The complainant, Mike McEwan, thought an opinion piece critical of the systematic mistreatment of Aboriginal people was expressed in a way that bordered on “hate speech.” There is a big difference between strongly-worded criticism and hate. Calling European settlers colonizers doesn’t come close. The piece was the legitimate expression of the author’s views. COMPLAINT You…
Last week a reader wondered, on Twitter, whether stories by John Ibbitson on Canada’s clandestine project to evacuate gay men from Russia to Canada “put gay Chechen refugees (or continuance of the program) at risk?” It’s an important question. Mr. Ibbitson first broke this story in early September with the news that for three months, the federal…
The complainant, Domenico Celli, thought CBC was deliberately lying when meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe pointed out some possible influence of climate change on hurricane Harvey. She was giving documented scientific information. She did not overstate the connection. COMPLAINT You objected to a comment made by meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe in a conversation with National guest host Susan…
It’s no surprise that a column written by a woman, about a woman, attracts online attacks – but an angry minority shouldn’t shut down debate. Continue Reading Globe and Mail Public Editor: Hillary Clinton column sparks comment section ‘fight club’
The complainant, Murray O’Regan, thought CBC radio news was indulging in tabloid journalism talking about the Khadr settlement. The item on the hourly newscast focused on the controversy over the Canadian government’s compensation deal with Mr. Khadr. Mr. Murray thought the report did not provide context about his guilty plea at Guantanamo Bay. He had…
President of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms and spokesperson for a Christian school in Alberta, thought coverage of a dispute between the local school board and his school was biased. Continue Reading CBC Ombudsman: Controversy vs. Controversial
An important reminder after the word appeared in the headline of a Globe column: groups of white supremacists must be called what they are. Continue Reading Globe and Mail Public Editor: ‘Alt-right’ softens the vileness of a racist movement
The complainant asked if there was censorship at work when he was told there were already Chris Alexander supporters on line when he called the Ontario Noon phone-in. Continue Reading CBC Ombudsman: Balancing a live phone-in. It’s not so simple.
The complainant had concerns about a bar graph in an article explaining how to follow election results on the CBC news site on B.C. election day. Continue Reading CBC Ombudsman: Pictures vs. Words