Is the CBC Really Liberal?

Conservatives complain about the supposedly liberal nature of the CBC, Canada's national broadcaster.  However, as someone who worked at CBC and CTV (Canada's largest private broadcaster), I think that these complaints miss the mark. They also demonstrate a lack of understanding of the nature of news and journalism in North America.

Most of what comes across as left-wing bias on the CBC is really fair and balanced reporting, compared to what is produced by Canada's private broadcasters. Private broadcasters looking to maximize ratings (and profits) produce news that generally avoids challenging the status quo, promotes hegemonic thinking and favours elites and authority figures.  For this reason, it is news that slants overwhelmingly to the right.

Let me present an example: the lead up to the war in Iraq.

I was working at CTV during the run up to George W. Bush's misguided folly.  During my time at Canada's largest private broadcaster, I recall that we continuously bombarded viewers with clips from news conferences and other interviews featuring Bush and/or his henchmen (Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and Coin Powell).  These clips were often run with minimal or no editing, taken verbatim from news conferences without even allowing viewers to hear the questions being asked by reporters.  Of course, the clips from the Washington war-mongers maintained without a shred of evidence that Saddam Hussein was a danger to the world and possessed WMDs, etc.  Later, we all learned the real story.

At the time, I remember complaining to CTV producers that we needed to balance off these comments with people on the other side - war opponents, academics or other experts who might challenge Bush's hegemonic views.  I was repeatedly told "no," that anti-war campaigners, academics and others were just "rabble rousers," the usual suspects called upon to "complain about everything."

On the other hand, the CBC's reporting at the time, in particular that of excellent Washington correspondent Neil MacDonald, balanced the Washington line and offered news stories that presented both sides - the case for going to war and the case against.  (Fortunately, Canada's PM chose not to join Bush's adventures).

So where was the left-wing bias in that case?

Conservatives might think that what CBC did was biased, but most rational people would say that interviewing both sides on a story as important as a run up to war would be reasonable and the correct thing to do.  So looking back, which broadcaster did its job in providing viewers with the big picture and which broadcaster was interested only in ratings and bottom line?

I think the answer to that question is easy to see.  Unless you only see a liberal bogeyman in every room.