Notes
Monday, Dec 31, 2012
Since my last blog post I have released two findings following public complaints about CBC news and information content. The first review involved a segment on CBC Radio's The Current on women in combat roles in the military. The complainant ...
Thursday, Dec 20, 2012
Since my last post I have released two findings of reviews following public complaints about CBC news and information content. The first complaint involved CBC Television coverage of violence in the Gaza, in particular whether the content provided adequate background ...
Wednesday, Dec 12, 2012
Since my last post I have released a finding on a public complaint about a CBC.ca report.. The complaint involved a CBC Vancouver report seen on television, heard on radio and carried online in which CBC News enlisted teens aged ...
Wednesday, Dec 5, 2012
Since my last post I have completed five reviews and released their findings. Three more have been launched as a result of public complaints. The first review involved a complaint about the fairness of a CBC.ca and CBC Radio North ...
Wednesday, Nov 28, 2012
Today CBC announced the appointment of Esther Enkin, the executive editor of CBC News, as its next Ombudsman for English Services. Her appointment is effective January 1, when I will leave the role and serve as an advisor to the ...
Thursday, Nov 22, 2012
The annual report of the Office of the Ombudsman was presented today to the CBC Board of Directors. It is traditionally released following that presentation, along with the response from CBC News. The report summarizes the record 91 findings in ...
Monday, Oct 22, 2012
Since my last blog post two reviews have been conducted into public complaints about CBC news and information content. The first complaint involved radio and online coverage by CBC Edmonton of an attack on a student and of public comments ...
Tuesday, Oct 9, 2012
Since my last post I have released a review of a public complaint concerning the promotion of a new book by CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi. The complainant asserted that the promotion of the book, 1982, constituted a conflict of ...
Friday, Sep 21, 2012
Since my last post I have released four findings as a result of public complaints about news and information content at CBC. In the first review, I was asked to examine a complaint that CBC Television's The National had violated ...
Friday, Sep 14, 2012
Since my last blog post I have completed two reviews and released their findings. Three reviews are under way. The first review concerned a news agency story carried by CBC.ca. The complainant asserted that the story was inaccurate and needed ...
Wednesday, Aug 29, 2012
Since my last post I have concluded two reviews and released their findings to the complainants and CBC News. The first concerned a 2010 CBC.ca report on a food allergen alert that involved an Ontario bakery. The bakery owner indicated ...
Wednesday, Aug 15, 2012
Since my last post I have completed three findings of public complaints and launched three other reviews. The first review concerned a complaint that information broadcast on CBC Television's The National did not migrate to CBC.ca. The complainant argued that ...
Friday, Aug 3, 2012
Since my last post I have released five findings and launched two reviews. The first review involved a complaint that the term "hackers" was used in a pejorative way in an online story. The complainant asserted that the use was ...
Thursday, Jul 19, 2012
Since my last post I have released eight findings on public complaints and started three new reviews. Here are the findings in chronological order: A complaint about reports on domestic violence against men. CBC acknowledged an error, thus a violation ...
Thursday, Jun 28, 2012
Since my last post I have completed two reviews and launched six others. The first finding concerned a CBC.ca report on impending cuts to the public service. The complainant asserted the report was inaccurate in describing support measures for affected ...
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Since the last blog post I have completed three reviews and launched one more. The first review examined a complaint about television and online reports on assistance to Canadian banks during the global economic downturn. While there was not a ...
Friday, May 4, 2012
In recent days three findings have been released. The first examined a public complaint that a CBC Television and CBC.ca report on so-called "robocalls" in the 2011 federal election was inaccurate and thus unfair. The report noted that the political ...
Monday, Apr 16, 2012
There are three recent findings arising from public complaints. The first review involved a complaint about bias and inaccuracy in a CBC.ca opinion piece by former Conservative cabinet minister Stockwell Day. His article looked at complaints in the Occupy movement ...
Tuesday, Apr 3, 2012
Since my last post I have released three findings and launched two reviews. The first finding involved a public complaint about a CBC.ca report on the health hazards of sugar. The complainant asserted that the report headline and content were ...
Monday, Mar 5, 2012
Since my last post I have completed three reviews and issued findings arising from those public complaints. The Office of the Ombudsman generally reviews complaints when the public is not satisfied with responses by CBC programmers to concerns. A review ...
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2012
Since my last post two findings have been released and one review has been launched. The first finding involved a complaint about an interview on CBC Radio's The Sunday Edition concerning a plant closure in Ontario. The complainant asserted the ...
Thursday, Feb 9, 2012
Since my last post I have released five findings and launched two new reviews. The first finding involved a complaint CBC Television reports on The National concerning the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords, the member of Congress, in which six died ...
Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012
Jennifer McGuire, the editor in chief of CBC News, has today issued a statement on my recent finding involving the organization's Victoria legislative reporter. Her statement and reader comments are at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/01/31/f-vp-mcguire-ombudsman-bc-legislature.html ...
Monday, Jan 30, 2012
In the last week I have released three findings and agreed to conduct two reviews. The first finding concerned a complaint that Early Edition, a CBC Radio British Columbia program, did not accurately describe a report calling for reforms to ...
