CTV needs a wakeup call

[Babbling Brooks]

I'm sure I'm not alone in my disgust with CTV News and Bob Fife broadcasting news of the Canadian fatalities in Kandahar the other day before next of kin were notified.  It's no secret among reporters when something like this happens, but most have the decency to wait until official word is released before going public with it.

By jumping the gun, by cynically and needlessly broadcasting incomplete information just to scoop their competitors, Fife and the CTV News team opened up a big can of worms.  How willing do you think the CBC or Global newsrooms will be to sit on information in the future, knowing CTV will skip to the head of the line with no regard for the consequences to military friends and family?

I've posted about the issue here: http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2007/04/consequences.html

My piece includes a link where you can e-mail Robert Hurst, President of CTV News to express your displeasure over this incident.

Let's let them know, in civil but unambiguous language, that their actions have consequences.

 

[MikeM]

+1

Comms lockdowns should apply to the media as well, poor decision by CTV indeed.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

It is quite possible DND will declare him Persona non Grata and ship is ass back post haste (as has been done to reporters who haven't been doing things the way they should be).

 

[niner domestic]

I'm afraid BB that the MSM tripping over themselves to get their story filed before there is official confirmation is not a new phenomenon.  Those of us that were waiting news of our loved ones during the Falklands had to sit through many a morning's report from the BBC about the condition of the task Force before anything was confirmed.  I recall one May morning, while feeding my daughter, the report began with the sober voice of the BBC reporter out of Montevideo reporting that the Canberra had come under attack and there were massive casualties.  If a human heart can be stopped from a few words those ones pretty much stopped mine.  

It took, half a day before the report was corrected, and the families were all notified that it was not the Canberra.  The RE was working overtime to assure families that the ship was safe and what was glaring absent was any broadcast by the BBC to correct the erroneous information.  The families went through weeks of false reports and MOD had to put out massive amounts of press conferences to put things right.  They had to have one once a day to fix the erroneous reporting of the media.    

The homeland reporters that had not accompanied the fleet used to wait outside the barracks and learned quickly which were the staff cars used for notification parties.  The journalists would then follow them to the house of the family about to be told their loved had been killed or injured.  Each journalist was plying for a position to be able to take the picture of the grieving wife or mother.  

When it was my turn to be visited by the notification party, over the shoulder of the padre who had knocked at my door, I looked straight into the lens of a camera.  My mother said there had been at least 30 journalists outside on the pavement.  No amount of appealing to them to conduct themselves with some decorum and give the families some privacy did any good.  I actually had a journalist try and take my picture when I was being fitted for my mourning clothes.  They tried to shout out to my then, 14 month old daughter if she knew her daddy was in heaven as we were leaving the church.  It was disgusting.  

Nothing has changed in 25 years.  The MSM still want their pictures of anguish and their 10 second sound bytes of grief.  Apparently the strained look of being told your loved one has just died or been injured still sells papers and commercial air time.  

 

[DavidAkin]

I'm not going to speak about the sources my boss, Bob Fife, uses but I can assure you that it was, always has been, and always will be CTV policy to abide by embargos we agree to and we we broke no embargos in this case. Senior officers from DND public affairs know this and have a good enough idea where our information came from. Back on his site, Babbling Brooks has an imaginary scenario about how we came to learn of these latest deaths. His conclusion is incorrect. It did not come from Kandahar but was independently acquired and confirmed here. 

That said -- Babbling is absolutely right about one thing: We encourage all feedback, good and bad, about the news decisions we make and Bob Hurst, as the president of our news division who had a long career as a foreign correspondent, is exactly the guy to speak to.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

I'm not going to speak about the sources my boss, Bob Fife, uses but I can assure you that it was, always has been, and always will be CTV policy to abide by embargos we agree to and we we broke no embargos in this case. Senior officers from DND public affairs know this and have a good enough idea where our information came from. Back on his site, Babbling Brooks has an imaginary scenario about how we came to learn of these latest deaths. His conclusion is incorrect. It did not come from Kandahar but was independently acquired and confirmed here. 

That said -- Babbling is absolutely right about one thing: We encourage all feedback, good and bad, about the news decisions we make and Bob Hurst, as the president of our news division who had a long career as a foreign correspondent, is exactly the guy to speak to.

Not to add more fuel to the fire but maybe the media can/should wait until the offical announcement is made from Kandahar and then "run" with the story?

<edit to add>

I.E. First run with the story that a Nato soldier has been injured/KIA and then wait until the announcment is made from Theater.

 

[DavidAkin]

I'm afraid BB that the MSM tripping over themselves to get their story filed before there is official confirmation is not a new phenomenon. ....(snipped)
Nothing has changed in 25 years.  The MSM still want their pictures of anguish and their 10 second sound bytes of grief.  Apparently the strained look of being told your loved one has just died or been injured still sells papers and commercial air time.  

Hey niner domestic,

I cringe when I hear these stories because I also believe such conduct to be shameful.

