makes it so difficult to fire non-performing ‘lifers’? The CBC needs fresh talent drawn from outside the CBC ranks, not internal reshuffling of the same marginal lights who led this spectacularly unresponsive network into its current moribund state.
Sadly, the Conway hire and Catto`s promotion tell us it’s `back to business as usual` at the Mothercorp. No more ‘outside hires’ at the Spoke Club. But a great day for Angus Fraser’s company Gangof2 Productions! With Sally Catto in charge of programming, perhaps one of her husband’s series - one of the 5 that her drama department funded - will now get a production order. The optics may be disgusting, but if her predecessor could get away with it, why can`t she?
The whistle may be screaming, but does anyone in Ottawa notice or care? At today’s CBC - where unqualified insiders with union seniority hire unqualified friends of friends, led by a marginally qualified CEO hired by patronage appointment, who hired a new Head of Programming with no programming or producing experience, under a new head of English TV with no prior experience in broadcasting. On top of this add the burden of a rigid union hierarchy preserving the status quo - is it any wonder that, with the exception of The Mercer Report and Hockey Night in Canada, so few Canadians tune in to the CBC?
Wouldn`t the CBC be a better place if CBC insiders loosened their death-grip on the wheel and allowed a new group of people – possibly with a more professional and less partisan philosophy - to run the show for a while?
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Before our segment runs out of time, a few final questions for the CBC Ombudsman, The Public Service Integrity Commissioner, The Minister of Heritage, The Privy Council, and the PM’s office: Does everyone agree that the CBC Board of Directors - in order to restore confidence in the Code of Conduct – must mete out consequences to its CBC violators, whatever their status may be?
Will Hubert Lacroix, Heather Conway, and the CBC Board of Directors turn a blind eye, just as CBC management did to the Jian Ghomeshi complaints for so many years? Will they call for an investigation into CBC conflict of interest and code of conduct violations? A Senate Committee perhaps?
How about a clause in the Broadcast Act and Code of Conduct that says spouses of CBC employees cannot be awarded contracts while their CBC-insider partners and spouses are working for the network?
Most important of all:
Surely not Hubert Lacroix, Sally Catto, Kirsten Layfield-Stewart, or Phyllis Platt.
They are CBC family.
But for the rest of us, the CBC’s incompetence, corruption and lack of accountability is just another public sector horror show in desperate need of an ending.
Here is one such story from a reader who wishes to remain anonymous. As usual, feedback is welcome at cbcExposed@gmail.com
_______________________________________________
Management Failure at the CBC
Recently, the CBC conducted a search for a new General Manager of Programming. The newly-minted (2014) CBC English TV Head, Heather Conway, (a very nice industrial relations major with little or no prior experience working with a broadcaster) went out of her way to try to make the hiring process appear fair by hiring a private sector head-hunting firm to assemble a list of potential candidates for the job.
After having searched all across Canada and around the world, surprise! Long-time CBC insider Sally Catto got the job. The fix was in from the start, and putting the job out to public tender, merely a pretence of ‘fairness’ on Conway’s part. At least Stursberg didn`t pretend.
What Conway might have done, before going back to the ‘old CBC’ way of doing things, was to advertise the job in good faith, rather than just for show. She could have dared to hire someone from outside the organization. Sending a message that it’s no longer business as usual at the CBC, no longer CBC insiders hiring CBC insiders. Unfortunately, all those recent CBC firings will use up a lot of her newcomer`s goodwill. So she needs to keep her co-managers onside. She also needs them because what does she know about how to run a broadcaster?
The question is: what will Conway do about internal malfeasance in her department? Will she adopt the CBC habit of turning a blind eye to her colleagues’ transgressions in order to retain a star executive - in order to ingratiate herself with her staff? Will she even try to put an end to the self-serving rule of CBC-insider culture? How will she address the conflict of interest surrounding Catto, Fraser, Platt and Moss? Will she go into damage control and try to cover it up?
Or will she act in the interests of Canadian taxpayers, and begin the unpleasant job of rooting out the bad apples and giving them the heave ho? Can Heather Conway be counted on to bring meaningful reform to the CBC? Or will she keep her head down to give herself a lighter ride?
