CAJ to Bell: Don't interfere with CTV's journalism

OTTAWA, March 25, 2015 /CNW/ - The CAJ commends CTV's chief anchor Lisa Laflamme and Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife for standing against a reported attempt to interfere with their news coverage by corporate owners Bell Media.

The Globe and Mail reported Bell Media president Kevin Crull — which owns CTV — called the president of the network advising her he was in charge of this file and Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) chairman Jean-Pierre Blais was not to be interviewed again on the pick-and-pay decision.

Laflamme and Fife defied the order and stood up for journalism, their colleagues' work and the public's right to know.

The CAJ calls on Crull to step back and allow journalists to do their job unencumbered by outside business interests. It also calls on the network to support the two journalists in coming days from any corporate backlash.

Fife was the recipient of the 2014 Don McGillivray Award, the CAJ's prestigious award recognizing the best investigative journalism in Canada. Fife won for the work he did uncovering new leads in the scandal over suspended Sen. Mike Duffy's expenses.

The CAJ is Canada's largest national professional organization for journalists from all media, representing over 600 members across the country. The CAJ's primary roles are to provide public-interest advocacy and high-quality professional development for its members.

SOURCE Canadian Association of Journalists

Hugo Rodrigues, CAJ president, 613-330-8396 cell, [email protected]