I think the CBC should change its name from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to the Canadian Business Corporation. Boy, has Big Oil ever found a friend in important branches of our national broadcaster!
While there are, mercifully, some notable exceptions (such as "The Current" and "Quirks & Quarks," - radio programs who actually tell the truth about climate change), The National still lags far behind, with its pro-industry bias still out there for all to see.
Lately, the Corporation has found a new "darling" in the likes of David Wilkins, a former US Ambassador to Canada. Wilkins now gets his paycheques from the Canadian oil industry! David Wilkins, (l.) "ambassdor-for-hire"
But The National didn't see fit to mention that when he led the newscast the other night, spouting his pro-oil, anti-science propaganda.
Ironically, the Radio program, The House, committed an almosty identical sin with another former Ambassador last summer but issued an apology after I complained to the CBC Ombudsman.
Sadly, CBC Manitoba is similarly failing to inform its listeners/viewers of the reality and seriousness of our climate crisis.
On the contrary, it recently provided air time to Michael Hlinka, a conservative commentator, singing the praises of the proposed, misguided Keystone XL pipeline from the Alberta tar sands into the southern 'States, while condemning President Obama for being "political" for delaying it. Odd, isn't it, how such individuals can overlook the fact that it is the forces arrayed against this project who have science on their side - not him!
At the same time, Rex managed to badmouth sincere environmentalsts everywhere while praising the Harper government for its plans to withdraw form the Kyoto Accord. He was practically salivating at the likelihood that the Durban environmental summit will fail to reach an agreement on the limiting of greenhouse gases.
Murphy cleverly manages to give plenty of air time to Big Oil on his other program, "Cross-Country Checkup" (where he is supposed to be somewhat neutral), while avoiding any meaningful discussion on our climate crisis. In other media, like the National Post, he was still lamenting just this summer over "Climate-gate," (which he and other climate-deniers jumped all over, claiming it was a scandal which proved that human-caused global warming was a fraud). His column came about a year or more after no less than six major, independent investigations had shown that this was simply not true!
Sadly, many CBC listeners/viewers can no longer be faulted if they mistakenly believe that we can continue to wallow in a future almost totally dependent on fossil fuels without suffering serious consequences. They are, at best, being seriously and shamelessly under-informed or misinformed.
But it's OK, Rex, there'll be a job waiting for you in Big Oil, the PM's office or even as a trained seal in the Senate if you ever leave the CBC!
Larry Powell
Roblin, MB
