OTTAWA – Two news reports that used the terms “service dog” and “veteran” did not breach any broadcast codes, says the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC).
The CBSC investigated news reports that aired on CTV News Channel and Global Edmonton (CITV-DT) in January 2016 about Canadian Forces Base Edmonton’s dog policy. The base had put restrictions on the areas where dogs were permitted and a sergeant who had a dog to help him cope with his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) complained about the new rules. In the reports, the sergeant was described as a “veteran” and the dog as a “service dog”.
A viewer complained that these two terms were inaccurate. He argued that “veteran” refers to former armed service members whereas the sergeant was still an active member at the time of the reports. The viewer also felt that “service dog” was inaccurate because the sergeant’s dog did not meet the legal definition of that term as set out in Alberta legislation. He suggested that the dog should have been called a “support dog”.
The CBSC’s English-Language Panel examined the complaint under the accuracy provisions of the Codes of Ethics of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and the Radio Television Digital News Association of Canada. In its decision, the Panel noted that some definitions of “veteran” refer to “long experience of military service” and do not insist that it refer only to former forces personnel. Therefore, it continued, there was nothing inaccurate in using that word to describe the sergeant since he had served in Bosnia and Afghanistan, among other places.
With respect to “service dog”, the Panel acknowledged that the sergeant’s dog did not meet Alberta’s definition of that term, but concluded that that detail was not material to the stories, as they focussed on the potential hardships faced by PTSD sufferers under the base’s dog policy rather than dog classifications.
