When
asked at a national student journalism conference what she would say to the
reality that we live in a capitalist society and, “you know, money talks,” Jo-Anne
Roberts, CBC radio journalist and host of All Points West, replied, “Yes. And what
does it say? It says more money.”
When
media, in any form, is owned by private citizens, it only stands to reason that
the news reported by them may be prone to say, oh, I don't know … bias against
organizations and issues that conflict with their business goals. As Mr. John
Mayer crooned, “When they own they information . . . they can bend it all they
want.” Thus, the importance of our publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation (CBC).
Because the CBC does not rely on advertising investors exclusively, it is less prone to be influenced by the same advertisers whose products are in direct conflict with the news being reported (think car ads running alongside coverage of the Enbridge pipeline). In the mandate of the CBC, it states among other goals, to “actively contribute to the flow and exchange of cultural expression … contribute to shared national consciousness and identity … [and] reflect the multicultural and multiracial nature of Canada.” Pretty good goals for something my tax dollars are going to, if you ask me.
There
are some in Canada who do not share my love of the CBC, with one of the biggest
critics being the current Conservative government. The first day back in the
House of Commons, Jan. 31, saw four conservative M.P.s present petitions to cut
all funding to the CBC.
Conservative
MP Brian Jean went on record saying, “[The] Government of Canada funds the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to the sum of $1.1 billion per annum; that
vast amount of Government of Canada funding gives the CBC an unfair advantage
over its private sector competitor … [We] call upon Parliament to end public
funding of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation."
Say
what? Implying that the CBC has an unfair advantage over private competitors,
such as CTV, for example, is not only inaccurate but ridiculous. CTV, the CBC's
obvious competitor in the private sector, is owned by none other than Bell
Media … a multi-billion dollar corporation.
By
the end of September 2011, the federal government had announced a ten per cent
budget cut to the CBC, which will cost thousands of people their jobs. While I
don't agree with budget cuts to arts and culture in any context, the 2012
anti-CBC rhetoric coming out of Ottawa last week is hitting new heights.
Calling for an end to funding of the CBC, and thus resulting in its demise or
privatization, is further evidence that the current government feels deeply
threatened by the CBC on an ideological level.
To
be specific, the CBC espouses values that are integral to the very function of
journalism; values that are directly opposed to the Conservative agenda. The
Conservative push to eliminate CBC funding is an overt attempt to silence the
voices of those they see as political dissenters. This isn't to say that the
Conservative Government doesn't claim to promote Canadian culture and
multiculturalism, but here the government pays lip service while blatantly
pushing their own agenda – more money.
I
am glad that Canada is a standout among countries during economic uncertainty.
I am glad that our own economy is growing increasingly independent of our
neighbours to the south. I didn't vote for Stephen Harper, but I'm a fair
person, and I am grateful that he has proved his merit at keeping Canada's
economy afloat. His government's fevered suggestion of the elimination of the
CBC, however, leaves me beyond disturbed. Broadcasting, which has a mandate of
reporting for the people, free of the influence of privately owned
corporations, has a responsibility to answer to the people. I believe the CBC
does just that, responsibly, brilliantly, and passionately. Any move to silence
the CBC is to silence the voice of the people, and that's as undemocratic as it
gets.
//Lindsay Flynn, writer
//Lindsay Flynn, writer
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