I agree that the CBC tends to promote a certain set of "values" that may not be shared by all and even most Canadians. We need to try to understand why and how this happens.

I set in on a panel discussion at the University of King's College in Halifax a couple of years ago. The panel was composed of individuals in the media including Don Newman of the NewsWorld "Politics" program.

Newman made it relatively clear why the CBC ends up with an elitist bias (although he believes it is totally acceptable). Their policy is to use those people who have already gained "creditability" through their success in business or through other means.

The CBC does not have the resources to determine the creditability of those who have not established themselves it through the (capitalist) system. The views of you or I or even the majority of Canadians are irrelevant in that scheme of things.

What was revealing to me from his comments it that the CBC helps reinforce the status quo. They basically listen to the people who have been able to "purchase" creditablity through the system.

You will note that most of their commentators are members of other media outlets, political spin doctors from the establishment parties, or representatives of right wing pressure groups such as the Fraser Institute, the C.D. Howe Institute, the Conference Board of Canada, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, etc.

They will bring in high profile people from the Council of Canadian, or other more left of center groups. They focus on the "stars." They have even moved away from using academics and generally the academics they do use are associated with other private NGOs.

Through the process of focusing on the people they "know" they build up a pool of commentators who primarily have the same focus: to sell an agenda. The process promotes the status quo.

It is unclear whether all of those in the media recognize what is happening or only senior people like Newman, who see nothing wrong with it or see it as the only way they can operate giving the resources at their disposal.

   

So what is the point of this thread?

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"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."
-Max Planck

   

Two great points you make:

1)Yes the CBC idea of the economy is really only what business leaders (chief economist at XYZ Bank is usually the 'cred' quote that Newman refers to obliquely)...reporting on working perspectives from the other side of the economy is usually some balanced 'worker safety' piece where some company says it will try harder in the future not to kill or poison anyone.

2) I am almost sure I heard Tremonti say she thought PR was 'really' complicated during the an Ontario election feature on the Current. If she WAS simply acting the part of Jane SixPack, maybe she could give us some insight as to why SHE THINKS Jane Sixpack (or at least the ones that listen to CBC radio) would be confused by a electoral concept that has been kicking around for more than a century.

Good catch on the ingrained homogenized elitism that seems to be included with every CBC employee card...regardless of what corner of the world the employee may come from...

Unmistakable corporate sameness through and through...

But hey at this point I would be just happy managing to see the Senators play the first game on HNIC instead of watching another decade of some sorry assed TO team being preened over by the wildly unprofessional colour commentators like Harry Neil. Notice the Americans with their national feeds don't stoop to that level -- their sport rivalries are kept friendly.

Here they are just downright offensive -- like that pig Elliot Friedman, in a between period interview during a Senators - Laffs game, asking Alfredsson, who had just got two goals off those bums, asking the very first question as to what Alfredsson THOUGHT of Sundin's play. Alfredsson more or less just walked away.

What the fuck could he do, save pounding the shit out of that fat idiot.

Maybe Friedman had money on the game, so he was doing his hometown best to the rattle the 'enemy'.

What a Punk

( a bit off topic, but to me, this too has summed up one of the biggest problems with the CBC and that does speak to it's seemingly unconcerned acceptance of regional chauvinism -- doubt the OTHER hockey fans in Canada will ever forgive the CBC ignoring some of the best dynasties that ever played the game -- (70s Montreal and 80s Edmonton with the Great One) -- just to collect Southern Ontario advertising revenues by continuing to showcase a team that isn't worth watching -- like last week...watch TO get pasted by the Rangers again instead of the Senators - Washington game where some guy called Ovechkin scored a hat trick)

CBC can't even promote hockey in Canada anymore, let alone trying to grift American Southerners to pluck down cash for ethnic free fighting and air conditioning.

You'd think that would be an easy sell, no?

   

So the CBC is becoming less of an alternative to the other biggies in this country.............? Ugly thought.......

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"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."
-Max Planck