CTVNews and it's lack of objectivity

Sarann wrote:

 How can Canadians put pressure on CTV to be more objective.  They tear apart the Liberals and the Coalition and don't mention the strange eccentric behaviour of the Conservatives.   Boycott their advertisers.  How does one choose and go about it?

A web site would be a good start.

Complaints to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council?

Complaints on their message boards?

Pickets outside of CTV stations?

I think boycotts can be effective. 

Success depends on picking the right target.  Some company that is vulnerable economically, and would be made very uncomfortable by public protests. 

Remember, it's a free country.  I am not for changing CTV's editorial mind, or it's style of reporting, or anything like that.  They are free to do what they want.  

But so am I.  If I choose not to spend my money at a certain establishment, and tell them it's because their advertising money supports unballanced news reporting, I'm free to do so, and free to tell others how I feel.

Success wouldn't be measured in whether the advertiser stops it's economic support of CTV news.   I would doubt very much that such an endeavor would be rewarded with such an obvious "win".

But the larger the frufra made over this, the more likely-- in fact certainty-- that CTV will find getting new advertisers much more difficult, as companies who don't want to invite controversy will shop elsewhere for air time.

"Welcome to the age of persuasion."

Slumberjack wrote:

Start a grassroots movement to boycott their advertisers, ask cable and satellite companies to remove their channels from the packages, start an anti-ctv bumper sticker campaign...

In the States an effective campaign was waged by Ron Paul supporters against "fair and balanced" Fox News.

Rather than trying to get a national boycott going, which they realized wouldn't work, they instead targeted local businesses which advertised on Fox News affiliates and sent letters to the affiliates telling them of their displeasure and what they were doing about it.

They approached the local businesses, politely and in person, to show them proof of the UNfair and UNbalanced reporting and to register their displeasure that local dollars would support that. There were numerous reports of local businesses cancelling their advertising with their local Fox affiliates and moving that business to a competitor.

The affiliates, of course, got upset and in turn took their complaints to HQ. The result was that Fox News backed off, not a whole lot but enough to be discernible. 

In response to Naci_Sey on boycotting local businesses:

Okay, I can see that boycotting small, local businesses could be more effective than the large corporations, but I still think it's a bad idea. Small local businesses need our support. These businesses are in constant danger of being driven out by box stores and discounters. It is hard enough for these businesses, who from my perspective are the good guys, or at least the better guys, without targeting them for something that has nothing to do with them. At a time when we need to be shopping locally and supporting small business, I feel this is not fair. 

aka Mycroft wrote:

Starting a CTV Watch website that documents incidents of bias?

That is an excellant idea...besides documenting the incidents it would also provide the documentation necessary for the CRTC to pull their licence and fine them when a new government takes over. 

Starting a ctv bias thread/blog or forum subject heading would be good for people to chime in the incidents they have witnessed for you to place on the website. Dates would be critical as well as times when the incidents occur. It would also provide discussion of the incidents so you don't accidentally defame the network. Or open yourself up to conservative entrappers. 

The internet would serve that purpose well as there is no agency out there that makes news stories about the media, hence documenting incidents easily. 

I agree that CTV is becoming Canada's version of FOX news. One of the worst examples was their 'EXCLUSIVE!!' scoop of a 'secret tape' of the NDP caucus conference call. Halfway through the article, they reveal that the meeting was secretely taped by a conservative....who gave it to CTV, the official mouthpiece of the Tories. This needs to be challenged.

 Some of the most important work that the US blogosphere has done over the past few years has been to hold their media accountable. Boycotts and targetting their advertisers is one way. Organizing to complain to the CRTC is another.

However, I think that the most effective way is to challenge them directly. Swamping their comments boards, complaining to their 'contact us' links, letting them know that a majority of Canadians do not feel that their point of view is represented. A website, such as Media Matters in the States, to document the bias and to galvanize opposition would be ideal.

Because you need to show why your side is correct and what kind of obstacles your side needs to get through to educate people. Yes educate because as this last week shows, people don't read between the lines as far as media goes and people don't understand how democracy not in the US works. Hence the further problem of US media creep that has been happening over the years.