Monday, Jan 23, 2012
Since my last post I have released five findings and launched six reviews. Findings are typically posted a day or two after they have been distributed simultaneously to the complainant and to CBC News. A few days later they are ...
Friday, Jan 6, 2012
Since my last post I've released two reviews and launched two others. The first review concerned a CBC Television documentary, Scout's Honour, seen on the fifth estate in October. The central complaint was that the program did not make a ...
Friday, Dec 23, 2011
Since my last post I have released four reviews and started four others. All of the reviews concerned Middle East coverage. The first review involved a CBC.ca analysis by Neil Macdonald, CBC's Senior Washington Correspondent, on a United Nations tribunal ...
Wednesday, Dec 7, 2011
Our website has undergone a redesign with several changes in emphasis. Most important, the complaint forms and the findings (this Office's input and output) are more promimently displayed. It is easier, too, to comment on posts and findings. There are ...
Tuesday, Nov 29, 2011
Since my last post I have released two reviews and launched seven others. The first review concerned a September 5 report on CBC Television's The National on the impact of the 9/11 attacks on the economy of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. ...
Thursday, Nov 24, 2011
This week at the CBC board of directors meeting in Montreal, the annual reports of the CBC and Radio-Canada ombudsmen were presented, along with the responses from the CBC and Radio-Canada news organizations. The CBC Ombudsman annual report reflects the ...
Wednesday, Nov 9, 2011
Since my last post I have released one finding from a review and agreed to conduct four other reviews. The new review involves a complaint about CBC Radio's The Current concerning the proposed revisions to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of ...
Tuesday, Nov 8, 2011
Pierre Tourangeau, the senior director content, news and current affairs information for Radio-Canada, has been appointed its new Ombudsman. He assumes the role starting next Monday. Tourangeau is a veteran Radio-Canada journalist with more than three decades of experience in ...
Monday, Oct 31, 2011
Since my last post I have released four findings and launched one review. The first review concerned segments September 22 and 26 on CBC Radio's The Current on the proposal for Palestinian statehood. The complainant felt that CBC showed bias ...
Friday, Oct 14, 2011
Since my last post I have completed two reviews, one on difficult televised images and one on a name-calling incident. The first review concerned images October 4 to promote a documentary the next night on brain research on CBC Television's ...
Wednesday, Oct 12, 2011
Since my last post I have released one review and launched two others. The review concerned a segment on the CBC Radio program, The Current, on the dispute between the Canadian women's soccer team and the Canadian Soccer Association. The ...
Friday, Sep 23, 2011
Since my last post I've released two reviews concerning CBC Radio programming. In the first review, I found a violation of CBC Journalistic Standards and Practices when CBC Radio Halifax read aloud an anonymous letter following earlier discussions on the ...
Thursday, Sep 22, 2011
CBC/Radio-Canada have launched a review of the mandate for their ombudsmen. The review follows last year's update of CBC Journalistic Standards and Practices and deals specifically with the role of the ombudsmen in the current media landscape. The mandate has ...
Monday, Sep 12, 2011
Since my last post I've released a review on a documentary on the Albertan oil sands project. The complainant felt the two-hour CBC Television program unfairly portrayed the environmental impact of the project, depended on research that was not strong, ...
Thursday, Sep 8, 2011
I've released a new review concerning a CBC Radio program in late June. Sunday Edition looked back at the police handling of demonstrations at the G20 gathering of world leaders one year earlier in Toronto. The complainant said the segments ...
Wednesday, Aug 31, 2011
Since my last post I have reviewed three complaints and agreed to review one. The first review concerned information superimposed in a banner at the bottom of the screen on a CBC News Network program, The Lang & O'Leary Exchange. ...
Tuesday, Aug 16, 2011
Since I've last posted, two reviews have been completed and three have been started. As for the reviews: One review examined a complaint there was bias in an interview of author and activist Alice Walker on CBC Radio's The Current. ...
Tuesday, Jul 26, 2011
My Radio-Canada counterpart, Julie Miville-Dechene, has decided to leave her post July 31 to pursue a role outside of media. The Radio-Canada story on her departure is here. Julie has been the Ombudsman for Radio-Canada for four years. CBC President ...
Friday, Jul 15, 2011
I've released two reviews since my last post The first review involved a complaint about a CBC Radio British Columbia discussion on the morning after the Stanley Cup final's seventh game. The discussion included commentator Don Cherry. I did not ...
Tuesday, Jul 12, 2011
Since my last post I have completed and released three reviews. One review concerned a complaint that a story had not been updated following an Israeli army investigation that concluded a Palestinian woman had died under different circumstances than originally ...
Wednesday, Jun 29, 2011
In recent days I have released two reviews and agreed to conduct two others. The first review involved complaints about the Vote Compass survey featured at CBC.ca during the federal election campaign. I did not find a violation of CBC ...
Monday, Jun 20, 2011
Since my last post I have released two reviews and agreed to conduct three others. The first review concerned a complaint that harsh language was used by co-host Kevin O'Leary to describe what shareholders should do about the performance of ...
