For anyone who might be interested, here is the letter of complaint I sent off by snail-mail (not as easily ignored as email, at least that's my thinking) yesterday to the CBC about Kevin O'Leary and his disgraceful treatment of Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author Chris Hedges:
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing to express my strong disapproval of Kevin O'Leary's insulting 'interview' with the well-respected writer and journalist Chris Hedges on a recent Lang and O'Leary Exchange. In referring to Mr. Hedges as a 'nutbar' and employing a general tone of sarcasm throughout the segment, O'Leary not only disgraced himself but seriously tarnished the reputation of the CBC, which at one time enjoyed world-wide acclaim for the quality of its programming. To allow one of your employees to resort to ad hominems as a substitute for reasoned discussion is inexcusable, and is a sad extension of the Corporation's unwillingness to demand an apology from O'Leary for his racist statement earlier this year about “Indian givers.”
I suspect the ongoing decline of the CBC's journalistic integrity stems from your desire to placate the Harper government and its right-wing adherents. History teaches us that such efforts at appeasement rarely yield the results intended, but rather exacerbate and accelerate the deterioration of the placating body. I also suspect you will find declining support for organizations such as Friends of the CBC, since the distinctive role the Corporation once played in Canada is quickly becoming just a memory.
It is perhaps ironic that in substituting invective for reasoned discussion in his Hedges' 'interview,' O'Leary was exemplifying the thesis of Hedges' book, The Death of the Liberal Class, which posits that the traditional challenges to the power elite's excesses no longer exist, as unions, the church, educational institutions, the media, etc. have abdicated that role in favour of ensconcing themselves within the power structure.
As a long-time supporter of the CBC, it is a harsh truth that I wish our national broadcaster had proven the exception to.
Sincerely,
Lorne Warwick
For those interesting in registering a complaint, both the snail-mail and website contact information is listed below:
Audience Relations, CBC
P.O. Box 500 Station A
Toronto, ON
Canada, M5W 1E6
http://www.cbc.ca/contact/
Bravo Lorne. I couldn't have said it better myself. The saddest part of the C.B.C. story is the old "damned if you do and damned if you don't". With the Harpercons holding the hammer of non support over their heads they (cbc) have to play their cards close to their chest.
ReplyDeleteEveryone knows that conservatives live in a "reality show" world where the shock jock antagonists of Simon Cowell, Ann Coulter, Glenn Beck, Howard Stern, Kevin O'Leary, etc., etc., through their own lack of intellect must resort to slander. I wonder if KO even has the humility to realize what a fool he looks. My two daughters 25 and 21, know more about Chris Hedges than KO and also a lot more about respect and proper dialogue. I think cbc has become a vehicle for "in your face" attidude and it doesn't fit them well. I wish they had the spine to stand up and be counted and show that they really are "a voice of the people".
The CBC is dividing Canada, not uniting it.
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