"This was not Mr. MacDonald's finest work...." (PDF)
h/t Jim O.
Posted by Kate at September 26, 2008 8:44 PMPure unadulterated bulls**t. However, they do have to justify their paycheques, can't really expect them to come out and say "this was a smear, we lied and that's all there is to it."
Posted by: kelly at September 26, 2008 9:03 PMSee also the ombudsman's admission that the CBC demonstrates a clear bias with the Mallick piece:
http://www.cbc.ca/ombudsman/page/MALLICK-PALIN.pdf
Going by those rules of journalism,all most every effing one of them here in Canuckistan should be out begging for new jobs. AND the CBC should not exist!!
Posted by: Justthinkin at September 26, 2008 9:31 PMHe may conclude it's not Mr. Macdonald's finest work but it's par for the course, typical of his "work" and all part of his anti-Republican,anti-Conservative agenda on both sides of the border.
He would be fired from any place not engaging in biased journalism, we can't say the CBC is not biased so his job is safe.
Posted by: Liz J at September 26, 2008 9:36 PMSo, what's the CBC going to do about Mr. MacDonald's less than finest hour?
I'm very tired of these "reviews" by the CBC Ombudsman which result in absolutely no consequences for the CBC reporters whose work has not complied with the CBC's journalistic standards.
I'm very tired of the $one-billion the CBC receives every year of taxpayers' dollars.
GET. RID. OF. THE. CBC.
PRONTO.
Posted by: batb at September 26, 2008 9:40 PMLet me finish my sentence:
I'm very tired of the $one-billion the CBC receives every year of taxpayers' dollars that appears to be wasted on reporting that fails to come up to its own journalistic standards.
And because Mr. Carlin seems to have been blinded to the reality of Neil MacDonald's reportage--perhaps because he's a former employee of the CBC and he and Mr. MacDonald are former colleagues?--let me enlighten him to the facts: Mr. MacDonald has always been anti-Republican, anti-Conservative (and anti-Jewish).
This particular instance of bias and intemperate reporting is not isolated. With Mr. MacDonald, it happens all the time.
If Mr Carlin were to re-read his own reply, he would find that it in and of itself, does not meet the CBC's own standards. He makes many assumptions and generalizations about the reportage of MacDonald, and in fact, of the media coverage in general, assumptions and generalizations that he makes no attempt to substantiate. I've seen Carlin do some even-handed reviews of CBC's work, but this was not one of them.
Posted by: Skip at September 26, 2008 10:08 PMMacDonald should have been fired long ago. If he wants to do opinion pieces, spin the news and skew facts, he can bugger off and freelance his butt off and spin his biases to anyone who wants to read or listen to him.
At least with opinion pieces we're forewarned and not duped thinking we're getting the true facts presented as news.
Posted by: Liz J at September 26, 2008 10:20 PMHow about an ombudsman for the ombudsman.
Posted by: Ghost of Ed at September 26, 2008 10:42 PMI’m an English teacher.
For this claptrap, Mr. Carlin would be assessed at Level 1—of 4—for obfuscation. He’d probably have to look that up.
The CBC Ombudsman should be able to succinctly dismiss a complaint in two pages. But he never does: dismiss, yes, but never in a few words. (Spin needs lots of rope.)
Mr. Carlin’s meanderings should embarrass him, and the CBC. But such smoke and mirrors never does: “integrity” and “shame” are other words they’d have to look up.
Poor us.
Mr. Vince Carlin has scaled new heights of mediocrity.
When the National runs a story on Barack Obama and Bill Ayers and covers Stanley Kurtz's story, then I'll believe it. Until then, the CBC gives me a very poor blow job and charges me over $1 billion a year for it.
Posted by: Hannibal Lectern at September 26, 2008 10:54 PMI am reminded of the doublespeak that the best and brightest would come up with in the course of correctly lining up the smoke and mirrors. Privacy protection (stonewalling). Employment Continuity Program (layoff counseling).
The CBC has had no honest purpose for many years. It should be shuttered.