Thursday, Jun 2, 2011
I want to make note of two new reviews released since my last post. One review concerned specific wording in a television report about the 2008 political cooperation arrangement among opposition parties. I did not find a violation of CBC ...
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Since my last post I have released two reviews and agreed to conduct two more. One review involved an interview on CBC Radio Quirks & Quarks with a nuclear safety expert. I did not find any violation of CBC Journalistic ...
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
More than 40 ombudsmen from around the world met this week in Montreal. I Tweeted some of the ideas emerging from the panels, but wanted to summarize them and other reflections in this post. The Organization of News Ombudsmen comprises ...
Friday, May 13, 2011
Since the last post I have released four reviews. In the first review, I examined a CBC Radio documentary on The Current on a wind energy project in Ontario. I did not find a violation of CBC Journalistic Standards and ...
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Since my last post I've released three reviews and agreed to conduct one. In the first review, I examined a complaint that a CBC Radio host had not sufficiently pursued a line of questioning during a panel discussion on privacy. ...
Friday, Apr 29, 2011
Since my last post I've reviewed three complaints and agreed to review four new ones. In the first review, I found there had been a conflict of interest when a local artist was appointed as a regular reporter on arts ...
Tuesday, Apr 26, 2011
As the old television jingle said: Letters, we get letters, stacks and stacks of letters. Mainly these days those letters arrive electronically, a few thousand each year to the inbox at ombudsman@cbc.ca. I'm surprised now when one arrives hand-delivered. Every ...
Monday, Apr 18, 2011
Since my last post I have completed three reviews. The first review involved three complaints concerning co-host Kevin O'Leary of The Lang & O'Leary Exchange, one on a remark, a second on promotional commercials, and a third on a conflict-of-interest ...
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2011
Since my last blog entry I've released three reviews and agreed to conduct three others. In the first review, I found the need for refinement of CBC Journalistic Standards and Practices policy on point-of-view documentaries to give programmers the discretion ...
Thursday, Mar 31, 2011
In 2006, the CBC and Radio-Canada ombudsmen concluded that excluding the Green Party from the televised leaders' debate had not violated CBC/Radio-Canada Journalistic Standards and Practices. They argued that the press must have freedom to make choices, but urged news ...
Monday, Mar 28, 2011
With so much on the line, elections test a news organization's ability to meet public expectation. CBC's role as a public broadcaster is particularly scrutinized. To assess performance against standards, I've appointed three independent panels to review elements of CBC ...
Monday, Mar 14, 2011
Since my last post I've released three reviews and agreed to review a new complaint. One review involved a complaint about CBC Radio coverage of Israeli attacks last May on a flotilla bound for Gaza. I did not find any ...
Monday, Mar 7, 2011
CBCNews.ca relaunched a couple of weekends ago with a new design and several feature changes. I've been taking in emails regularly since, almost all of them on one topic: Its approach to online comments. Handling online comments is challenging. News ...
Thursday, Mar 3, 2011
I've released two reviews in recent days. The first involved complaints from three separate parties on a CBC Television report on a tailings pond in Alberta. I found that CBC performed a public service in raising the issue. Its initial ...
Friday, Feb 25, 2011
Since my last post I've released three reviews and agreed to conduct two others. I've reviewed a complaint about a CBC Television report on federal policy on warning labels on cigarette packages. I concluded the report did not meet CBC ...
Thursday, Feb 17, 2011
I've released three reviews and started two since the last posting. One concerned a CBC Radio Sunday Edition townhall on aboriginal issues. The complaint focused on the balance of the discussion and on the perception that one participant wasn't given ...
Friday, Feb 4, 2011
A few notes about new activities: Today I've released findings on a complaint about the booking of a prominent guest on a topic about which her credentials were less well-known. The complaint raises an interesting question: Can prominent advocacy on ...
Wednesday, Feb 2, 2011
I'm introducing another form of transparency into the process of handling public complaints. It involves making note on this blog and on Twitter (@cbcombudsman) of any reviews I've agreed to conduct. I'll disclose this information very soon after alerting both ...
Thursday, Jan 20, 2011
In the early going as CBC Ombudsman I'm finding one of the frustrations among people complaining is the time it takes to resolve disputes --- weeks, months, several months even. Far be it from anyone to defend delays, but it ...
Wednesday, Jan 12, 2011
I'm making a small change in the process of complaints. In future, I'll generally identify those making them. To date many complainants' identities were kept confidential. Only the identities of prominent complainants and of organizational complainants were made public. ...
Thursday, Jan 6, 2011
There will be much to discuss on this blog. As I start the term as CBC Ombudsman, slowly the publicness will unfurl. But to begin I thought I'd provide a bit of a user's guide to complaints. The Ombudsman's role ...
Wednesday, Dec 15, 2010
As I get started on the blog, I'm adding some features to it. I've added a list of relevant links to the site and welcome your suggestions on others to add. We've placed an RSS subscription icon adjacent to the ...
Friday, Dec 10, 2010
I live in the West, worked most of my life in central Canada, and my family comes from the Maritimes. I have experienced CBC as a citizen, employer and competitor. I've come back to CBC, where I was a ...