Having received wide-spread criticism in Canada over its unceremonious firing of CTV National News host Lisa LaFlamme, station owner Bell Media has come under scrutiny by the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) for alleged interference in the independence of the newsroom.
The separation or insulation of the newsroom from the boardroom or C-Suite is an important corporate governance principle in the media industry. It seeks to temper the undue influence of special interests including media owners. Media have a position of trust with the public that if breached can undermine a media outlet’s viability. During my tenure as president of the Press Association of Jamaica, separation of the newsroom from the boardroom was a part of my policy platform. I commented on the subject in subsequent articles in The Gleaner newspaper in Jamaica.
The allegation against Bell Media is alarming as the association said CTV employees reported attempts by executive management to influence news items related to the firing of LaFlamme. A case in point was the alleged order from management for the removal of images of the fired news anchor from a story sympathetic to her.
The story relates to an advocacy campaign being run by Dove Canada encouraging women to wear their grey hair. Dove launched the campaign in support of the issue of ageism, which a wide section of the Canadian public believes is at the root of the departure of the popular television news host from CTV. Mrs LaFlamme, 58, had stopped dyeing her grey hair blond since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bell Media denied ageism as the cause of her termination.
Dove Canada tweeted: “Age is beautiful. Women should be able to do it on their own terms, without any consequences. Dove is donating $100,000 to Catalyst a Canadian organisation helping to build inclusive workplaces for all women. Go grey with us. Turn your profile picture greyscale and #KeepThe Grey.” Dove’s campaign does not directly reference Lisa LaFlamme and, so, CTV Management insisted that her images should not accompany the story. In the end the story was dropped.
“If this passes –and is allowed to pass– what happens the next time?” CAJ president Brent Jolly said in an interview with CBC News. “At what point does the issue of editorial independence become questioned? This is not a legal issue. It’s an issue of shaping the focus and tenor of the story.”
A source at CTV told CBC News: “We felt as a group that our credibility was at risk because we were being prevented from reporting on an issue … that is newsworthy. It was the biggest news story in Canada. And we couldn’t report on it.”
Another instance of corporate meddling in the CTV newsroom occurred after Lisa LaFlamme had announced her departure on social media August 15. Michael Melling, vice president of news at Bell Media, who is responsible for ousting LaFlamme, wanted a hand in shaping the news story about her departure.
“There can be no doubt that Bell will always uphold the journalistic standards that have made CTV the most trusted brand in Canadian news.”
“Melling determined the copy that went into the show about LaFlamme’s departure,” sources at CTV told Canadaland. Also, “he wanted a talkback with Omar (Sachedina),” LaFlamme’s younger male replacement.
However, the newsroom did not countenance Muelling’s interference and pushed back against his directive on the grounds that it would be unfair to LaFlamme to air a segment with her replacement while refusing to give her the opportunity to relate to her viewers, CTV sources told Canadaland. Melling conceded the point.
Concerns by CTV staff about interference of the C-Suite in the running of the newsroom rest on a promise Bell Canada made seven years ago when an executive violated the independence of the newsroom.
“…The independence of Bell Media’s news operations is of paramount importance to our company and to all Canadians. There can be no doubt that Bell will always uphold the journalistic standards that have made CTV the most trusted brand in Canadian news,” declaredGeorge Cope, President and CEO of Bell Canada in an April 9, 2015, press announcement.
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