TIME FOR A CHANGE
CBC corporate culture is suffocating our national network under mediocre leadership at a time when innovative, exemplary leadership is needed. Wouldn`t someone (anyone) with demonstrated private sector broadcast industry talent have been a better choice than Catto, Conway or Lacroix? Someone with a background which is actually suited to the job requirements - rather than a proven follower who was never a filmmaker, programmer, or broadcaster to begin with. Someone capable of revitalizing and leading the broadcaster out of the wilderness.
In the private sector, a corrupt, biased, or mediocre manager is eventually shown the door. At the CBC, they get a promotion and a pay raise. But in times of crisis, a true management turn-around artist is required. How will the CBC get rid of the dead wood to make room for superior talent when the union rulebook makes it so difficult to fire non-performing ‘lifers’? The CBC needs fresh talent drawn from outside the CBC ranks, not internal reshuffling of the same marginal lights who led this spectacularly unresponsive network into its current moribund state.
Sadly, the Conway hire and Catto`s promotion tell us it’s `back to business as usual` at the Mothercorp. No more ‘outside hires’ at the Spoke Club. But a great day for Angus Fraser’s company Gangof2 Productions! With Sally Catto in charge of programming, perhaps one of her husband’s series - one of the 5 that her drama department funded - will now get a production order. The optics may be disgusting, but if her predecessor could get away with it, why can`t she?
The whistle may be screaming, but does anyone in Ottawa notice or care? At today’s CBC - where unqualified insiders with union seniority hire unqualified friends of friends, led by a marginally qualified CEO hired by patronage appointment, who hired a new Head of Programming with no programming or producing experience, under a new head of English TV with no prior experience in broadcasting. On top of this add the burden of a rigid union hierarchy preserving the status quo - is it any wonder that, with the exception of The Mercer Report and Hockey Night in Canada, so few Canadians tune in to the CBC?
Wouldn`t the CBC be a better place if CBC insiders loosened their death-grip on the wheel and allowed a new group of people – possibly with a more professional and less partisan philosophy - to run the show for a while?
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Before our segment runs out of time, a few final questions for the CBC Ombudsman, The Public Service Integrity Commissioner, The Minister of Heritage, The Privy Council, and the PM’s office: Does everyone agree that the CBC Board of Directors - in order to restore confidence in the Code of Conduct – must mete out consequences to its CBC violators, whatever their status may be?
Will Hubert Lacroix, Heather Conway, and the CBC Board of Directors turn a blind eye, just as CBC management did to the Jian Ghomeshi complaints for so many years? Will they call for an investigation into CBC conflict of interest and code of conduct violations? A Senate Committee perhaps?
How about a clause in the Broadcast Act and Code of Conduct that says spouses of CBC employees cannot be awarded contracts while their CBC-insider partners and spouses are working for the network?
Most important of all:
- Who will enforce the CBC Codes of Conduct and Conflict of Interest guidelines?
Surely not Hubert Lacroix, Sally Catto, Kirsten Layfield-Stewart, or Phyllis Platt.
They are CBC family.
But for the rest of us, the CBC’s incompetence, corruption and lack of accountability is just another public sector horror show in desperate need of an ending.
Brian Lilley Challenges CBC President Hubert Lacroix
Every corporate culture takes its cues from the top.
At the top of the CBC sits Hubert Lacroix.
Maybe this situation could have been dealt with sooner if he wasn’t so arrogant.
Back in 2013, based on a tip, I filed a FOI request about sexual harassment at the CBC.
One of the documents quoted a staffer as saying, “There are too many cases. I’m getting them mixed up in my mind.”
At the time, Lacroix waved off my findings and accused me of hunting up “innuendo.”
Is it realistic to think that this same man will finally clean up the CBC’s corrupt culture?
Read the full story.
At the top of the CBC sits Hubert Lacroix.
Maybe this situation could have been dealt with sooner if he wasn’t so arrogant.
Back in 2013, based on a tip, I filed a FOI request about sexual harassment at the CBC.
One of the documents quoted a staffer as saying, “There are too many cases. I’m getting them mixed up in my mind.”
At the time, Lacroix waved off my findings and accused me of hunting up “innuendo.”
