Globe public editor: Ghomeshi video headline was dumb, insensitive
It was dumb to raise the issue of Jian Ghomeshi’s brand at a time when the police are investigating very serious allegations.
By Sylvia Stead, public editor of The Globe and Mail
Monday morning, Globe editors published a BNN (Business News Network) video discussion on brand, the CBC and Jian Ghomeshi with the headline “Can Jian Ghomeshi rebuild his brand?”
The Globe’s business Twitter account then automatically sent out a link to the video. That automatic process reproduces the same headline in the tweet.
It was quickly changed to “Can the CBC rebuild its brand after Ghomeshi” which was the broader subject of the BNN video.
But the response on Twitter was swift.
“Dumb to promote it as can Ghomeshi rebuild his brand. Tone deaf” one reader said.
Another called the original headline horrific and insensitive. One reader said “Watched it. More about if @CBC can salvage its brand.”
These readers are right on all counts. It was dumb to raise the issue of Ghomeshi’s brand at a time when the police are investigating very serious allegations. It was insensitive to raise a question about his brand when the issue is so much more important than such a trivial question.
To continue reading this column, please go theglobeandmail.com where this was originally published.
