CBC upset by its own programming
by Brian Lilley
CBC president Hubert Lacroix is trying to suck and blow at the same time.
Lacroix is blasting Sun News Network, and threatening legal action, for daring to show a satirical video clip earlier this month.
The video in question juxtaposed CBC executive vice-president Kirstine Stewart talking about the wonders of CBC next to a pornographic program the state broadcaster used tax dollars to buy.
In a letter to Quebecor’s board of directors Lacroix calls the video clip “an act so low and so unworthy that it must be drawn to your attention” while simultaneously defending the use of taxpayer’s dollars to buy porn from France and post it on the Internet.
The story started a few weeks ago when it came to our attention that CBC’s French language service was broadcasting a pornographic program called Hard on a government-owned website. The program, produced in France by a private company, was available for all to see on a website called Tou.tv.
Heritage Minister James Moore and the office of Prime Minister Stephen Harper called on CBC to clean up their act but instead Lacroix defended the program.
“This series is a web series that’s been very successful in Europe. Also, it’s a series that is in line with the mandate of tou.tv,” Lacroix said in Montreal last week.
Now he’s upset that we would show one of his top executives on the same TV screen as material he says is popular and a good deal at just $15,000. Perhaps Lacroix isn’t aware that there is plenty of free porn on the Internet already.
We put the split screen of Stewart and Hard together for a reason – to show that CBC is not living up to its mandate or its grand vision of itself.
“The benefit of the CBC is that we, for a long time, have been, you know, that voice and that opportunity for people to get together and really hear those stories that are Canadian stories first,” Stewart said back in November as the state broadcaster celebrated its 75th anniversary.
It was those comments along with her droning on about CBC being innovative and being different than private broadcasters that we juxtaposed against scenes from Hard.
This video showed simply that while CBC is willing to claim high moral ground on all the wonderful things that it can do with taxpayer’s money, they are also willing to show scenes of orgies and explicit sex in a show with no Canadian connection nor apparent artistic value.
So now CBC is threatening to sue.
They won’t pull the program. No, they defend it as popular and a good value for taxpayers.
But now they are outraged that we would dare to link it to one of their executives.
Hypocrisy, thy name is Hubert.
Categories: Byline
So the CBC is upset, calling it misleading and disingenuous for SNN to run clips of Christine Stewart while showing clips of “HARD” at the same time, establishing what they call a false link.
Hmmm. Is this the same CBC that on the Omar Khadr story, mentions the “Harper gov’t” while showing Khadr’s junior high pic thus attempting to establish a link between the imprisonment of a “child” at the hands of the Tory gov’t — and trying to whip up Canadians’ anger and resentment toward the gov’t — while knowing full well that Khadr was a child ONLY under Liberal party rule? After all, Khadr became an adult under Canadian law in Sept 2006 – 4 months BEFORE the Harper Tories even came to power.
Practice what you preach, Hubie.
sorry, meant Sept 2005 for Khadr’s birthday.
FIRE ….. THEM …. ALL!!!!!!!
Perhaps he’s miffed at Levant calling him a “pompous little prick” all the time – he wants you to know he’s not little.
This guy’s picture should be next to the word “arrogance” in the dictionary.
Ever noticed how the cars are all driven on the left side? (North American Style)