OTTAWA – A television interview about the student protests in Quebec was fair and balanced and therefore did not breach any broadcast codes, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) said Wednesday.
The CBSC examined the episode of V’s public affairs program Face à face that aired on March 22, 2012. The program's two hosts, Stéphane Gendron and Caroline Proulx, interviewed Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, the spokesperson from Coalition large de l’Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (CLASSE). Nadeau-Dubois explained his group’s opposition to the Quebec government’s decision to raise tuition fees for college and university students, but Gendron and Proulx disagreed with his position and challenged Nadeau-Dubois on his views.
The CBSC received a total of 914 complaints about the broadcast, mostly as a result of a campaign launched on social media websites. The complainants alleged that the hosts had been disrespectful towards Nadeau-Dubois because they continually interrupted him and made disparaging comments about the student movement. V responded that the program is designed to generate discussion and debate.
The CBSC’s Quebec Regional Panel examined the complaints under Clauses 6 and 7 of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Code of Ethics. Clause 6 requires the full, fair and proper presentation of all comments and opinions, and Clause 7 requires a balanced presentation of controversial public issues.
The Panel found no violations of those clauses because the hosts were entitled to state their opinions on the subject of the student protests, and they gave Nadeau-Dubois the opportunity to state his views. Indeed, the decision continues, it was Nadeau-Dubois who frequently interrupted the hosts before they had formulated their questions. Although the hosts demonstrated some impatience towards Nadeau-Dubois, the Panel determined that they were not aggressive or insulting towards him.