Is it realistic to think that this same man will finally clean up the CBC’s corrupt culture?
Read the full story.
CBC President Hubert Lacroix Apologizes Again
The Janice Rubin report into the Jian Ghomeshi affair released last week confirmed the CBC failed to deal with "behaviour that was disrespectful, including behaviour that is considered to create an intimidating, humiliating, hostile or offensive work environment."
In response, president and chief executive Hubert Lacroix apologized to Canadians for this massive lapse in professional conduct.
Thanks for the peace offering, but we're still on the fence about whether or not to accept the mea culpa. After all, the report suggests broader attitudes at the broadcaster contributed to this atmosphere.
Canadians shell out $1 billion a year for this operation. They deserve better.
We wouldn't accept this culture from a regular government office. The CBC should be treated no differently.
Read the full story.
In response, president and chief executive Hubert Lacroix apologized to Canadians for this massive lapse in professional conduct.
Thanks for the peace offering, but we're still on the fence about whether or not to accept the mea culpa. After all, the report suggests broader attitudes at the broadcaster contributed to this atmosphere.
Canadians shell out $1 billion a year for this operation. They deserve better.
We wouldn't accept this culture from a regular government office. The CBC should be treated no differently.
Read the full story.
Exposed - CBC management condoned Ghomeshi behaviour
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation announced it had severed ties with two executives implicated in the Jian Ghomeshi scandal, as it released a damning third-party report into workplace harassment and abuse by the former star radio host.
The public broadcaster told staff Thursday that Chris Boyce, the executive director of radio and audio, and Todd Spencer, the executive director of human resources and industrial relations, who had been on leaves of absence since early January, were “no longer with the corporation.”
The announcement came moments before the release of a report by employment law firm Rubin Thomlinson that painted Mr. Ghomeshi as a co-worker who “consistently breached the behavourial standard” of CBC by yelling at, belittling and humiliating others.
“Management knew or ought to have known of this behaviour and conduct and failed to take steps required of it in accordance with its own policies to ensure that the workplace was free from disrespectful and abusive conduct,” the report says. “It is our conclusion that CBC management condoned this behaviour.”
Read the full story.
The public broadcaster told staff Thursday that Chris Boyce, the executive director of radio and audio, and Todd Spencer, the executive director of human resources and industrial relations, who had been on leaves of absence since early January, were “no longer with the corporation.”
The announcement came moments before the release of a report by employment law firm Rubin Thomlinson that painted Mr. Ghomeshi as a co-worker who “consistently breached the behavourial standard” of CBC by yelling at, belittling and humiliating others.
“Management knew or ought to have known of this behaviour and conduct and failed to take steps required of it in accordance with its own policies to ensure that the workplace was free from disrespectful and abusive conduct,” the report says. “It is our conclusion that CBC management condoned this behaviour.”
Read the full story.
Exposed - CBC employees warned
The union representing CBC employees is warning members about co-operating with an internal investigation of the Jian Ghomeshi affair, saying the information they provide could be used against them.
In a memo issued to members on Monday, the Canadian Media Guild says that, while it is “strongly supportive of an independent investigation into this issue,” it is concerned employees who choose to participate in the workplace probe led by lawyer Janice Rubin might not be able to protect themselves.
But the Rubin investigation, which is looking into how Mr. Ghomeshi’s alleged workplace harassment and abuse went undetected, has been fraught from the beginning, in part because of concerns that CBC management will be exempted.
Read the full story.
In a memo issued to members on Monday, the Canadian Media Guild says that, while it is “strongly supportive of an independent investigation into this issue,” it is concerned employees who choose to participate in the workplace probe led by lawyer Janice Rubin might not be able to protect themselves.
But the Rubin investigation, which is looking into how Mr. Ghomeshi’s alleged workplace harassment and abuse went undetected, has been fraught from the beginning, in part because of concerns that CBC management will be exempted.
Read the full story.
Exposed - Mike Duffy and the CBC
Our mission statement at CBC Exposed is to open the eyes of Canadians about the waste and goings on at the CBC. To this end we ask our readers to submit their stories for publication.
