CBC News has issued a formal correction after falsely claiming Conservatives blamed the Liberal government for redrawing the Carleton riding boundaries, in what was presented as a “fact check,” reports Blacklock’s Reporter.The error appeared in a segment hosted by producer Ashley Fraser titled Fact Check: Election Fraud Claim. In it, Fraser said that “some including Conservative cabinet minister Stockwell Day” accused the Liberals of changing riding lines to hurt Pierre Poilievre’s re-election chances. Poilievre lost his seat in Carleton by 4,315 votes.However, no such allegation was ever made. “The section that alleged gerrymandering included an incorrect statement that some blame the Liberal government,” read CBC’s correction. “In fact, there was no reference to the government.”This is the latest in a series of mistakes by CBC, many made during attempts to correct perceived misinformation.On April 18, CBC walked back comments from chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton, who claimed Rebel News Network spreads misinformation by denying the discovery of graves at former residential school sites. CBC later acknowledged that no human remains have been recovered..Last September, CBC Radio host Ian Hanomansing was faulted for stating that Canadians “want more immigrants to come to Canada.” The Ombudsman found the comment to be opinion, not fact.Another correction came on January 15, 2024, after CBC analysts misrepresented data in a fact check of a Conservative video on housing. The network admitted it presented inaccurate comparisons on average mortgage costs.Despite the repeated errors, CBC has long positioned itself as a leader in trustworthy journalism. Former CEO Catherine Tait once described the broadcaster as a “beacon for truth” during a 2019 Commons hearing. In 2021, CBC sought designation from Facebook Canada as an official fact checker for that year’s federal election.Facebook said that content labelled false by fact checkers would be hidden from most users and flagged with warning labels.
