Radio / Television News

CBC rejects ads criticizing government’s “damage” to the Corp

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TORONTO – The CBC is refusing to air two advertisements sponsored by watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting which challenge the government’s budget cuts to the national public broadcaster, saying it could imply endorsement of the group’s campaign.

The ads "are intended to hold the Harper government to account for the damage it has done to the CBC”, claims Friends in a statement.  The first ad features person-in-the-street comments from non-actors about why the CBC is important to them, and to Canada. 

The second ad, according to Friends, relies on satire to make a point.  In the ad, a Harper aide who is tied to a chair that is sinking in a body of water, shares his thoughts with viewers about his predicament.  He claims that he urged the Prime Minister to go easy on the CBC, and is now being punished.  On his descent, he recognizes a colleague who is suffering the same fate.

“All members of CBC’s Board of Directors, including its CEO, have been appointed by Prime Minister Harper, and most of them have been financial supporters of the Conservative Party”, said Friends spokesperson Ian Morrison, in the statement.  “Any reasonable person would wonder if this control has any direct or indirect bearing on the CBC’s editorial decision-making.”

But CBC spokesperson Alexandra Fortier told Cartt.ca that the ads were refused because they run counter to the Corp’s advocacy advertising policy.  “Our Advocacy Advertising Policy 1.3.09 and our Political Advertising Policy both state that CBC/Radio-Canada will not accept ads that advocate positions which may be perceived as being endorsed by CBC/Radio-Canada”, she said in an emailed response.  “Furthermore, our Unacceptable Advertising Policy 1.3.11 states that any advertisement that could place CBC/Radio-Canada at the centre of a controversy or public debate will be rejected.”

Noting that this is not the first time that CBC declined to accept these types of ads, Fortier added that CBC “can’t afford to broadcast anything that could undermine our credibility in the eyes of the public.''

Friends says that the ads are scheduled to begin running this week on Bell’s BNN and CTV News Channel, Rogers’ Sportsnet and Sportsnet One, and Shaw-owned HGTV in English, and in French on Canal Vie.