Friday, October 17, 2008

Just like Stephen Harper, CTV’s word is worthless




Below is an article in which CTV attempts to justify saying one thing and doing another, namely playing an out-take of a flubbed interview with Stephen Dion it promised it would not. What does that tell you about CTV’s journalistic ethics?

I had a similar experience with CTV on the campaign trail, albeit on a different scale, but every bit as revealing about CTV’s ethics.

CTV had arranged to have a televised Virtual Town Hall meeting with all the candidates in Whitby-Oshawa. It had been confirmed and agreed to. About one hour after the first debate in Whitby Oshawa at Sinclair Secondary School had not gone too well for Jim Flaherty, my campaign manager received a phone call saying that the arrangedVirtual Town Hall meeting was being cancelled because “ a couple of the candidates weren’t able to make it”. Never being one to accept things at face value, I then phoned the other candidates to confirm whether this was in fact true. Whereupon O learne that what CTV had said, was not true.

I then called CTV and had them repeat their original lie, for why they said the event was being cancelled, at which point I caught them in their bold faced lie. I should have recorded the conversation. It would have made great gotcha journalism.....just like CTV seems to favour in the case of breaking their word with Stephane Dion.

Perhaps CTV’s total lack of ethics and breaking of promises is an organizational thing that derives from its owners, BCE and Teachers’, who seem to have no problem about concealing bids that they received from Catalyst Asset Management as part of their so-called "public auction process" or reneging on some $1 billion of dividends that had been promised to BCE shareholders as an integral part of the “winning bid” in the LBO of BCE.

BTW how is that “winning bid” doing these days?

I have been slightly out of touch doing that past five weeks, trying to bring some honesty to Canadian politics, only to find that CTV is in bed with the Harper government, just like BCE and Teachers’ themselves. If not, what government in their right mind would ever have approved a deal that turned its major telecommunications carrier into a junk bond basket case or would have allowed a pension fund to brazenly break its own Federal Pension Regulations by acquiring 50% of a company when its regulations are very clear that it can not exceed 30% ownership of such a company? Only takes a corrupt government in Ottawa to make possible the impossible, or to brazenly say one thing and to do the exact opposite?

CTV airs defence of its decision to broadcast Dion's fumbling interview

Canadian Press
9 hours ago

HALIFAX — CTV News broadcast a defence Thursday of its decision to air the stuttering start of an interview it did last week with Liberal Leader Stephane Dion.

Three executives at CTV News told Thursday's 6 p.m. newscast in the Maritimes that it had a responsibility to show the public the pre-recorded interview with Dion on Oct. 9, five days before election day.

"We decided that it was important that CTV News not hide anything during an election campaign," said Robert Hurst, president of CTV News.

The interview, which was restarted four times because Dion didn't understand a question about the economy from anchor Steve Murphy, was originally broadcast in the Maritimes, although it was later seen across the country.

On the news that night, Murphy said the network had indicated to the Liberals that it would not broadcast the fumbling start of the English-language interview.

9 comments:

Dr Mike said...

One more time CTv gets caught with it`s pants down.

It`s so sad to see a once mighty free-thinking Canadian institution reduced to the rubble it has become--it even gives rubble a bad name.

I am sure it has the support of the likes of Flaherty & his buddy Margery LeBreton who think the rest of us are just mind-numbed idiots who will watch anything.

Time for us all to get a life & be more discerning when it comes to the facts.

This will certainly leave the CTv out in the cold where it belongs.

Dr Mike Popovich

Top Can said...

Great post! I was afraid I was the only one who believed that CTV stood for 'Conservative Television'

penlan said...

I haven't watched CTV in a very long time - not since Harper was elected the 1st time. It's obvious Conservative bias drives me nuts. And Duffy makes me ill.

And CBC Newsworld has become much the same now. I was amazed & completely dispirited by their lack of "truth" reporting in this election & have no idea where to get my news anymore. Even Newman's show "Politics" was obviously biased towards the Cons. CBC might as well be privatized as that is now what it appears to look like. It's now: "Conservative Broadcasting Corporation". No "Canada" left.

What in the world has happened to our media?

Anonymous said...

Thank god that CTV had the you-know whats to air Dion's moronic screw-ups. Otherwise we might have that bumbling idiot for a Prime minister-he can't even speak english, give Canadians a break EH? Liberals who actually voted for him to be their leader have got to be pointed out and made a laughing stock-I'm not sure what the bigger joke is-them or Dion himself. All losers.

Dr Mike said...

Anonymous

A loser is someone who blindly supports a Finance minister who presents 18 blacked-out pages as proof of tax leakage.

The guy does not even have the cojones to expose his figures to scrutiny.

Now that is a loser.

Speaking of a lack of cojones, who are you anyway--not enough balls to put your real name out there??--not sure of what is on those 18 blacked-out pages????

I have no patience for people like you.

Dr Mike Popovich

Anonymous said...

Hopefully there will be a groundswell of "non-listeners" to CTV. Like many people I don't bother to watch any more, especially Duffy, because I know the bias that is all too obvious on his programme. I think the turning point in the election was the airing of the interview as that was really the first misstep by M. Dion in the campaign. Until that moment I feel he was building positive momentum. And please don't lump us all in the Teachers' Pension Plan! Many of us are also wondering what the hell is going on with their grandiose schemes. Our pensions are also on the line if all fails.

Anonymous said...

Anonymus
"Otherwise we might have that bumbling idiot for a Prime minister-he can't even speak english, give Canadians a break EH?"

Thank you for saying.
Right, you can forget Quebec. Your comments just show why Quebec chooses the Bloc.
We are second class citizens to your eyes. Keep on writing and I will share with the Bloc,family members and friends.
Does Harper loves us Quebecers ? I know, his word means nothing.
Nice work loser.

Anonymous said...

The anonymus talking to the Bloc is me : Jean-Marie

Me a loser ? No, Quebec did prevent a Cons majority.
I am a qinner.

Anonymous said...

Frank Magazine in Halifax all but forced CTV Atlantic to circle the wagons with this cover:

http://www.atlanticfrank.ca/index2.php