CBC doc producer accused of bias transitioned into new role, says ...

The Racial Equity Media Collective (REMC) says it’s been told a CBC employee has been moved to a non-editorial role outside the documentary team after the group lodged a formal complaint.

The complaint, which dates back to February, was referenced in an open letter published by REMC and the Documentary Organization of Canada earlier this month “to address an apparent pattern of anti-Palestinian bias, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian racism within the corporation’s news and documentary culture.”

The letter alleged a documentary production executive had, between last October and March of this year, posted numerous discriminatory posts to social media about Muslims, Palestine, and Palestinians, in contravention of CBC’s Journalistic Standards and Practices. It was signed by more than 500 producers and filmmakers – including Sarah Polley, Frances-Anne Solomon, Aisling Chin-Yee, Avi Lewis, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Jasmin Mozaffari, among many others.

REMC says it was informed last week that as of June 20, the employee in question has now transitioned to a non-editorial role within another department at CBC and will not be returning to the documentary team.

“Though we continue to harbour broader concerns, this is a welcome development,” REMC said in a statement. “From the outset of our engagement with CBC, we have maintained that the community’s trust can only be regained via concrete action. CBC’s decision to remove this individual from an editorial role is just such an action—and an essential one.”

“But it is not in itself sufficient,” the statement continued. “As expressed in our response to the recent statement from CBC President & CEO Catherine Tait, CBC must make further efforts to establish and publicly communicate clear and detailed policies that will ensure that Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism, and other forms of discrimination are not tolerated within the organization going forward.”

REMC said it is encouraged by the public broadcaster’s ongoing revision of anti-discrimination policies and procedures.

A CBC spokesperson declined the opportunity to respond to the REMC statement, telling Broadcast Dialogue that the public broadcaster does not comment publicly on its employees.