We continue to get letters. Oh yes we do.
Feel free to utilize it.
Here's mine!
Mr. Duffy,
I wanted to let you know that I think it is reprehensible that you broadcast the out takes of Stephane Dion’s interview with the ATV journalist that has now been broadcast all over Canada in this election. That guy’s question was the most poorly worded question I have ever heard! The grammar was atrocious and it is quite understandable that a man for whom English is a second language and who has a mild hearing problem may have a harder time understanding what he was talking about. Since this airing multiple instances of Stephen Harper messing things up in English and in French have surfaced and I don’t think they represent some notion that he is somehow “unfit to lead”
The worst part of it is that your guy made a verbal agreement to not air this bit even after the interview was over – and yet you and/or your organization saw an opportunity to spin this in favor of the party that you so obviously support and you took it plain and simple. In doing so, you threw your journalistic integrity out the window and showed that your show may as well be aired right out of the Conservative war room. Unfortunately in doing so, you only allowed your Master’s true colours to shine through yet again so I hope this shows on election night.
If there is one thing that this Conservative government has been rightfully accused of over the past two years it is the lack of respect for Parliament and the low blow tactics that they have used in their campaign against Dion’s character – before and during the election. Who would have thought that a journalist, whose job it is to be fair and objective and provide us with valuable insights so that we can vote with our hearts, would provide the lowest blow in the campaign and go against his word in order to prop up his favorite candidate’s ridiculous campaign.
I could go on and on here about the obvious bias your show continually shows to the Stephen Harper party and their bizarre personality cult. But I will close by saying that I will NEVER ever watch your show again and I will encourage others to do the same. Perhaps, if you personally apologize to Stephane Dion and the Liberal Party for your journalistic transgression I may consider watching your show again but somehow I doubt that will ever happen.
John McGivern
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4 comments:
To me, it's a really tough issue to wrestle with. On the one hand, I don't believe it was a poorly worded question - any politician can hear "you", "PM", and "economy" and trot out an answer, this was a Bush moment to me.
However, I certainly agree that CTV's ethics are in a very grey area here. I thought Dion was being candid and natural in asking to start over, and never imagined that CTV would turn around and show the footage. Yet, I think that NBC might consider airing takes of Bush doing so poorly, as well.
I have a friend who reports for CBC and he's told me about some passionate let's/let's-not discussions they've had behind closed doors about whether or not to go on a story; I'm sure the same thing happened here. I can say that I would not have made the same decision CTV made -- but, I can see why they made it.
You can see why they made it? Really? Do share it with the rest of it. They clearly tried to influence an election dialogue, including Duffy telling people to get their VCRs out. The interviewer should learn how to speak English, because clearly Dion speaks it better than he does.
Imagine if CTV didn't run it and later it came out that they hadn't. They'd be accused of liberal bias. Whether they are biased or not is besides the point. The chiefs in Toronto would want to avoid the accusations. I can imagine the discussion: "If we run it we will be accused of anti-liberal bias: if we don't we will be accused of a pro-liberal bias." So the only question left was "is it news?" And it was and it is.
It's called integrity. I used to think Steve Murphy had some, man was I wrong.
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