By Henry McRandall
WRISEUP.COM
There was a time when CBC was an honest public broadcaster, even decried by some as “leftist.”
But that is certainly not the case today.
What is the role of a national public broadcaster in a country dominated by right-wing corporate mass media committed to a corporate agenda that has been impoverishing poor, working-class and middle-class Canadians for the last 30 years?
Viewed objectively, CBC has never really been leftist but, rather, more objective and more non-partisan than the corporate mass media. But that should not be its mandate: If a single national broadcaster is presenting all sides of an issue while all the corporate mass media are presenting a much more slanted perspective, the net result is still a preponderance of media content subservient to the interests of the socioeconomic and corporate elite.
Were that CBC was doing that much!
But it’s not even doing that. In recent years, under the Liberal federal governments of Jean Chretien and Paul Martin and the Conservative federal government of Stephen Harper, the CBC has tilted unmistakably toward that mean-spirited, right-wing corporate agenda.
Consider a few facts:
Consider that during the recent G20 and G8 summits rein Toronto and Huntsville, ON, respectively, CBC provided all-day coverage of the meetings and the small amount of violence perpetrated by protesters. But there was scant mention – let alone a real delving-into – the issues the non-violent protesters were trying to raise.
Consider that every editorial on CBC Radio or Television is written, edited and delivered by right-wing zealot Rex Murphy, who also hosts CBC Radio’s only national call-in show.
And consider the Peter Mansbridge, CBC-TV primary national news anchor, was on the final list of participants at this year’s Bilderberg Group conference.
For those who are uniniated, the Bildersberg Group is one of the most evil and dangerous secret societies in the world. And iots conferences aren’t just friendly confabs.
The Bildergroup is dominated by a large number of the world’s billionaires and mega-millionaires. Its ranks are filled out by the super-elite’s political, economic, academic and journalistic hacks.
Peter Mansbridge was not there as a journalist. He was there as a participant and was probably sworn to secrecy on the content of the group’s deliberations and decisions.
The Bilderberg Group’s conferences have a supreme purpose: To set the short-term, medium-term, and long-term agendas of the world’s governments.
Just by participating at this event and failing to report in great detail oeverything that transpired, Mansbride was violating the most basic journalistic ethic – becoimng excessively partisan about the issues he must report on.
But it’s not just Peter Mansbridge and Rex Murphy who have become partisan on the side of the corporate agenda that has gradually impoverished the vast majority of Canadians over the past 30 years. It’s the entire network.
While there may be lots more celbrity pap and a range of arcane human-interest items, there is less and less real journalism and almost no left-of-centre content whatsover.
That’s not fair play and the CBC should know better. Give us back our public ALTERNATIVE to the right-wing corporate mass media.