The latest episode in the on-going soap opera I think of as "The CBC is The New Pravda!" concerns an internal CBC memo to its employees which cautions them to be careful with the use of the words "terrorist" and "terrorism". Apparently the National Post got hold of a copy and was quite happy to expose it, whereupon CBC Watch reproduced it. (That link is currently yielding a database error. Maybe it's all the attention it's getting.)
The Amazing Wonderdog has an excellent post up on the issue. It's worth a read. And by way of introduction, he sums things up pretty well in a comment to this post at Bound By Gravity* where you can view an extract from the memo if that CBC Watch link still isn't working.
This policy predates the 9/11 attacks, folks.This isn't new, and the National Post is reporting it dishonestly by omitting facts that everyone who ever read a CP style guide already knows.
So it's time to unknot your panties, and consider a more important question: how do you like being manipulated by the National Post editorial board?
But CanWest wouldn't manipulate us, would they? Well, yes they would. And have, or tried to. It was CanWest that earned itself some publicity a while back for editing Reuters wire copy by inserting the word "terrorist" where the original reporters hadn't used it.
So let's compare. The CBC favours using neutral language and allowing readers to make up their own minds and may be bending over backwards just a bit too far in that effort. CanWest favours the insertion of its own spin into stories even when the stories are written by wire services and CanWest fails to acknowledge that it's substantively changing the meaning. Guess which one bothers me more?
* I should add that Andrew at BBG isn't promoting this as evidence that the CBC is a front for the godless, communist liberal, soft-on-terrorism hordes. He's not impressed with the memo but he's not indulging in the spin that will be placed on it in other circles.
Whooee! PoogyBoy, if there's one thing that gets me chewin' nails an' fartin' tacks, it's these here CBC bashers. They oughta take their heads out from up their poopholes long enuff t' see all the good stuff the CBC does fer Canajun culture. I reckon the CBC haters is also the selfsame ones who ain't got any use fer Canajun culture an' can't wait fer Canadee t' get annexed by the Merkins. Why don't they jest move t' Merka an' fight PBS an' NPR?
I ain't one fer mincin' words but I ain't runnin' a bigass broadcastin' company like the CBC. They gotta have sum rules an' mince sum words, I spose. An' if they're only doin' what the CP style book sez, well how come they're gettin' raked over the coals?
Yer on the money a hunnert per cents worth 'bout the CanWest-Glowball numbnutses addin' their own adjectives. It's them idjits we oughta be worried about -- not the CBC.
JB
yfnd to media stooges : stop inserting your bias, let people make up their own minds on NEWS.
And to those that make mountains over (aged) molehills - bugger off and report NEWS.
Thanks Pogge.
Amazingly good of the Wonderdog to have remembered the CP style guide (even if he can't find it in the boxes at the moment -- boy, can I empathize with that problem).
pogge, there must be a marketing lesson in this story for us all. Somehow you have to write and convey a secret memo to all your readers, which one of us can then leak to the National Post. Think of what a good scandal could do for the numbers.
I would like to start a new blog dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian Peace talks.
Partners for Peace (http://www.pforp.net) is a new website dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. It belongs to the Copenhagen Group (also called The International Alliance for Arab Israel Peace). You can find there a lot of information about the Israeli Palestinian conflict, including: Fresh news, articles, documents, peace forums and more.
Pravda has really gone under these days. It's mostly a tabloid now. Bolshevik Russians have switched over to Russiya Sovetskaya.
Sad really, that paper had such history.