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"Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there's a really easy way: stop participating in it."
Noam Chomsky

CTV is no worse than Global, as I noted in another thread:

Quote:

Global created an interesting aside last night at Robertson's 
installment as Mayor, by asking him should he be letting council
members attend pro-coalition and anti Harper rallies, when indeed
Ottawa holds financial keys to help Vancouver's infrastructure.

Now this smacks of nasty politics, in fact dirty politics, as it is
as close to a statement of accepting politics, as the way the current
arrested Illinois governor did, cash and political favours for your
vote/support.  Because Global really stated that Vancouver would now be
penalized by Harper, financially, because of the 2 councillors
attending rallies against him.

This indicates the Global believes that Harper would/will conduct
himself in a blindly partisan way, at best, and as a dictator, at
worst, and would withhold money from Vancouver. It also indicates that
Global approves of such dirty political actions by Harper, that they
were willing to threaten Robertson with it and thus say he had better
stay out of federal poltical statements on his part, or the city
council's part.  Indeed they basically threatened the entirety of
Vancouver with that statement, disguised as a question! Support Harper
or else face the financial consequences threat.

This type of dictatorial action has no place in our national news
media and it is time, over time actually, for a unified boycott of
Global sponsors!

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"watching the tide roll away"

Well that only holds true, if people do not boycott sponsors. People boycotting sponsors would force to holders of the pension fund into different actions, poerhaps selling their shares off into a more ethical position/holding, considering the fact should a boycott happen, the pension funds lose their worth, if shares in CTV diminish.

___________________________________________________________
"watching the tide roll away"

Sarann wrote:

 How can Canadians put pressure on CTV to be more objective.  They tear apart the Liberals and the Coalition and don't mention the strange eccentric behaviour of the Conservatives.   Boycott their advertisers.  How does one choose and go about it?

This string should also apply to the CBC. TERRIABLE REPORTING!

Sarann:

I have done more research and find that Ontario Teachers Pension Fund now owns 58% of CTVGlobemedia.  Write to them asking for objectivity.  They have contact addresses on their web site.  Then write to CTV and CTV News.  Ontario teachers, retired and otherwise,  might be persuaded to put some pressure on their fund managers to pay attention to this issue.  I'm sure they are in favour of more balanced reporting.  If you know any Ontario teachers mention it to them.  Teacher usually care a lot.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Did  Teachers  go through with the purchase? Last I heard, they were getting ready to pay the $1.2 billion penalty for bailiing out of taking on the burden of debt and falling share prices.

Really like to know.

"Why waste your energy fighting the bad guys when you could be promoting and helping to build progressive media?"

Not only are these not mutually exclusive but they're actually the same thing. The only way to really effectively fight the corruption and bias of the media is to go out in the streets and confront the effect it has.

You can do boycotts, and put pressure on advertisers. That's perfectly fine, but the lies will stay because they represent interests that are far greater than any inconvenience you can cause. There's no shortcut to this. We need to send our messages so constantly and cleverly that it becomes louder than the media. Posters, websites, pamphlets, conversations, etc. It's a huge job. I don't deny it. But there isn't any other way. They won't stop planting their lies no matter what you do, so you just have to go out and pull them up one by one, and make a garden of truth.

The Chamber of Sober Second Helpings?

Jokerman said

"It was painful to watch the subtle cheerleading for all things
conservative.  I suspect that this "journalist" will end up with a
Senate seat."

Yep everything about that network spells conservative propaganda and facilitating agency...their so called journalists run for the conservatives even.  It wouldn't surprise me if they made Duffy a senator. More reason for the crtc to pull their licence.

Should be interesting watching the spin of the auto crisis. CTV depends on those auto dollars for advertising revenue...so they are in a conflict of interest situation...expect fear mongering reporting..and lots of it. 

You don't belong here, asshole.

Fuck off.

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bewaredabear wrote:

Now, Now lets not over-react. If my words offend you I am sorry. If my words are incorrect please enlighten me. I do not mean any disrespect and certainly do not mean to speak disparagingly of anybody with a different opinion. I simply am saying that corporate Canada pays for CTV and Globe Media and we all, as taxpayers, prop up the CBC. If it were any other way we would be doomed to follow the U.S.

