Memo: JSP director Paul Hambleton leaving CBC
The following message was sent to CBC staff on Oct. 15 by Paul Hambleton, director of CBC’s journalistic standards and practices
Hello all,
I’m pleased to announce today the members of our first JSP advisory committee for CBC News, Current Affair and Local.
As Brodie Fenlon noted in a staff email in the summer, one of the first of 20 action items stemming from the JSP inclusion review was a commitment to create an advisory group who could support my office in a proactive and consultative way on matters of inclusion and equity.
The members of the committee are:
- Lily Boisson
- Falice Chin
- Omayra Issa
- Tarannum Kamlani
- Duncan McCue
- Jeremy McDonald
The committee members were selected based on recommendations of their peers, supervisors and/or experience on the JSP inclusion review. Our commitment is that over time, we will rotate other interested staff in and out of this committee, to continue to make the work of the JSP office as transparent as possible.
The committee, Nick Davis and I met for the first time this week to workshop the group’s mandate, facilitated by Dave Downey.
It is a pilot project with much to be worked through, but the committee members will meet monthly to discuss and advise on any number of journalistic issues and concerns, but especially on matters of racial equity, diversity and the interpretation of our journalistic standards. They have also agreed to be a sounding board for the JSP office on any matter that comes up.
This does not fundamentally change the role of the JSP Director, but it does begin to create a formal space for more open and inclusive conversations around important JSP issues. To that end, the primary focus of the committee is on larger journalistic issues, not the daily ebb and flow of the many questions and situations that crop up.
Our shared objective is to broaden and deepen our journalism by bringing more perspectives and lived experience to these important conversations about how we work as journalists.
While everyone at CBC should know that they should feel free to contact me with questions (as always!), the members of the committee are another avenue for staff who want to table ideas or concerns and aren’t sure where to go. Remember though, that they have their own jobs!
Work continues on setting up a similar advisory committee for the CBC Language Guide and a number of other initiatives outlined in Brodie’s email.
I want to thank Lily, Falice, Omayra, Tarannum, Duncan and Jeremy for taking on this important work with me.
Meanwhile, for those that don’t know, I have made the decision to move on from my gratifying career at CBC News, and will be leaving early in the new year. My position is posted already, and I look forward to helping the next Director of Journalistic Standards get settled and keep moving CBC News forward.