Here is one such story from a reader who wishes to remain anonymous. As usual, feedback is welcome at cbcExposed@gmail.com
_____________________________________________
MIKE DUFFY AND THE CBC
ON TRIAL
The April 8, 2014 National Post front page headline screams: “You can’t just steal from your employer… You can’t abuse your position of authority to unjustly enrich yourself.”
Why not? Senior managers at the CBC appear to do it all the time.
In recent years, CBC CEO Hubert Lacroix overcharged the CBC by $30,000, but only went public with his ‘mistake’ after being outed in the press in 2014. Former CBC TV head Kirstine Layfield’s boyfriend[1] was cast in the lead of his own CBC TV series[2], then he was given his own CBC TV show to direct[3], then he was made the Executive Producer of the CBC 75th Birthday Special. With his limited experience, and with his wife in charge, would this seem like nepotism to the average Canadian? Well yes, of course it would.
Not to be outdone, Layfield’s successor, Sally Catto, a lawyer, presided over the CBC development department that granted her husband’s[4] company (Gangof2 Productions) five development deals within four years (2010-2013). And in 2011, long-time CBC executive Phyllis Platt was granted three development deals and three production orders (a six hour mini-series and two movies of the week) for her husband[5] to direct, mere weeks after leaving a position that presided over the granting of funding for – you guessed it – all CBC movies and mini-series.
The ‘old girl’s club’ certainly appears alive and well at the CBC.
But if CBC executives can use their positions of power to unjustly enrich themselves (or their spouses), then why not Duff? Why the double-standard?
The CBC Code of Conduct and CBC Conflict of Interest guidelines strictly forbid all of the above (including the appearance of conflict of interest, as management is meant to be held to a higher standard). But the willful blindness of management and the CBC board of governors allows CBC corruption to continue unchecked. The whistle is screaming, but is anyone in Ottawa listening? Well no, not really. If they were, they would have put a stop to it by now. So why does the government turn a blind eye to questionable practices at the CBC?
Answer: mis-management of the CBC reflects poorly on the Harper government because the PMO’s office appointed CBC CEO Lacroix. And though Lacroix has managed to cut some CBC funding and staff, he has not only failed to clean the CBC house of corrupt practices, he has set a poor example with his own $30k overspend. Trudeau and Mulcair, on the other hand, promised to “restore CBC funding” if elected. So CBC insiders want the Duffy and Wallin scandals to stick to Harper in the hope they will trigger regime change and new funding.
And that is why CBC management is thrilled to have Mike Duffy to kick around: to distract us from their own flawed mandarins while they plea to the left for votes and cash in the run-up to an election.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Zaib Shaikh is now married to Kirstine Layfield, who now calls herself Kirstine Stewart
[2] LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE
[3] OTHELLO
[4] Angus Fraser is married to Sally Catto.
[5] Peter Moss is the husband/partner of Phyllis Platt.
Here is one such story from a reader who wishes to remain anonymous. As usual, feedback is welcome at cbcExposed@gmail.com
_____________________________________________
MIKE DUFFY AND THE CBC
ON TRIAL
The April 8, 2014 National Post front page headline screams: “You can’t just steal from your employer… You can’t abuse your position of authority to unjustly enrich yourself.”
Why not? Senior managers at the CBC appear to do it all the time.
In recent years, CBC CEO Hubert Lacroix overcharged the CBC by $30,000, but only went public with his ‘mistake’ after being outed in the press in 2014. Former CBC TV head Kirstine Layfield’s boyfriend[1] was cast in the lead of his own CBC TV series[2], then he was given his own CBC TV show to direct[3], then he was made the Executive Producer of the CBC 75th Birthday Special. With his limited experience, and with his wife in charge, would this seem like nepotism to the average Canadian? Well yes, of course it would.
Not to be outdone, Layfield’s successor, Sally Catto, a lawyer, presided over the CBC development department that granted her husband’s[4] company (Gangof2 Productions) five development deals within four years (2010-2013). And in 2011, long-time CBC executive Phyllis Platt was granted three development deals and three production orders (a six hour mini-series and two movies of the week) for her husband[5] to direct, mere weeks after leaving a position that presided over the granting of funding for – you guessed it – all CBC movies and mini-series.
The ‘old girl’s club’ certainly appears alive and well at the CBC.
