Reader faults CBC’s unfair coverage of Ukraine crisis
The discussion on PeaceQuest about the media’s use of commentators and experts with links to companies and lobby firms has generated a lot of interest.
Readers have been writing to the CBC ombudsman following our first article on the widespread use of “experts” with unabashed financial ties to the military and weapons-makers by the CBC and others.
In one response received by a PeaceQuest reader, the CBC Ombudsman agreed that the broadcaster should do better, and encouraged viewers to forward other instances of reporting that may not meet journalistic standards.
This week, our friend and long-time peace activist Tamara Lorincz shared a letter she has submitted to the CBC Ombudsman Jack Nager. In it, she documents what she calls very biased and unbalanced coverage of the Ukraine crisis.
“The CBC has hosted many more Ukrainian, pro-NATO and anti-Russian guests who have advocated for more weapons to Ukraine and have portrayed Russia as the aggressor. The CBC has not given equal air time to Russian officials or to alternative peace perspectives who are critical of NATO expansion and the Canadian military in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. The poor, biased reporting is misinforming Canadians. Worse, it is fanning the flames of war and increasing insecurity in the region and risking the lives of Ukrainians,” said Tamara Lorincz.
Here are a few of the examples documented by Tamara and links so that you can judge for yourself.
On January 21 on The Current, Matt Galloway only interviewed one Ukrainian, pro-NATO, anti-Russia speaker: Alexandra Chyczij, National President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress. She called for more weapons to Ukraine and described Russia as the aggressor. There was no Russian guest on the show. There was no one critical of NATO or offering a peaceful, diplomatic perspective. Galloway’s show was heavily biased. Listen here: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-63-the-current/clip/15890539-watching-developments-between-russia-ukraine
On January 20 on her podcast At Issue, Rosemary Barton, interviewed four Canadian commentators and not one was critical of NATO expansion to Russia’s border and most supported greater Canadian military aid to Ukraine: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-170-cbc-news-at-issue/clip/15890409-canadas-role-russia-ukraine-tensions
On January 23 on the CBC News web site, CBC reporter Christian Paas-Lang wrote a story that cited Ukraine’s former ambassador to Canada, Andriy Shevchenko, and Ukraine oligarch Petro Poroshenko’s messages to Canada to further arm Ukraine and did not give equal weight to Russian perspectives. Though Paas-Lang did include a short clip of Russian Ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov, Stepanov is given one quote toward the end of the article. There was no critical, peace perspective provided. There was no balance of views. Please read his story here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/poroshenko-ukraine-russia-canada-aid-1.6324247
“I find CBC’s current reporting extremely troubling as it is reminiscent of the media reporting in the lead up to the Iraq War in 2002-2003. I would like to know how the CBC will address this severely biased, unbalanced and inadequate coverage, which is a violation of the Journalistic Standards and Practices, of the Ukraine crisis,” Tamara Lorincz concludes.
Tamara’s assessment is right on and I too have written the CBC to complain about its abject misrepresentation of the Russian position not to mention Russia’s suffering at the hands of numerous aggressors in the 20th century alone. Thank you Tamara for calling out the CBC for only giving voice to proponents of war and violence!
The biased coverage regarding Ukraine has to stop! Now that the war in Afghanistan is over the military industrial complex is looking for another lovely little war. It salivates with the idea of Russians fighting Ukrainians while owners of the war industry laugh all the way to the bank. The US need for war is to keep its economy moving and Canada is falling in step with it.
I agree completely and, I may note that my opinion is based on American government statements and actions, of which Canadian re only a subservient echo.
An excellent letter by Lorincz to the office of the cbc ombudsman. Unfortunately I’ve become extremely cynical with regards to CBC and its willingness to provide fair coverage. The number of examples of pro-war and pro-military stories over the decades is countless. Name a NATO intervention or action or recall any US military aggression over the decades and you will find that CBC provided full support. For decades the CBC ran countless stories about how poorly the Canadian military was funded, they likely still do but I don’t watch anymore. As one critical commentator said, “Canada is a brand. ” We are a brand nation pushing US and NATO aggression against Russia, China, Iran, Venezuela, Afghanistan, former Yugoslavia, and on and on.
CBC just a mouth piece for Big Pharma and the US MIC. any comments not supporting the official narrative deleted, stopped visiting the website.
I noticed this same bias in the framing of the topic in a recent CBC Radio World at Six broadcast read by Susan Bonner. I forget the phrasing but I could detect no distance between the West’s/NATO’s interests and the journalist’s.
The practice of the CBC identifying with Canada’s (presumed) interests is of long standing. Consider, from 2010: http://www.thecanadiancharger.com/page.php?id=5&a=267
I have supported Friends of CBC mthly for yrs. & expect more impartiality. There is no debate when all participants are of the same backgr0und; n this case support of Ukraine. Most. & in some instances all, have been affiliated w/military, NATO is an organization offering military solutions. In the last yrs. demanding That Canada spend fortune in warplanes w/no good reason. It is unnecessary for NATO to be on many b9rders of Russia by the same token as it is unnecessary for Russian forces to amassed on other state’s borders. They could be more earnest in trading off Russia removing their military from orders for the promise of NATO keeping off Russian borders. We have already devastated Libya, Iraq & Afghanistan & contributed to the ruin of Syria & Yemen w/millions of refugees liv8 g in horrible condition. Please contribute to a better way than jumping into another war leading into tthe horrific disablement of people & yet another state, Ukraine. The only gain is a nefarious one: excessive profit for arms manufacturing & sales.
Tamara Lorincz is exactly right about CBC bias, or lack of balance. I also wrote to the Ombudsman (Nagler) and I know of another person who wrote. Perhaps there were more.