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  • CBC/Radio-Canada building

    CBC Ombudsman: Making the links

    In the wake of accusations of sexual impropriety involving teenage girls against Alabama senate candidate Roy Moore, CBC News provided a feature story about the phenomenon in some Christian fundamentalist communities that encourages marriage between older men and teenage girls.…
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    Toronto Star Public Editor: Digital media literacy matters to all

    Today’s digital-driven world demands new media literacy skills to create understanding of powerful platforms.
  • CBC/Radio-Canada building

    CBC Ombudsman: Public figures get public scrutiny

    The complainant, Nimra Amjad, asked that articles about her be de-indexed. She thought that this would protect her from harassment that she said arose from them, but still maintain the record. Ms. Amjad was a candidate for school board trustee…
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    CBC Ombudsman: Identifying Interviewees – how much background is enough

    The complainant, Marjaleena Repo, thought that important information about an interviewee was absent. An Iranian exile who has been supporting a movement of women protesting mandatory wearing of hijab is also an employee of VOA – Voice of America. That…
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    CBC Ombudsman: A high bar for removing a story

    The reality of the permanence of online news stories leads to requests for removal of articles. The right to control over one’s information and the right of free expression can sometimes clash. The norm in most news organizations is to…
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    CBC Ombudsman: The F Word

    The complainant, Steve Zradicka, objected to the use of the f-word in an interview with two of the women who accused Albert Schultz of sexual misconduct. He pointed out his two children were in the car with him and it…
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    Toronto Star Public Editor: The good news about trust in the media

    There is some good news about the bad news about global trust in journalism: In Canada, trust in journalists has risen significantly, as has trust in traditional media overall. According to the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer released this week, 61…
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    CBC Ombudsman: Seeing is Believing

    CBC Ottawa ran a story about a programme to match homeless people to rental housing. It documented a case where it went wrong, leaving the landlord with a trashed apartment. The story showed the damage, but focused on the gap…
  • CBC/Radio-Canada building

    CBC Ombudsman: Reporting the Facts

    The complainant, Diane Bederman, objected to a report by Derek Stoffel who was at a protest in Ramallah on the one-hundredth anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. She thought that by reporting the Palestinian position, he was implying Israel did not…
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    CBC Ombudsman: Reporting Racism

    The complainant, David Anderson, thought the emphasis on racism in a National and online look at the plight of Indigenous students who go to Thunder Bay to complete high school was inaccurate and biased. I found the piece addressed some…