Did you know that Shaw Media has a book of standards for its journalists? It makes you wonder why. Did you know that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation used to have a guy whose job it was to maintain the corporation’s high standards(?). In a world of smoke and mirrors, the media seem to want the best integrity that money can buy.
It was when Shaw’s Global Television sidelined anchor Leslie Roberts last week that the words ‘journalistic integrity’ came into play. And this was all because of a somewhat hypocritical exposé by the Toronto Star. Of course, Torontonians all know that the Toronto Star is so pure!
But what really begs the question is how people such as Roberts are supposed to have standards in an environment that does not exercise them? The Global six pm newscast from Toronto is an hour and a half long and usually contains 30 to 40 minutes of repetitious news. On a good weather day, it uses a cute dog and stretches the weather into five or six segments. The Shaw channel routinely promotes other Global programs as though they were news items and blatantly runs segments of its next program Entertainment Tonight as news. And it must be Friday when the national news segment runs a clip from Tom Clark’s weekend West Block program.
And if you say “So what?” you are right. Self promotion on CTV News is worse. The CBC tries to do the same but is barely on life-support these days. Thank God nobody watches Sun TV. Does it even have real news?
This tempest was fomented by the Toronto Star. The Toronto Star believes it knows a lot about journalistic integrity. Have you ever wondered how all those glowing reports in the travel section on wonderful vacation locations get written? And at whose expense? You should ask the Toronto Star or the Globe and Mail.
There is no question that Leslie Roberts should have advised Global Television of his public relations firm connection. He is neither the first nor the last television personality to face that conflict. His major problems are the foolish clients who think his position is an advantage for them.
But, he does a good job as anchor. Global should give him a slap on the wrist and put him back to work.
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Copyright 2015 © Peter Lowry
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