“It is recognized that the most valuable asset of a broadcaster is public respect, which must be earned and can be maintained only by adherence to the highest possible standards of public service and integrity,” is a quote that can be found on the Canadian Broadcasting Standards Council (CBSC) website, which presents a opposite At first the interview appeared to be a respectful interview with a respectful interview guest, Canadian Interpretive Dancer, Margie Gillis; however, this interview was nothing but this as the conduct of broadcaster Krista Erikson took a turn for the worst. Consequently, resulting in the CBSC receiving a record number of complaints- in fact they received more complaints than Sun TV sees viewers. While it is true that we live in a free democratic society where we can express our opinions even if they may not be the same at others, once that pen hits paper or the camera hits record, it is the duty of journalists and reporters to provide information in a manner which is truthful and unbiased. Evidently, this is something that Erikson lacked as she attacked and ambushed interpretive dancer, Gillis.
Within the CBSC’s violations there is article eight (decency and conduct), which states “Broadcast journalists will treat people who are subjects and sources with decency. They will use special sensitivity when dealing with children. They will strive to conduct themselves in a courteous and considerate manner, keeping broadcast equipment as unobtrusive as possible. They will strive to prevent their presence from distorting the character or importance of events.” Evidently, it is expected that Erikson will conduct herself in a manner which is acceptable and decent to her subject, Gillis; however, she wasn’t. For instance, during the interview when Erikson was asking a question she began to mock dance by moving her arms around in what is supposed to be “interpretive dancing”. This was not only found to be disrespectful by Gillis and the arts community but it was also deemed unacceptable and disrespectful by many journalists including a Toronto Star columnist Heather Mallick who pokes fun at Erikson’s attempt at mocking Gillis by saying “Erickson erupted, making air-chopping karate moves with her arms in what I take is her effort to create a TV signature.” In addition to this violation within the article, Erikson made it difficult for Gillis to respond to what the accusations and questions by either interjecting or just changing the topic, which in the terms of CBSC is called “distorting.” An example of this is when Gillis attempts to respond to the allegations of Erikson, she is continuously “distorted” by her saying “excuse me” or just simply raising her voice to overpower the softness of Gillis. While Erikson is like everyone else she is also a broadcaster and has rules to follow and certain standards to uphold- standards that were not upheld during the interview.
In addition to being in violation of article eight, Erikson was also in violation of article one- accuracy. Due to Erikson not giving Gillis the chance to respond, viewers were evidently not given the opportunity to fully get informed on what Gillis does for her foundation. As a result of this it not only left viewers with an inaccurate view on what the arts are and how Gillis is a “horrible” person for being a strong believer in the arts. In addition to this it also was not a fair manner- giving questions and not giving chances for the other side to present their ideas is not a question; it is a statement made in the form of a question. Erikson’s behavior was “unethical” according to the CAB ethic guideline clauses five and seven. Throughout this essay, the point of Erikson taking a bias has been made, which goes against clause five: “It shall be the responsibility of broadcasters to ensure that news shall be represented with accuracy and without bias.” In addition to this the clause also states “News shall not be selected for the purpose of furthering or hindering either side of any controversial public issue, nor shall it be formulated on the basis of the beliefs, opinions or desires of management, the editor or others engaged in its preparation or delivery.” Within the interview Erikson continuously stated her opinions and did not allow for Gillis to fairly defend herself. For instance, in the interview Erikson gave her perspective of what arts was opposed to providing facts or perspectives of the taxpayers, a group she continuously made note of as being taken advantage of by Gillis’s foundation receiving $1.2 million in grants. However, ignorance and lack of knowledge was shown when Erikson said the following quote “We have lost more than 150 soldiers who have served in Afghanistan! They have put their lives on the line and, you know, it is, frankly, quite a serious business compared with people dancing on a stage!” Besides the obvious ignorance of Erikson, where is the news in comparing or degrading dancing to something so different such as “soldiers who have served in Afghanistan” who like she said “put their lives on the line.” Similar to what we have learnt in Culture of News, if it is your opinion leave it out, unless you are a critic or doing an editorial. However, Erikson was not a critic nor was the interview an editorial. I would also like to add the fact that Erikson lacks little knowledge on the topic of what art is and how unfortunate it is that someone could not take the time to do more research to find out what others have to say on the topic. As journalists we have a duty- a duty to provide the public with news that is not only interesting but also fair and accurate. Erikson is a fair example of why these legislations, codes and standards must be in place. In fairness to Erikson perhaps it was her following the boss’s orders; however, this does not change the responsibility Sun TV has to be a fair station when presenting news, especially when the news is on a controversial topic. Since this interview Sun TV lost whatever respect they had left receiving an average of only 4,000 viewers. An interview such as this one should set precedence for other broadcasters and TV stations as an illustration of how to not let your own views and opinions affect you as a reporter of the news.