CBC Vancouver’s Victoria Bureau Chief STILL In a Blatant Conflict of Interest: AND THE CBC DOESN’T CARE SO STOP WATCHING THEM NOW!
Some time ago, in remarks that spawned outrage in the chattering classes, I stated, with considerable validity, that the CBC was (and remains) a culturally corrupt organization that often commits to viral conflicts of interest–and federally, spiteful hitjobs on anyone, at will, and with no regard for collateral consequences. I concluded, therefore, that they should be defrocked and privatized, instead of lasting as Canadian taxpayers $1 billion dollar millstone.
This, you’ll be amused (or perhaps not–those of you still suffering from what I have coined as ‘The Great Canadian Mothership Delusion’), was to a downtown business group that should have known better than to expect a milquetoast speech from me. However, the attempts at reprisal were as pathetic as the arguments. Calling my then producer was wholly pedestrian, but the claims of the CBC’s “journalistic excellence” were throughly comical.
David Suzuki’s pompous climate change alarmist hooey is excellence? Regular attacks, for the sake of attacking, against Conservatives is excellence? Scantily covering the Chretien controversies, including ‘Shawinigate’ were excellence? Almost completely ignoring, and at one point defending, the Liberal Party of Canada’s ‘AdScam’ is excellence? The apotheosis of Jack Layton was excellence?
Forgive me, it’s not that there aren’t stories about Tory foibles and missteps worth covering. But the viral nature of their biases, on many issues, is not how your tax dollar should be spent.
In British California, our problem is greater–much. The blurring of political and media lines is never good, but the press, having been beaten like a rented ass for over a decade, has assumed the position of de facto buffer to whomever they might be aligned.
Case in point: I broke the news earlier this year of former ‘Bill Good’ fartcatcher Rebecca Scott being elevated to Deputy Press Secretary in the Christy Clark government. Her then fiance, now husband, is Stephen Smart, the CBC’s Victoria Bureau Chief. Smart, who I had the pleasure of working with at CTV Vancouver, is a decent sort, who is intelligent and capable. But that’s not the issue here. His wife, on the other hand, is an airhead. It was obvious every time I was in CKNW studios (while she was filling the Vanilla Man’s binder with drivel), as it was with most of the other little girls, fresh from six months in something called ‘broadcast school’ (NW management had a penchant for hiring like this, though I am pleased to report that they have since been disabused of this practice). Scott, who is still employed as part of Premier Clark’s propaganda detail, received her promotion immediately after the Premier’s win. At that point, Smart had not been CBC’s Victoria Bureau Chief for very long.
I wrote about it in the early days, ad naseum, and even received a few angry calls from those at NW and CBC that thought nothing of my principled grievance.
Well, that was then, and this is now. Smart had done TWO pieces critical of the Premier, during a ten month run of nothingness from Clark. The end of year exclusive to Smart is further evidence that his objections to her ignoring him was simply more whining, only to be rewarded with gruel thinner than poor Oliver endured. He did a fair piece on her, ONCE, and she recoiled. He complained, Becks and Smartie chatted over dinner, and the deal was back on.
How much more of this inanity from the CBC must the public subjected to?
One of the best political bloggers in Canada, Norm Farrell, has done a wonderful job in spiking this story with a generous, if not brilliant, twist. He’s appealed to CBC Ombusman, Kirk LaPointe, asking for an opinion on Smart’s obvious conflict.
This will be more than just interesting. LaPointe is the former managing editor of the once great (before he and Patricia Graham ruined it) Vancouver Sun. While there, he was responsible for the kinds of emails that would arrive in your inbox still aflame. His monstrous, outrageous treatment of Frances Bula, when she was bought out of her contract, is the stuff of legend. Fair-minded former colleagues of Bula have recalled for me, several LaPointe(d) moments. It amazes me how such a loon survived there as long as he did.
Norm may find that he’ll receive some perfunctory response, after Smart’s painfully obvious conflict has been yawned at.
But I have a better answer. Last month, well-over 107,000 BCers read this blog. Email the CBC Vancouver and tell them you’re going to boycott them until Smart has been removed as Victoria Bureau Chief and reassigned to covering other, perhaps local political stories. Don’t stop there. Report them to the CRTC. If they are in clear violation of their own rules, then they must also be in violation of the CRTC’s broader principles.
Smart is a damn good reporter, who deserves better.
Although, the whole affair not only reflects badly on the CBC, but Scott and particularly Smart himself. Either his wife shouldn’t have taken the job with the Premier or he should have stepped down after she accepted to be part of the Premier’s messaging detail.
This is the state of affairs with the biased mainstream media in this province.
Although, you’ll be pleased to know; the wheel is slowly turning….the new year will bring some significant changes.
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