Many would argue that in the information age there is no longer a need for a national public broadcaster. Those that make that argument however, are already behind the times. The information age has rapidly turned into the age of information overload. In 2014 public broadcasting’s mission may have changed, but the need for it…
Is Jian Ghomeshi still Innocent Until Proven Guilty?
Since the news about Jian Ghomeshi’s alleged crimes and dismissal from the CBC broke last Sunday the most common refrain from his defenders has been ‘innocent until proven guilty’. It’s worth remembering, however, that falsely accusing someone of a crime is also illegal and the eight or, possibly, 9 women who have accused Jian of…
Jian Gomeshi’s case and the, uninformed, court of public opinion
As most people know by now, the CBC announced today that it is immediately cutting ties with Jian Gomeshi, the host of the program Q. Those who are following along will also know that just after 6 pm, Gomeshi posted his version of events on Facebook. The Facebook post said, in part “the implication may…
Stephen Harper has failed, Canada is still recognizable
Stephen Harper has changed the landscape of Canadian politics, but ultimately he has not succeeded according to his own standards. In 2006 he famously said “You won’t recognize Canada when I get through with it.” The landscape of parts of Alberta are certainly unrecognizable. He has damaged the economy and the country’s international reputation. He…
Will we fix the CBC or simply ignore it to death?
I never thought I’d agree with, former head of CBC English broadcasting, Richard Stursburg. During his time at the helm, he did almost as much damage to Canada’s public broadcaster as Stephen Harper has done. The ‘mother corp’ may never fully recover from his reign. However, he was correct when he told a Senate committee…
Fixing the CBC Means More Than Stopping Harper
This week the Canadian internets were abuzz with talk of Stephen Harper’s plan to control the CBC. The thing is that the CBC is horribly broken already and Stephen Harper’s latest authoritarian power grab is the least of their worries. As I understand it, Harper’s plan is to place someone on the CBC’s board to…
Fixing the CBC Means More Than Stopping Harper
This week the Canadian internets were abuzz with talk of Stephen Harper’s plan to control the CBC. The thing is that the CBC is horribly broken already and Stephen Harper’s latest authoritarian power grab is the least of their worries. As I understand it, Harper’s plan is to place someone on the CBC’s board to…
How Would You Redesign Parliament?
Today on “Wednesdays with @Kady: the CBC asked “How would you redesign Parliament?”. I missed the chat, but my answer would not have fit neatly into a chat box anyway. Well, it might but without context and explanation most wouldn’t have understood. So, although my answer is late I’d fix parliament by abolishing the sentate…
How Would You Redesign Parliament?
Today on “Wednesdays with @Kady: the CBC asked “How would you redesign Parliament?”. I missed the chat, but my answer would not have fit neatly into a chat box anyway. Well, it might but without context and explanation most wouldn’t have understood. So, although my answer is late I’d fix parliament by abolishing the sentate…
Pride in the CBC: A Musical Request and Challenge
A challenge – which I’m crossposting on several net.venues today: A friend of mine in the UK recently pointed out a song to me by a gent name of Mitch Benn, “I’m Proud of the BBC”. It’s been making the rounds across the anglophonic portion of the Net, and quite possibly beyond that corner for…