But if CBC executives can use their positions of power to unjustly enrich themselves (or their spouses), then why not Duff? Why the double-standard?
The CBC Code of Conduct and CBC Conflict of Interest guidelines strictly forbid all of the above (including the appearance of conflict of interest, as management is meant to be held to a higher standard). But the willful blindness of management and the CBC board of governors allows CBC corruption to continue unchecked. The whistle is screaming, but is anyone in Ottawa listening? Well no, not really. If they were, they would have put a stop to it by now. So why does the government turn a blind eye to questionable practices at the CBC?
Answer: mis-management of the CBC reflects poorly on the Harper government because the PMO’s office appointed CBC CEO Lacroix. And though Lacroix has managed to cut some CBC funding and staff, he has not only failed to clean the CBC house of corrupt practices, he has set a poor example with his own $30k overspend. Trudeau and Mulcair, on the other hand, promised to “restore CBC funding” if elected. So CBC insiders want the Duffy and Wallin scandals to stick to Harper in the hope they will trigger regime change and new funding.
And that is why CBC management is thrilled to have Mike Duffy to kick around: to distract us from their own flawed mandarins while they plea to the left for votes and cash in the run-up to an election.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Zaib Shaikh is now married to Kirstine Layfield, who now calls herself Kirstine Stewart
[2] LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE
[3] OTHELLO
[4] Angus Fraser is married to Sally Catto.
[5] Peter Moss is the husband/partner of Phyllis Platt.
CBC Exposed is Canadian Bestseller
This book takes on the holy grail of the Canadian media landscape and lays bare the truth about CBC. Reckless reporting at the state broadcaster has ruined lives and cost taxpayers millions upon millions in settlement costs yet no one has ever been held to account.
This book does what the consensus media cowards are afraid to do, tell the truth about CBC. From reporting driven by vendettas to outright biases against conservatives, gun owners, Israel and any other group that doesn't fit their vision of Canada, CBC Exposed is a call to action to rein in this broadcasting giant.
Once you read this book you too will be convinced that the only way to tame the beast is to sell it.
Check it out on Amazon here!
Exposed - Is CBC News Biased?
At CBC Exposed we encourage viewer submissions and recently we were forwarded this very informative video by one of our followers.
Is CBC News Biased? Should Canadian Taxpayers Fund the CBC with $1 Billion Every Year?
The CBC should be accountable directly to all Canadians. But it is not. Instead, it is accountable to the Prime Minister. He controls CBC funding, and appoints the Board of Directors and President (through the Governor General). No wonder most current CBC Board members are Conservative Party supporters. Also troubling is that every English-language CBC ombudsman to date has been a former CBC employee -- and therefore potentially biased in favor of the CBC. Given that this enormous risk of bias has been allowed, how much confidence can we have in the integrity of CBC management? Has the CBC ever voluntarily admitted to a scandal before being caught? Would CBC management have the strength of character to resist interference by a meddling prime minister?
Is CBC News Biased? Should Canadian Taxpayers Fund the CBC with $1 Billion Every Year?
The CBC should be accountable directly to all Canadians. But it is not. Instead, it is accountable to the Prime Minister. He controls CBC funding, and appoints the Board of Directors and President (through the Governor General). No wonder most current CBC Board members are Conservative Party supporters. Also troubling is that every English-language CBC ombudsman to date has been a former CBC employee -- and therefore potentially biased in favor of the CBC. Given that this enormous risk of bias has been allowed, how much confidence can we have in the integrity of CBC management? Has the CBC ever voluntarily admitted to a scandal before being caught? Would CBC management have the strength of character to resist interference by a meddling prime minister?
CBC is over loaded with political appointees
CBC Hamilton has 7 reporters getting out the news. CBC Charlottetown has 37. The same inefficiency is repeated over and over across the country.
The CBC gets a $1.1 billion annual subsidy from the taxpayers of Canada as our national broadcaster. CBC management, the union and a group called Friends of Canadian Broadcasting are lobbying the government for substantial increases in the subsidy.
NDP and Liberal politicians in opposition are promising to increase the CBC subsidy if elected. The real story is CBC could do better with even less if they were more efficient.
