While I may resent doing so, I pay Rosemary Barton's salary. If you are a Canadian taxpayer, so do you. The entirety of the CBC is funded by Canadians, operated for Canadians, for the benefit of Canadians.
That's why it is so peculiar that the CBC is suing the Conservative Party of Canada over their very limited use of the state broadcaster's (our) footage in an election campaign ad.
What's more peculiar is that Liberal candidate Nirmala Naidoo also used CBC footage in an election ad (which was live for four days on Twitter, getting 14.7k views). The CBC has not initiated an emergency lawsuit targeting their Liberal bosses, however.
Even more peculiar than that? We are in the middle of an election, an election that is a toss up, where the CBC loving Liberals face a shot at losing to the austere, cable cutting Conservatives. The CBC, and all of their employees have a financial stake in keeping the CPC out of the PMO.
Unfortunately for the CBC, this lawsuit backfired tremendously on the state broadcaster. #DefundTheCBC trended on Twitter nation-wide almost immediately. One of the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit, reporter Rosemary Barton, was quick to act as if it was not her fault. The damage control unit at the CBC kicked it in to high gear, saying they would remove Barton's name from the legal action. That was their first admission that they were in the wrong.
The second admission came when I stood in the lobby of the CBC headquarters in Toronto yesterday. After tweeting the CBC president, asking for an interview, they sent down their spokesman to defend the state broadcaster's actions. He revealed to me that the legal action has been put on hold until the end of the election. Why then, was it initiated during the writ at all?
When their funding was threatened, the CBC's instinct was to kneecap Trudeau's primary opponent with a SLAPP suit. How desperate.
Showing 17 reactions
Comment using
Facebook TwitterAnyone remember the shooting at the mosque in Quebec? I/T ref: “Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, a mosque in the Sainte-Foy neighbourhood of Quebec City, Canada.” When CBC initially reported, two shooters were cited and one was a member of the mosque. That reference vaporized in short order. I noticed the change, as did two others, one who was local to the mosque, and the three of us commented in social media. I’ve always been concerned re the validity of CBC reporting and this was no “small mistake.”
When Stephen Harper was running in his last election, CBC commentary about him was borderline libel and at times shocking that it was broadcast. I kept hoping the Harpers would sue CBC. CBC created a false image of Stephen Harper.
Once-upon-a-time CBC was a creditable source of solid information – whereas currently it performs as if it’s in charge of elections and who we vote for – such a bizarre ambition and inappropriate for a publicly funded news source, or any news source for that matter.
I listen to CBC Radio 1, but it is so often outside the boundaries of decent/professional reporting that at times it is close to unconscionable.
Thank you and keep up the good work, Rebel Media.
Anyone remember the shooting at the mosque in Quebec? I/T ref: “Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, a mosque in the Sainte-Foy neighbourhood of Quebec City, Canada.” When CBC initially reported, two shooters were cited and one was a member of the mosque. That reference vaporized in short order. I noticed the change, as did two others, one who was local to the mosque, and the three of us commented in social media. I’ve always been concerned re the validity of CBC reporting and this was no “small mistake.”
When Stephen Harper was running in his last election, CBC commentary about him was borderline libel and at times shocking that it was broadcast. I kept hoping the Harpers would sue CBC. CBC created a false image of Stephen Harper.
Once-upon-a-time CBC was a creditable source of solid information – whereas currently it performs as if it’s in charge of elections and who we vote for – such a bizarre ambition and inappropriate for a publicly funded news source, or any news source for that matter.
I listen to CBC Radio 1, but it is so often outside the boundaries of decent/professional reporting that at times it is close to unconscionable.
Thank you and keep up the good work, Rebel Media.
I do not watch CBC as they are a bunch of well kept civil servants .. No idea what it is to make a living without our funding
We should not be supporting them in any form..
If you need to false asleep tune them in. Just plain boring..Sorry there maybe good people who do work there but their monotone newscasts are simply out of date ..
The best defense is a strong offense!
They know nutting.
DOUG LAIRD: I agree. Afraid of getting fired.
Great coverage Keean.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmzsWxPLIOo
Watch the few seconds at the 5:04 mark again. The blonde bolting rabbit who was still able to speak has only one comment – “Sorry, you’ll get me fired.”
THAT is the most telling moment in the entire video.
De-fund the CBC.
By being so brave, I think that most MSM reporters will have respect for you even if they don’t buy you a beer or coffee.
I hope Ezra sends this clip around by Twitter to his MSM acquaintances so that they will see an example of real Journalism.
Good job Keean.