 

Thats all

You lying creep. Now you're pretending you didn't say what you said. I will quote it here so you won't be able to edit your own words:

bewaredabear wrote:

Why is it that everyone here can't see the big picture? The left has the CBC and the right has CTV. The only problem is that the right pays for both.

So you can shove that passive-aggressive attitude up your ass on your way out the door.

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Sarann, what did you end up doing to deal with your issues regarding CTV?

Wow... all this started because of a comment about lil ol' Bob "Yes Prime Minister, swallow or spit" Fife and his totally biased crap reporting.  But I digress. The problem with the media in this country is the fact that it is so concentrated between, Canwest Global, Rogers Communications, BellGlobe Media and the Sun Chain.

Everyone knows about media concentration and its effects on society. To see that all you have to do is look down south.  On the coast here, Canwest controls all the major dailies and the vast majority of the weekly community papers.  For some balance we have the Georgia Straight in the lower mainland, but predominantly the weeklies are controllled by either Canwest or Black Press.

What is truly frightening about the media today is the reaction to a proposed coalition government. The level of hype and hyperbole, and empty rhetoric stoked up by the Conservatives was shocking.  And the playing of that rhetoric, referring to Liberals and NDP'ers has "treasonous" "mutineers" "attempting a coup d'etat" and other inflammatory statements to whip up anger and outrage was grossly unresponsible and reprehensible.

There are people in this country that would take those terms and believe them, that somehow democratically elected people were trying to "seize power and overthrow" the government. What was shocking to me was that alot of the talk show hosts did NOTHING or even STOKED it even worse, though it was in all reality a huge lie. I also believe that these same people put our elected officials in harm's way, because there are some crackpots and nut bars in this country that do believe that whats in the papers or Macleans Magazine, or on TV or the radio must be true because the media is a responsible entity and has a duty to fulfill in society (somewhat akin to the judiciary or executive branches of our government).

As the old saying goes, those that own the piper call the tune.

     Burn it down.

With both Duffy and Wallen appointed to the senate it should be all the proof that the CTV network is a conservative mouthpiece and propaganda service in violation of crtc rules and regulations...hopefully they will have their licence pulled. Failing that then the CRTC itself is in disrepair and should be pulled.

They (the NEW tory senators) even have to take an oath that they are against the coalition...talk about biased..that in itself has made a mockery of the conservative appointed branch of the senate. Unfortunately Canadians are as dumb as sticks and can't comprehend much less understand what has and is taking place...without a popular newscaster to tell them what to think they are powerless and helpless. What a disgrace this is. Unfortunately this could be good unless of course mansbridge is a neocon also.He sure makes excuses for them.

One thing is for sure Harper has shown that Canadians are just as gullible as Americans and can be led down the garden path so easily it's pathetic to say the least. It's shameful and demoralizing !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkM5eyN8ytI&feature=user

K.E. Smith wrote:

If you do not like CTV news, change the channel.

If you don't like babble, recycle your computer.

Sarann wrote:

In my research I found out CTVGlobemedia is now 40% owned by The Ontario Teachers Pension Fund.  How does one contact them to register a complaint. 

Great question!

Quote:

To: [email protected]

Subject: The Conservative Television Network

CTVGlobemedia is, I understand, now 40% owned by The Ontario Teachers Pension Fund.

The Globe and Mail is a very respected newspaper, and a great investment for you. Certainly you would not want to interfere with its editorial freedom.

The CTV network, on the other hand, is a bad joke. It was typified by Mike Duffy, who has thankfully gone to his reward, but it is still known by many as the "Conservative Television Network." I almost never watch it, but if I did, I would subliminally form a negative opinion of advertisers on it. It has a large number of viewers, who are being fed a diet of good entertainment and slanted news.

You need, in my respectful submission, to take steps to make it as objective as the Globe and Mail.

Yours very truly,

Wilfred Day

Yeah, I hear Fox is fair and balanced.