The CBC is over loaded with political appointees with little value in the media, union and management feather-bedding, and just plain inefficient operations.
In Charlottetown, PEI with a census agglomeration of 64,000, CBC says it takes 37 journalists to report on the Legislature alone. That does not count other journalists, technical and administrative staff and management. 90 people work at CBC Charlottetown.
At CBC Hamilton, Ontario, the large industrial city west of Toronto, 7 people do the same job of getting the news out. How big is Hamilton to have such a small newsroom? 720,000 people live in the metropolitan area and that does not include adjacent areas like Oakville and Kitchener-Waterloo.
Why does Charlottetown need 5 times as many people to do the same job as Hamilton? Well, CBC Charlottetown has been around for more than 5 decades giving it plenty of time to double and triple fill positions with friends, political hacks and union favourites. CBC Hamilton is only 3 years old and given time they too will become another inefficient CBC branch station.
Read the full story.
The CBC gets a $1.1 billion annual subsidy from the taxpayers of Canada as our national broadcaster. CBC management, the union and a group called Friends of Canadian Broadcasting are lobbying the government for substantial increases in the subsidy.
NDP and Liberal politicians in opposition are promising to increase the CBC subsidy if elected. The real story is CBC could do better with even less if they were more efficient.
The CBC is over loaded with political appointees with little value in the media, union and management feather-bedding, and just plain inefficient operations.
In Charlottetown, PEI with a census agglomeration of 64,000, CBC says it takes 37 journalists to report on the Legislature alone. That does not count other journalists, technical and administrative staff and management. 90 people work at CBC Charlottetown.
At CBC Hamilton, Ontario, the large industrial city west of Toronto, 7 people do the same job of getting the news out. How big is Hamilton to have such a small newsroom? 720,000 people live in the metropolitan area and that does not include adjacent areas like Oakville and Kitchener-Waterloo.
Why does Charlottetown need 5 times as many people to do the same job as Hamilton? Well, CBC Charlottetown has been around for more than 5 decades giving it plenty of time to double and triple fill positions with friends, political hacks and union favourites. CBC Hamilton is only 3 years old and given time they too will become another inefficient CBC branch station.
Read the full story.
Cancer at top of CBC
Like many 70-plus Canadians, the CBC has trouble understanding today's youth. It's being left behind by changing technology and struggling to maintain its lifestyle on a fixed income that's been shrinking for the better part of three decades.
While Harper has proven he's no fan of the CBC, to be fair, kicking the corporation in the teeth is a bipartisan tradition that goes back decades to Brian Mulroney, but Jean Chretien did the most damage.
If anything, the fact that parties on both sides of the aisle seem united in their disdain for the CBC proves that the corporation is probably an institution worth saving, says Ian Morrison, spokesperson for the watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.
According to Morrison, one of the big problems with the CBC is that its board of directors and president are government-appointed.
"There's a cancer at the top, and that is the political patronage system of its governance," he says. "It does not ensure that the best and the brightest are there."
Current CBC president Hubert Lacroix was a corporate lawyer with little experience in broadcasting or managing a large enterprise before his appointment, notes Morrison.
Read the full story.
While Harper has proven he's no fan of the CBC, to be fair, kicking the corporation in the teeth is a bipartisan tradition that goes back decades to Brian Mulroney, but Jean Chretien did the most damage.
If anything, the fact that parties on both sides of the aisle seem united in their disdain for the CBC proves that the corporation is probably an institution worth saving, says Ian Morrison, spokesperson for the watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.
According to Morrison, one of the big problems with the CBC is that its board of directors and president are government-appointed.
"There's a cancer at the top, and that is the political patronage system of its governance," he says. "It does not ensure that the best and the brightest are there."
Current CBC president Hubert Lacroix was a corporate lawyer with little experience in broadcasting or managing a large enterprise before his appointment, notes Morrison.
Read the full story.
Senior CBC Reporter Terry Milewski Critisized by WSO
The World Sikh Organization has written a "letter of concern" to CBC Ombudsman Kirk LaPointe about its senior Ottawa correspondent, Terry Milewski.
Last month, the WSO objected to Milewski allegedly claiming that Sikhs held a rally on Parliament Hill for a "suicide bomber".
