(OTTAWA) Catherine Tait, CEO of CBC/Société Radio-Canada, has caused a stir in the crown corporation’s newsrooms after an interview she gave to The Globe and Mail, internal emails show.
Posted at 12:03 p.m.
Mickey Djuric The Canadian Press
Some executives were quick to rebut his comments.
In February, the national daily reported that Ms. Tait wanted CBC to go fully digital, abandoning its traditional TV and radio stations in the process. However, this realignment would not come into effect for the next ten years.
The interview was also published several months after the BBC announced similar intentions.
A CBC executive said in an email that this is not the case with CBC/Radio-Canada. “For us, that’s not the reality,” he wrote. Even if we planned ahead and adopted digital delivery, no Canadian would be left behind. »
Ms. Tait was named President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CBC/Radio-Canada in July 2018 to a five-year term, which is customary for the role. His term was extended last month until early 2025.
PHOTO SPENCER COLBY, THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVE
CBC/Radio Canada President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Catherine Tait
In that interview with the Globe and Mail, Ms Tait also slammed Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, accusing him of wanting to attack the public broadcaster for the purpose of political funding.
Journalists “expressed concerns about Catherine’s views [Tait] about political campaigning and Canadian opposition to CBC funding,” read an email.
George Achi, head of the CBC’s journalistic standards department, tried to reassure newsrooms by saying that management’s opinion has no bearing on reporting.
“It is clear that we treat this story with the same rigor, precision, balance and fact-based approach as our other stories,” he wrote.
Another email indicated that Ms Tait would continue to discuss the importance of a public broadcaster with representatives of all political parties.
In 2021–22, the CBC received over $1.2 billion in government funding. The Executive Board decides how this money is to be used.
A CBC/Radio-Canada spokesman, Leon Mar, said Ms Tait was unavailable for an interview. He added that Crown Corporation does not comment on internal staff discussions “that are confidential in nature.”
The Globe and Mail interview also raised concerns from a union representing CBC workers.
Emails indicate that the Canadian Media Guild intended to release a statement the day after the story, but agreed to delay the release by a day pending clarification from management.
The union was particularly concerned about job losses, downsizing of newsrooms and increasing workloads for journalists who might keep their jobs. Several members asked him if they would still have a job in ten years.
In another internal email, Shaun Poulter, executive director of strategy, public affairs and government relations at CBC/Radio-Canada, admitted the union felt “baffled” and “cheated” by Tait’s comments on digital.
“If someone can talk to them, ask them to read the article and don’t get caught by the clickbait. “Bloody hell, we’re not giving up TV and radio,” Poulter asked in another email. The term “fucking shit” was abbreviated.