For the record, I've attended at CFB Petawawa and at CFB Trenton on numerous occasions over the last 18 months or so for funerals, memorial services, ramp ceremonies  and other 'difficult' periods and I have made a point of ensuring that CTV crews I work with will conduct themselves appropriately, with all consideration for any family members and only with the permission of appropriate military authorities. In my experience, the vast majority of journalists in Canada also operate along the same guidelines.

 

[niner domestic]

Mr Akins: While you may believe your sources were correct, the issue is not about the accuracy of Fife's report but rather the decision to publish it prior to a final confirmation that all NOK had been notified.  That decision alone has made this latest report unconscionable.  Speak to that issue and spare me the Shakespearean drama of protesting too much.  

 

[Cardstonkid]

What Bob did was disgusting, but what do you expect from him?  He often shows poor journalistic judgement and makes his biases know all too clearly. Ultimately, Bob seems to be for Bob and that is about it. I wrote this letter to CTV.   

To whom it may concern,

It was disappointing to see the antics of Bob Fife in his “scoop” on the story of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan. I have friends and comrades serving in Afghanistan. I got to wait on pins and needles until an official release of information could be made. I can only imagine what the mothers, fathers, sons and daughters were going through after Bob “Taliban” Fife did his part to terrorize the families and friends of the CF.

I know the CTV network tries to be unbiased, but ultimately the only thing that matters is ratings and advertising revenue. I guess you get more viewers with a “scoop” like this one. However, I am in charge of a marketing budget and our next TV campaign is being formulated for the summer. Our options are Global or CTV. Can you guess media outlet is more likely to get my vote?
I doubt it will make a difference, but we must speak out.

 

[Jarnhamar]

My bigest issue with the media is that I feel the CF is too hessitant to give them a talking to when they get out of line.

I think what irks me the most (aside from reporters overseas who don't listen to you or tape your orders when you specifically tell them not too..) is that when something happens there is such an insane mad scramble to post infomation that they don't seem to varify what their reporting.  Every time something happens there is about a dozen different versions of the story.

3 soldiers killed. 4 soldiers killed. 2 soldiers killed but they were nato not canadian. 5 canadian soldiers killed it could have been because of whatever. Honestly it's a joke. It's like a bunch of people listening to and spreading rumors.

I personally stopped watching the news because of this schoolyard rumor mill.

 

[Babbling Brooks]

Back on his site, Babbling Brooks has an imaginary scenario about how we came to learn of these latest deaths. His conclusion is incorrect. It did not come from Kandahar but was independently acquired and confirmed here.

David, you may want to reread what I actually said.  I wasn't concluding that CTV used any particular method to determine casualties in this instance, just using one scenario of many to illustrate the fact that the Canadian news media generally know of CF casualties before the news is released by DND.

we broke no embargos in this case

You're welcome to stand on a clause in an embed agreement if it makes you feel any better about your employer.  But I'm not complaining that your network broke any agreements.  I'm complaining that Fife announcing the news on national television before the news was officially released - which has to follow notification of the next of kin - was a sh*tty thing to do.

Please tell me how breaking this story a couple of hours before anyone could confirm NOK had been notified was of benefit to the Canadian public.  Please tell me how it was worth the trauma your bosses put military families through.  Please tell me why CBC and Global won't follow suit and start finding ways to do an end-run around the embed agreement so they don't get left behind by a morally-bereft CTV News division.

You're defending the indefensible, David.  Quit while you're behind.

 

[niner domestic]

This is one of my favourite articles on Journalism and Ethics.  If one were to assume that the 4 points of ethics posed by the author are canon, CTV and the other MSM have failed miserably.  http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/ethicsoutlook/2003/ethical_journalists.html

 

[MikeM]

Mr. Akin, regardless of where you received your information, it does not justify releasing a story such as this prior to NOK being notified. Families don't deserve to be stressed out more than they already are just so you can be the first to publish the story. Give your head a shake.

 

[Babbling Brooks]

Families don't deserve to be stressed out more than they already are just so you can be the first to publish the story. Give your head a shake.

One of these days I'm going to learn to keep my comments as focused as this one.  Well said, MikeM.

 

[Cloud Cover]

David's a pretty good guy- give him some time to get in touch with his boss and give this one a "pause 2, 3." 

 

[ameliat]

I am a mother of a soldier who just came back from Afghanistan and i am so disappointed in ctv for airing that yesterday before the NOK were notified.Show a little respect for our soldiers and their families. I know that if my son hadn't already been back from there that i would have been just about loosing my mind after listening to that report.Shame on you Bob Fife.I wander how he would feel if he had family over there?

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Folks,
I am putting a lock on this for the time being, the information to lodge a complaint is on the first page of the thread.
Lets see what the response from CTV is before this thread spirals any furthur.

Anyone from the CTV side who wishes to answer these accusations need just PM me anytime until 0630 tomorrow morn.and I will unlock it for your post.[ after that I rest, contact an on-duty Mod]