"WSO has been very clear that there is no evidence of extremism in the Canadian Sikh community," the organization stated on its website. "Those who claim otherwise have yet to offer any proof."
The WSO also criticized Milewski's alleged "contempt for the idea that Sikhs would defend human rights—to his way of thinking the only possible reason for such an outpouring of support is for terrorism".
Read the full story.
Last month, the WSO objected to Milewski allegedly claiming that Sikhs held a rally on Parliament Hill for a "suicide bomber".
"WSO has been very clear that there is no evidence of extremism in the Canadian Sikh community," the organization stated on its website. "Those who claim otherwise have yet to offer any proof."
The WSO also criticized Milewski's alleged "contempt for the idea that Sikhs would defend human rights—to his way of thinking the only possible reason for such an outpouring of support is for terrorism".
Read the full story.
CBC Reporters job is to sell ads
CBC’s Milewski says his job as reporter is to “sell ads”.
First, it is bizarre that CBC’s Terry Milewski is doing an interview for a Globe and Mail piece but what’s even more astounding is his admissions of playing it up for the camera:
“People imagine that the CBC is this grand public service funded entirely by taxpayer dollars, but my job is to sell ads. You won’t catch me saying, certainly not on tape, that we at CBC have some grand mission to speak truth to power.”
“Our job as reporters is not to meekly accept whatever answer we’re given, but to challenge and provoke and press.”
Read the full story.
First, it is bizarre that CBC’s Terry Milewski is doing an interview for a Globe and Mail piece but what’s even more astounding is his admissions of playing it up for the camera:
“People imagine that the CBC is this grand public service funded entirely by taxpayer dollars, but my job is to sell ads. You won’t catch me saying, certainly not on tape, that we at CBC have some grand mission to speak truth to power.”
“Our job as reporters is not to meekly accept whatever answer we’re given, but to challenge and provoke and press.”
Read the full story.
Exposed - CBC local services will be smaller overall
CBC News is laying off 144 people across the country, shrinking English-language local services in a bid to shave $15 million from its operating costs.
On the French side, Radio-Canada announced 100 job cuts across the country, including 20 vacancies and retirements.
Jennifer McGuire, Editor-in-Chief of CBC News, announced the English layoffs in a note to staff, which stressed that no stations are being closed and all local radio programming is being maintained.
McGuire admits that "local services will be smaller overall," but says the relative size of each region remains the same.
Read the full story.
On the French side, Radio-Canada announced 100 job cuts across the country, including 20 vacancies and retirements.
Jennifer McGuire, Editor-in-Chief of CBC News, announced the English layoffs in a note to staff, which stressed that no stations are being closed and all local radio programming is being maintained.
McGuire admits that "local services will be smaller overall," but says the relative size of each region remains the same.
Read the full story.
Exposed - CBC Investigation Not Arms Length
CBC executives who appeared before a Senate committee to discuss the future of the public broadcaster also faced questions about internal investigations underway at the corporation.
Conservative Senator Don Plett raised questions about Lang accepting money for speaking engagements.
Conservative Senator Betty Unger also raised questions to Lacroix and Conway about the ongoing internal investigation into the Jian Ghomeshi case.
"Public perception is you picked the person to investigate ... this matter for the CBC so it is not an arm's length investigation, perhaps the matter should have been handled by a retired judge," Unger said.
Lawyer Janice Rubin has been hired by the CBC to carry out an independent review of how the allegations against Ghomeshi were handled.
Read the full story.
Conservative Senator Don Plett raised questions about Lang accepting money for speaking engagements.
Conservative Senator Betty Unger also raised questions to Lacroix and Conway about the ongoing internal investigation into the Jian Ghomeshi case.
"Public perception is you picked the person to investigate ... this matter for the CBC so it is not an arm's length investigation, perhaps the matter should have been handled by a retired judge," Unger said.
Lawyer Janice Rubin has been hired by the CBC to carry out an independent review of how the allegations against Ghomeshi were handled.
Read the full story.
