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    CBC OMBUDSMAN: Balance and Perspective

    The complainant, Jackie Thipthorpe, objected to a story about visitors at a veterinary school open house. The research project featured involved a cow with a fistula which enabled participants to reach into its stomach. She questioned the judgment of reporting the story in the first place, and its lack of criticism of the treatment of…

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    CBC Ombudsman: Truth Over Time

    The complainant, Mary Spensley, disputed the accuracy of a story about an LGBTQ teaching tool created by the Alberta Teachers’ Association. She was also concerned that hostile politicians were using the information to attack the toolkit. The CBC News stories were accurate, and journalists cannot refrain from reporting controversy because of the way it might…

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    CBC Ombudsman: Keeping Cool in the Twittersphere

    The complainant, Lara Dutton, objected to a CBC online writer expressing opinion while using the @CBCToronto twitter account. She wanted to know what the consequences were for the employee. There was a violation of policy and CBC management dealt with it appropriately. COMPLAINT You complained about a tweet posted by a CBC News employee, Lucas…

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    CBC Ombudsman: The Opioid Crisis

    The complainant, Geoffrey Donaldson, considered reporting about an increase in publicly-funded opioid prescriptions in New Brunswick misleading. He did not agree that there is any concern in the increase. He believed that CBC coverage is conflating legitimate use and the growing number of overdoses. The story provided sufficient context to indicate how the two are…

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    CBC Ombudsman: The National

    The complainant, Dieter Buse, objected to a Viewpoint segment by Robyn Urback, calling into question Canada’s desire for a seat on the UN security council. He thought it was a one-sided diatribe. It presented a single point of view. It was clearly labelled as Opinion and was not obliged to present other perspectives. There was…

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    CBC Ombudsman: The Rohingya Story

    The complainant, Meer Sahib, thought the phrasing of a reference to the insurgent attacks that sparked the current action against the Rohingya people left the impression that the host of The National was “blaming the victim.” The visuals and the account of the military response provided a broader context in a very short report. There…

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    CBC Ombudsman: Provocative Opinion

    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…

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    CBC Ombudsman: Climate change and hurricanes

    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…

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    CBC Ombudsman: Covering Omar Khadr

    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…