(OTTAWA) The CBC and Radio-Canada networks announce that they are suspending their activities on Twitter less than 24 hours after the social network decided to add the label “government funded media” to the company’s account. ‘State.
“Our journalism is unbiased and independent. To claim otherwise is false. This is why we are suspending our activities on Twitter,” CBC and Radio-Canada posted on their respective Twitter accounts.
The state corporation is not the first media to suspend its activities in this way. National Public Radio – the American public radio – decided to no longer be active on the social network after being granted this labeling, judging this measure as an attack on its integrity in terms of editorial independence.
CBC’s decision to suspend its Twitter activities also came hours after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre of teaming up with US billionaire Elon Musk to attack an important institution for Canadians, CBC. /Radio Canada
On Sunday, Twitter decided to add the label “government-funded media” to CBC’s account, following a letter sent by the Conservative leader to the web giant.
Poilievre was quick to welcome the new designation, saying “people now know this is Trudeau propaganda, not news,” he wrote on Twitter. He then launched yet another call to cut off the CBC.
“It is really sad to see a political party attacking independent media. Mr. Poilievre claims he wants to attack the CBC without also attacking Radio-Canada. But this is entirely false. You can’t trust the Conservatives when you see that they regularly attack culture, identity, quality independent journalism,” said Mr. Trudeau.
“It says a lot to see that the Conservative Party has chosen to attack an important institution for many Canadians by running to see billionaires from the giants of the web in the United States,” added the Prime Minister.
CBC had opposed such a designation, which risks questioning its independence in the eyes of some. The state-owned company issued a press release on Sunday evening to set the record straight.
“Twitter’s policy defines government-funded media as instances where the government ‘may intervene to varying degrees in editorial content,’ which is clearly not the case for CBC/Radio-Canada,” argued CBC on its Twitter account.
“CBC/Radio-Canada is publicly funded through a parliamentary appropriation voted by all Members of Parliament. Its editorial independence is protected by law in the Broadcasting Act,” the statement continued.
“Furthermore, our journalism is independent and subject to our Journalistic Standards and Practices, as well as an independent complaints process through the Ombudsman,” it also said.
The leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, also criticized the crusade led by Pierre Poilievre.
“What is the intention? Pierre Poilievre claims that CBC is a liberal propaganda outlet. Radio-Canada is not beyond reproach. However, he also wants to cut his funding. For the arts, information and French in the regions, it is very serious, ”said Mr. Blanchet on his Twitter account.
Unlike CBC’s, the CBC/Radio-Canada institutional account has not been given the label of government-funded media. Radio-Canada accounts do not have this mention either.
If he is brought to power in the next federal election, Pierre Poilievre has promised to cut off the CBC, but not Radio-Canada. In 2021-2022, CBC/Radio-Canada received $1.2 billion from the federal government, compared to $1.4 billion the previous year. The public broadcaster also derives revenue from advertising and subscriptions.
Twitter has also previously affixed the controversial label to the accounts of the BBC, Britain’s public broadcaster. Twitter had identified these media as “state-affiliated,” a term typically attributed to state-run media that relay propaganda from an authoritarian regime – such as Russia and China.
The social media giant has changed the label yet again, opting for the term “crowd-funded media”.
Elon Musk, who is also the boss of Tesla, does not hide his contempt for the media. In recent times, questions from the press to the communication service of Twitter are automatically sent an emoticon in the shape of a turd.
