The Globe and Mail's John Doyle takes on the Corp in a sarcastic column dealing with the non-coverage of Toronto and other Ontario municipal elections on its Toronto station. One has to start wondering why we have a "national" broadcaster. Election coverage has always been its staple.
Here is an excerpt:
"The other day, CBC TV made it clear that it will air Murdoch Mysteries and Frankie Drake Mysteries on Monday evening, as usual, in the Toronto region. It is certainly not going to pre-empt those masterpieces of mystery shenanigans to cover the results of the mayoral race and the first reduced-council election. If you want that kind of politics stuff, you can go online. "That’s where the action is, says CBC.
"Far be it from you or me, mere citizens, taxpayers and consumers, to quarrel with this. CBC knows best when it comes to the news and the public broadcaster went its own eccentric way some time ago. I mean, it’s not as though the elections in Toronto and nearby are about Prince Harry and his wife Meghan. Now that would be news. They’re having a baby for heaven’s sake. Or, events in Venezuela. That’s what you call news at CBC HQ.
"I put it to you that everything about CBC News has been idiosyncratic since The National started being anchored by what appears to be a five-a-side-soccer team. You just never know what you’ll get.
Take Sept. 10 of this year. That’s the day Ontario Premier Doug Ford reacted to a court decision by announcing, in a lather, that he would invoke the notwithstanding clause to force a reduction in Toronto City Council. "This was a gobstopper of a reaction from a premier. The country was gobsmacked.
"Says I to myself, I’ll check out The National tonight to get the lowdown on the notwithstanding clause. Experts will explain. Historical context will be given. The meat and drink of the news story.
"What on earth was I thinking? I should have known that Adrienne Arsenault was at the border between Venezuela and Colombia. That was the main news of the day. Of course it was. Adrienne Arsenault announced, “Tonight we are in Colombia, a country bearing the brunt of a desperate, growing exodus."
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