CBC reporter John Paul Tasker did sloppy journalism in a story about travel expenses, according to a complaint filed by Senator Marilou McPhedran (MB)..According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the complaint to the CBC Ombudsman said the parliamentary coverage was “false,” “inaccurate,” and appeared to breach the network’s journalism standards..“I have been harmed by misinformation,” McPhedran wrote in her complaint. .“I am concerned the article may have contravened aspects of the CBC code of journalistic standards.”.The CBC Standards And Practices guide states all news stories must be accurate, with errors promptly corrected..“We seek the truth in all matters,” it states. “We are aware of the impact of our work and are honest with our audiences. We do not hesitate to correct any mistake when necessary.”.On September 20, Tasker wrote an online news story headlined, “Senate’s Top Spender Defends Long List of Contracts for Outside Consultants.” .The story said that last fall, Senator McPhedran had “extraordinary travel expenses.”.“She dips into the federal treasury often more than others,” wrote Tasker..“The Winnipeg Senator is known for spending more than her colleagues on travel. She posted trip expenses that totalled more than $54,000 for the last three months of 2022 alone, according to Senate data.”.The story said that McPhedran's office was paid $54,059 for travel costs in the three months before December 31..The records showed they paid for trips from the last year, not the same 90-day time period..“Tasker claimed I spent ‘more than $54,000’ on travel taken in the months of October through December 2022,” wrote Senator McPhedran. .“However, he chose not to clarify what I actually spent on travel I took in those months was $13,407, similar to actual travel costs of numerous senators.”.“Tasker’s misinterpretation of that information caused many readers to conclude in three short months I travelled on parliamentary business at a cost to the public of over $54,000, which is far from the truth,” wrote McPhedran..“This article relies on imprecision, misinterpretation and a lack of detailed analysis of contextual documentation, all publicly available, resulting in an inaccurate report with false inferences causing damage to my reputation.”.The Senator said the Ombudsman’s investigation should “take into consideration online abuse” prompted by Tasker’s story. .CBC Twitter followers commented on the story by describing the Senator as a “traitor,” “crazy Marilou,” “greedy as f—k” and “just another entitled b—h” who “should be kicked out.”