Posted by: Sgt Lejaune at September 26, 2008 10:55 PMAt least in the USA, it is acknowledged the MSM is in the bag for the left and they aren't ashamed of it. That's fine, it's their money to lose. However, with the CBC they are still in the bag for the left and it's our money. Our tax dollars. I don't belong to a union and so presumably have a say where my taxes (dues) go. Obviously that is not so with the mother corp. Abolish it. FIRE THEM ALL
Posted by: kelly at September 26, 2008 10:56 PMAdmittedly, I read the Carlin letter pretty quickly, but I didn't find any mention of the fact that the whole world knew the rumour about Sarah Palin's child actually being Bristol's was false at least a day before Kneely Mac and the CBC. Or that Kneely Mac spent five minutes of National news time preening himself about his great discovery.
Posted by: felis corpulentis at September 26, 2008 11:07 PMDrD, I checked out the Carlin review of the Mallick piece and I have to agree that, at least, it recognizes her failure to meet editorial standards by supporting her outrageous opinions with some facts, and it recognizes that CBC does not, in fact, provide sufficient diversity of opinion.
All well and good. Then, in his final sentence he blows it by suggesting CBC is not at fault for its failure of diverse opinion, because it doesn't have enough resources.
"CBCNews.ca should have appropriate resources to ensure that a wide range of opinion and analysis is available."
I need another drink.
Posted by: felis corpulentis at September 26, 2008 11:16 PMWell, boys & girls, we have one chance to bury the propaganda machine of the left, the CBC, and it kicks in on October 14th.
Only a majority conservative government has a chance of actually cleaning up this pathetic excuse of a country, where every freakin' media outlet is in thrall to the socialist liberals.
Personally, I get all my news from CPAC, Fox & about a dozen blogs. I haven't watched any CBC at all ('cept HNC)& can only stomach CTV for the Ol' Duffer. Yeah, his choice of talking heads often make me nauseous, but he calls a spade a spade.
But the public waste known as the CBC... To borrow a phrase from one Liberal: "God, I hate those bastards!"
When I was in high school one particular student constantly spread rumours about a new student who had recently arrived from another province; after each dish she would always add: "Now, that's just what I heard."
Vince Carlin: "The acting Executive Producer of The National, Mark Harrison, responded that the item accurately reflected what was circulating on the floor."
Same excuse, different pay scale.
Posted by: EBD at September 26, 2008 11:24 PM"CBCNews.ca should have appropriate resources to ensure that a wide range of opinion and analysis is available."
No.
The CBC News should be starved of resources until it provides a wide range of opinion and analysis. And, if that results in hundreds of future Governor Generals forced to hawk their wares as community organizers, then so be it.
I'm Don Cherry and I approve this message.
I pay a lot of taxes. A substantial portion goes to the CBC. Why has nobody ever asked me, as a patron of the CBC, what my views are? Becuase they might find out what my views are. Fire Neil Macdonald. Fire. Them. All.
Posted by: Littlebones at September 26, 2008 11:45 PMVince Carlin:
"In many years of watching Neil MacDonald's work on the National, I've been forced to conclude that his brother, Norm MacDonald, is the better reporter."
Posted by: Hannibal Lectern at September 26, 2008 11:59 PMMove on , nothing here.....
Posted by: Revnant Dream at September 27, 2008 12:27 AMCarlin is relying heavily on what was said on the floor of the convention to excuse the slanted, biased and prejudicial reporting by Macdonald.
How did Carlin know what was being said on the floor of the convention? Does he have a transcript or a video of the delegates huddling with each other as they rumor mongered? Did the CBC plant hidden cameras to record these great convention moments? How was this masterful reporting done? Mr. Carlin you owe it us to reveal your secret sources.
Maybe only two things need to be known about Mr. Carlin to put some of his bizarre "reasoning" into perspective:
1) Mr. Carlin is a former employee of the CBC. He is reviewing work by former colleagues. (I was going to say "professional colleagues," but that would be stretching credulity.)
2) Mr. Carlin is a former professor of journalism at Ryerson.
'Nuff said?
Obviously, professional journalism works a little differently in Canada than in other democratic countries--it seems to operate more on the Communist/socialist/totalitarian model.
Mr. Carlin accepts "accurately reflected" rumour and innuendo "circulating on the [Republican convention] floor" as "fact"? That's such a lame excuse for a defence as to be laughable--and very damning of the CBC juggernaut.
ttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1063110/BBC-investigated-peer-says-climate-change-programme-biased-sided-polemic.html
there's an addy to an interting piece, scooped from the DRUDGE REPORT
BBC is being investigated for "spinning " a piece on climate change