OTTAWA – Improperly identifying just whose police force were roughing up Tibetan protesters got CTV Newsnet and Global in hot water with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.
The CBSC today released two decisions concerning the misidentification of a video clip. CTV Newsnet, on an episode of its public affairs program Mike Duffy Live on March 24, 2008, left the impression that it was Chinese police suppressing Tibetan protestors in the video clip when in fact it was Nepalese police.
In the lead-up to the Summer Olympics 2008 in Beijing China, there was much public discussion about China’s human rights record, particularly in relation to that country’s treatment of Tibet and that region’s people. China’s Ambassador to Canada, Lu Shumin, appeared on the March 24th episode of Mike Duffy Live to discuss the controversy. During the interview, Newsnet showed the clip of protestors wearing “Free Tibet” bandanas being dragged and pushed into a truck by police. While the location of the protest was not identified, the context left the distinct impression that it was Chinese police featured in the clip.
Days later, while dealing with substantially the same issue in a news report broadcast on March 29, Global Ontario actually labeled the video clip as Tibet, not Nepal. “In both cases, the CBSC found a violation of the accuracy provisions of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Code of Ethics and the Radio Television News Directors Association of Canada (RTNDA – The Association of Electronic Journalists) Code of (Journalistic) Ethics.
“Accuracy was essential. It was not provided. As a result, there was a disservice to […] the Canadian audience […]” because “[t]he accurate juxtaposition of visuals and words in the television context are key to disseminating news […],” reads the decision.
Since Global broadcast a correction within days of the original broadcast, the CBSC did not, in today’s decision, require the station to announce the decision as CTV Newsnet must.