Exposed - the Issue of CBC Direction
Where the CBC has run into problems is that in trying to compete with private networks like CTV and Global. In doing so, the conflict between public service and attracting 'eyeballs', between informative, thought-provoking content and popularity, becomes clear. Is it part of the mandate to spend taxpayers' money on buying American game shows like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy? President Lacroix claims that these highly-rated shows lead more viewers to watch the Canadian programming that follows. What about airing William and Kate: A Love Story on the documentary program Passionate Eye? Does that reflect our national and regional culture?
The issue of CBC's direction, and the issue of whether Canadians care about homegrown content, do not have clear-cut answers. CBC cannot please everyone and be all things to all people, and Canadian viewers can't help but be attracted to American content, which have bigger productions, bigger stars, and bigger promotional budgets. My view? I think the CBC should refocus on its mandate, stop trying to compete with private networks, and drop commercially-minded ventures, such as bidding for the broadcasting rights to the Olympics and selling ad time on radio.
The corporation should realign itself as a public service broadcaster and focus on telling national and regional stories.
Read the full story.
The issue of CBC's direction, and the issue of whether Canadians care about homegrown content, do not have clear-cut answers. CBC cannot please everyone and be all things to all people, and Canadian viewers can't help but be attracted to American content, which have bigger productions, bigger stars, and bigger promotional budgets. My view? I think the CBC should refocus on its mandate, stop trying to compete with private networks, and drop commercially-minded ventures, such as bidding for the broadcasting rights to the Olympics and selling ad time on radio.
The corporation should realign itself as a public service broadcaster and focus on telling national and regional stories.
Read the full story.
CBC looking to sell iconic HQ
In the face of new technology and budget cuts, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is mulling the sale of its downtown Toronto headquarters, a move network officials admit may shake staff morale and its public image.
The public broadcaster has hired a consultant to help decide whether it should sell the one-million square-foot building. Mr. Mattocks says it only needs about a third of that space and is looking for a buyer who might be interested in keeping it on as a tenant.
Over more prosperous decades, the CBC has acquired a huge real estate portfolio, valued at about $1-billion.
The iconic blue and red building on Toronto’s Front Street West was constructed in the 1990s to consolidate the CBC’s once-scattered organization. Previously, its operations were spread among more than two dozen offices across the city, and the corporation was spending a small fortune on cabs and mailrooms.
Read the full story.
The public broadcaster has hired a consultant to help decide whether it should sell the one-million square-foot building. Mr. Mattocks says it only needs about a third of that space and is looking for a buyer who might be interested in keeping it on as a tenant.
Over more prosperous decades, the CBC has acquired a huge real estate portfolio, valued at about $1-billion.
The iconic blue and red building on Toronto’s Front Street West was constructed in the 1990s to consolidate the CBC’s once-scattered organization. Previously, its operations were spread among more than two dozen offices across the city, and the corporation was spending a small fortune on cabs and mailrooms.
Read the full story.
CBC real estate holdings worth $1 billion
The cash-strapped Canadian Broadcasting Corporation will tap into its rich real-estate portfolio to dull the pain of deep budget cuts, but president and CEO Hubert Lacroix confirmed on Thursday that there are no plans to sell its iconic downtown Toronto headquarters or its newly renovated Vancouver studios.
In a speech to the Economic Club of Canada, Lacroix said the broadcaster intends to reduce its real-estate footprint by 800,000 square feet, part of a multi-pronged effort to make ends meet in the wake of significant federal funding cuts.
According to Lacroix, it’s still too early to estimate how much revenue could be raised through selling and leasing various properties.
But a recent Globe and Mail report offers some insight: the newspaper put the total value of the the CBC’s real-estate holdings at $1 billion, and estimated that the broadcaster is sitting on about $12 million in surplus commercial real estate space in its downtown Toronto office.
Read the full story.
In a speech to the Economic Club of Canada, Lacroix said the broadcaster intends to reduce its real-estate footprint by 800,000 square feet, part of a multi-pronged effort to make ends meet in the wake of significant federal funding cuts.
According to Lacroix, it’s still too early to estimate how much revenue could be raised through selling and leasing various properties.
But a recent Globe and Mail report offers some insight: the newspaper put the total value of the the CBC’s real-estate holdings at $1 billion, and estimated that the broadcaster is sitting on about $12 million in surplus commercial real estate space in its downtown Toronto office.
Read the full story.
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