OTTAWA –The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has found a news report on CTV Northern Ontario station CICI-TV in Sudbury about a malfunctioning furnace has violated provisions in both the CAB Code of Ethics and the RTDNA Code of Ethics because it contained unfair and incomplete information.
The CBSC’s decision focused on a news report broadcast during CICI-TV’s 6 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. newscasts on November 28, 2012. The report explained that an 87-year-old woman had her oil furnace serviced by a particular furnace maintenance company, but when the furnace was turned on afterwards, it started emitting smoke and carbon monoxide. She had the furnace serviced again by a different company. The first company, however, would not reimburse her for the work.
On December 4, the owner of the first furnace maintenance company complained to the CBSC, citing numerous concerns about the report. He alleged that the report had sensationalized the situation, failed to present a complete and accurate account of what had actually happened to the furnace, and erroneously claimed he refused an interview and broadcast his image after he asked not to appear on camera.
The owner also criticized the station for sensationalizing the story by using words such as “fiasco” and “shrieking alarm”, mentioning the question about the ambulance, and highlighting the fact that the homeowner was an “87-year-old grandmother” to make it look like his company mistreats the elderly when, in reality, her age had nothing to do with the situation.
CICI-TV responded to the complainant on January 4, 2013, stating that it had presented a factual account that included both sides of the story.
The CBSC’s Ontario Regional Panel concluded that the report did not sensationalize the story, but that it had been unfair toward the first furnace company owner. The report had given the impression that the owner had refused an interview when in fact he had spoken at length with the reporter and had only requested that he not be shown on camera.
While it was not required that the report include all the technical details about how a furnace functions, it failed to provide a comprehensive explanation of what happened and the relationship between the two repair companies, resulting in a misleading report.
As a result, the panel concluded that the news report violated Clauses 5 and 6 of the CAB Code of Ethics and Article 1 of the RTDNA Code of Ethics. The station also violated the privacy provision of the RTDNA Code because it broadcast footage of the owner obtained surreptitiously which furthered the misleading impression that he was uncooperative.
As part of the CSBC decision, CICI-TV must announce the decision on air at least twice as specified by the council. It must also provide confirmations of the announcement to the CSBC.
