CBC is considering dropping the “journalistic objectivity” requirement for “visible minority group” reporters, according to the La Presse newspaper..It is an internal demand by CBC reporters to stop forcing reporters and staff to remain “neutral on political issues.”.The purpose is to stop “structural racism” in CBC stories and would apply mainly to activism relating to indigenous and Black Lives Matter (BLM) issues..Currently, non-white reporters have to “leave their humanity at the door” when reporting on those minority issues.. Black Lives Matter protestBlack Lives Matter protest .CBC’s Journalistic Standards and Practices (JSP) forbid reporters from expressing their “personal opinions or partisan leanings.”.“Our value of impartiality precludes our news and current affairs staff from expressing their personal opinions on matters of controversy on all our platforms,” states the JSP..The JSP section on social media also mentions it..“The expression of personal opinions on controversial subjects, including politics, can undermine the credibility of CBC journalism and erode the trust of our audience,” states the JSP. .“Therefore, we refrain from expressing such opinions in profiles or posts for any account which identifies or associates us with CBC/Radio-Canada.”.READ MORE Bernier says he would defund CBC, MSM.In the past, CBC reporters were reminded in a corporation-wide memo to not “publicly express any disappointment or negativity at the outcome” of the 2011 election won by Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper.. National Chief Perry BellegardeCourtesy CBC .For over two years, the Canadian Media Guild (CMG), CBC’s primary union, demanded the “journalistic objectivity” requirements be removed for minority reporters..When the BLM protests were happening in 2020, the CMG sent a letter to CBC’s senior management demanding the CBC “dismantle structural racism” and reduce the power of “white editors.”.The letter said CBC reporters were forbidden from speaking “freely about their identities and lived experiences” and asked the “white editors” to stop disciplining reporters for defending “their humanity or that of others.”.“Just as an LGBTQ employee should never be told they can’t attend Pride, a Black [sic] employee should never be told they can’t publicly support Black Lives Matter, and an Indigenous [sic] employee should never be told they can’t attend a MMIWG (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls) rally,” states the CMG letter..The French language part of the CBC, Radio-Canada, opposed the proposal..“You need to be objective in reporting … otherwise it’s not journalism, it’s stenography,” said Michel Bissonnette, CBC’s executive vice-president of French services.
