Oops, our bad!.The CBC on Monday said sorry after bungling a hasty Québec City election call that sent the wrong candidate rushing to the podium to mistakenly deliver a TV victory speech..The state broadcaster earlier praised itself as a “beacon for truth” with high newsroom standards..“We are sorry,” CBC management wrote in a statement..There was no explanation as to why producers rushed to air with an election announcement that was incorrect..Polls in Québec City’s municipal election closed at 8 p.m. Sunday evening. Moments later — at 8:28 p.m. — the CBC declared Marie-Josée Savard “elected mayor” although ballot counting was still underway and the outcome was too close to call..Savard appeared at her campaign headquarters to deliver a victory speech based on the CBC call..“A big thank you to the citizens of Québec for trusting us,” said Savard, a former councillor..But by 11 p.m. Savard’s opponent had taken the lead, prompting local media to quip Savard was mayor for two hours..“It was a surprising turn of events,” the CBC said in a statement..“Our decision-making desk rigorously followed the usual process before declaring Marie-Josée Savard the winner. We will seek answers to all our questions to explain what may have happened.”.Savard’s opponent, community organizer Bruno Marchand, was declared elected on Tuesday by 834 votes. Marchand won 59,580 votes to Savard’s 58,746..“We understand this is an unfortunate situation for Ms. Savard and her campaign,” wrote CBC executives..Catherine Tait, the $436,000-a year CEO of the Crown broadcaster, in her last appearance at the Commons heritage committee described the network as a truth beacon worthy of $1.3 billion in annual subsidies..“Competitiveness, we don’t think of ourselves in those terms,” Tait said in 2019 testimony..“If you’re talking about competing for advertising dollars or audience share, those are different things. What we do is provide services across the country to Canadians who would otherwise in many cases receive no information..“How do we protect and defend our citizenry from this unbelievable tsunami of disinformation? In a sense we become a beacon for truth. We need the public to feel safe, that we are a beacon for that truth..“We may make mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes. But the journalistic standards and practices state very clearly, we measure. We research. We’re transparent.”.The CBC on October 7, 2020 published an electronic Local News Directory listing other news organizations it considered competent..“As misinformation about Covid-19 spreads like wildfire especially on social media, we are seeing the vital role that trusted local journalism plays across the country,” said Michael Goldbloom, chair of the CBC board.
