General

CBC studies whether its news is biased

Broadcaster commissions experts to determine if coverage is balanced

As Conservative senators demand to see proof that CBC polling data wasn’t shared with the Liberal Party, Hubert Lacroix, president of the broadcaster, has told the Senate finance committee that his company has commissioned a study to check whether its news is biased. “Our job—and we take it seriously—is to ensure that the information that we put out is fair and unbiased in everything that we do,” he said. Experts were hired to conduct an independent review of the company’s news gathering and delivery and are now preparing a report, scheduled to be released this fall. But the study is creating controversy within the organization. “I fear this may be part of the CBC’s attempt to placate its political opponents and to limit the ability of the news and current affairs service to do the kind of tough reporting that the public broadcaster has been known for,” said CBC Radio chief journalist Jeffrey Dvorkin, who also added that bias studies are often, ironically enough, biased themselves.

Ottawa Sun

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