The CBC's ombudsman has found that reporter Terry Milewski was not biased in his coverage of the APEC hearings.

Last fall, the prime minister's Director of Communications Peter Donolo charged that Milewski's reporting on the investigation into the Asian Pacific Economic Conference protests was one-sided.

  • Read the Ombudsman's report

    Craig Jones
    Craig Jones

    After spending the last five months reviewing the contents of all television reports Milewski filed on APEC and personal communications Milewski had with sources, ombudsman Marcel Pepin says that's not the case.

    Pepin found that Milewski practiced "aggressive and critical journalism" that some might find disturbing but that served both the interests of good journalism, and the public.

    Pepin said the PMO's concerns that Milewski was one-sided were not justified. As to the complaint the Milewski sought to portray the government as 'the forces of darkness,' Pepin said the term was humor.

    Marcel Pepin
    Marcel Pepin

    "I am incapable of imagining any professional journalist seriously qualifying the government as 'the forces of darkness.' I know dozens, though, who in private conversation would use this sort of expression cynically or jokingly about a government," Pepin said in his report.

    The prime minister's office had accused Milewski of conspiring with the complainants and referred to comments in an e-mail to protester Craig Jones where Milewski called the government "the forces of darkness."

    Pepin says there was no conspiracy and that it's only natural for journalists and informants to trade information. Pepin said Milewski was "perfectly justified" in working closely with the Jones.

    Milewski is pleased with the report and considers it a victory.

    "To me, my mistake, if there was a mistake in this case is that I broke a story which the government of the day didn't want to hear," Milewski says.

    Milewski is currently serving an 18 day suspension from work with the CBC and although the management team says the report endorses the credibility of CBC's journalism, it says the suspension sticks.

    Management says Milewski was not suspended because of his journalism but for other undisclosed reasons. It says Milewski is welcome to return to his job following the suspension, but he won't be covering APEC stories.

    Donolo, who originally issued the complaint says the prime minister's office doesn't agree with all the things in the ombudsman's report but it respects his authority.