CBC News responds to Conservative fundraiser

[tuvor]

Friday, December 28, 2007

About a week ago, CBC News became aware of a Conservative party fundraising letter that was highly critical of our news operation, accusing us of systematic bias. Some news organizations carried a story about the letter.

Publisher John Cruickshank sets the record straight in an open letter to Doug Finley, the Conservative party official who sent the letter asking for contributions.


Dear Mr. Finley,

I have reviewed your pre-Christmas fundraising letter.

I write this public response to you because I believe that by its inaccuracy, innuendo, exaggeration and expressed malice towards hundreds of Canadian journalists you risk damaging not just your target, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, but also public faith in our political process.

I understand that a private association like the Conservative Party does not have the sort of transparent and reliable complaints process that we have at the CBC. That is regrettable....

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/editorsblog/2007/12/cbc_news_responds_to_conservat.html

[CHIMO]

1. Good Find

Absolutely an election issue. Ranks among one of the best.

An atomic reply from a Crown Corporation. The only believers left in the Cons must be in Alberta.

[ClusterFreak]

2. Mr. Finley I suppose doesn't have any complaints...

...about CTV News, hmmmm? About the fact that Lloyd "The Waxman Cometh" Robertson and Robert "I Want Sandra Buckler's Job" Fife were given 50 minutes of Steve Harper's precious time for their year end interview...as opposed to the 15 minutes reluctantly doled out to the CBC's Peter Mansbridge.

I don't suppose Finley has any complaints either about Mike "Puffy" Duffy's daily Conservative apologia on Newsnet. The way he coyly rolls his eyes when he talks about the Liberals, the way he and Jason Kenney practically coo back and forth at each other, the knowing smiles and nods. It goes on.

Give me a fucking break.

[glarius]

3. I couldn't agree more although I sometimes wish the CBC would be biased against

Harper and the Conservatives, just to balance the lopsided reports on the Duffy show and other CTV reporting that act as a propoganda machine for Harper. But then I realize that the CBC is doing their job as it is meant to be. They are honest and unbiased. The Michael Coren show on CTS network, which I discovered while channel surfing, is another right wing propoganda machine. I can honestly say that I have always found the CBC to be scrupulous in their forthright reporting.