GATINEAU – A report on street gangs which aired on Tele-Quebec in January was not abusive, despite the use of the term “nigger gangs”, but was contrary to Broadcasting Act objectives, the CRTC ruled yesterday.
On January 9th 2005, the Commission received a complaint from a viewer over the comment made during public affairs program Les Francs-tireurs, broadcast by the Société de télédiffusion du Québec (Télé-Québec, the Quebec provincial broadcaster). “The complainant alleged that the use of the expression "[translation] nigger gangs" was abusive and racist,” says the Commission’s decision yesterday.
The CRTC dealt with the complaint because Télé-Québec is not a member of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC), which usually handles such things.
After watching the show, the Commission said Tele-Quebec didn’t contravene the Television Broadcasting Regulations, 1987, prohibiting the broadcast of abusive comment. It did find, however, that the broadcast “was contrary to the objectives of the broadcasting policy for Canada set out in the Broadcasting Act, including the provision that programming should be of high standard,” it said.
The show saw host Benoit Dutrizac, while doing an interview, use the term "nigger gangs". Here’s a translation, from the CRTC:
"There are old women, 72 years of age, there is an old Italian woman on her balcony, who do not dare go out after 7 p.m. because there are gangs, nigger gangs. They aren’t Blacks. They identify with the hip-hop culture, and are extremely violent.”
The viewer complained that the comments were defamatory.
Telebec responded (also a translation) to the viewer, saying: “you complain about the term ‘nigger gangs’ used by host Benoît Dutrizac, however, the phrase should not be taken out of context. Throughout the report, Mr. Dutrizac uses the expressions ‘Blacks’ and ‘Haitians’ which are highly respectful, and only uses the expression ‘NIGGER GANGS’ when referring to armed and dangerous hoodlums who rule certain neighbourhoods and take over areas or parks, to the exclusion of other residents in these neighbourhoods. This is not racism. Do we not also use the term "biker gangs"? Obviously, when we use that term we are not including all motorcyclists, only bikers involved in organized crime, hoodlums, crooks …"
The Commission said it considers that the term is abusive “in that it is an expression historically used in a discriminatory, demeaning and abusive manner, targeting Blacks. Although the host’s comments did not intentionally target all Blacks, its abusive nature affects all members of that group,” reads the decision.
However, taken in context and referencing the often irreverent nature of the program, says the decision, the comment does not violate the regs.
“The Commission considers that this context (the professional content of the report and the isolated use of the term "nigger gang") may mitigate the expression’s impact on the audience,” reads the decision. “In other words, the audience was able to determine that the host’s use of this comment as part of his investigation was a lapse, albeit an inappropriate one, and an isolated incident. In this context, the word… was probably seen as a poor choice, but not as contemptuous or hateful.”
The Commission saved its sharpest barbs for Tele-Quebec’s flawed response to the viewer’s complaint.
“The licensee’s explanation descends into faulty logic when comparing the term ‘nigger gangs’ with ‘biker gangs.’ This type of analogy disregards the crucial difference between discrimination based on a person’s race, ethnicity or skin colour and discrimination based on a person’s choice of occupation or recreation,” it said.
“Based on this reply… Télé-Québec does not acknowledge that, even in this context, the word… is inappropriate.
“The Commission further expects Télé-Québec to take all necessary precautions to prevent the broadcast of such comments.”
