Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Don Newman, Bluesky, and the CBC.

BC Blue beat me to it with his post on Don Newman still writing for the CBC but here for your reading pleasure is my perspective and some added information.

Here is what Bluesky claims they can do for their clients:

In the headlines – or staying out of the headlines.
Our unparalleled relationships with bureau chiefs, columnists, producers, editors, members of the National Parliamentary Press Gallery and an extensive network of media contacts across the country make Bluesky’s reach vast.
We have been on both sides of the camera and understand what makes news.
Our team takes our clients’ issues and shapes strong messages that put them in the news or help them stay out of it!

Interesting. I guess that Don Newman will be a valuable asset with his past and current relationship with the CBC. Good for him and his new employer Bluesky, but shouldn't this sort of thing raise concerns within the CBC?



Now here is what the CBC manual says about journalistic credibility:

Credibility is dependent not only on qualities such as accuracy and fairness in reporting and presentation, but also upon avoidance by both the organization and its journalists of associations or contacts which could reasonably give rise to perceptions of partiality. Any situation which could cause reasonable apprehension that a journalist or the organization is biased or under the influence of any pressure group, whether ideological, political, financial, social or cultural, must be avoided.


If this type of thing must be avoided could someone at the CBC explain why is Newman still allowed to write for the CBC at the same time as he working with a group that claims to be able to influence the media by taking "our clients’ issues and shapes strong messages that put them in the news or help them stay out of it!"


As they say in the media relations biz: perception is everything.

Related: Newman's current entry and a previous one on the same subject as well as a couple of other posts that I made referring to Don.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very simple, Newman is writing 'ghost' articles for Blue Sky and has CBC approval. I'm guessing that whoever runs or controls Blue Sky are also Liberals. Nice little club. Guessing that they didn't expect somebody like you to figure this out. (real conservative)

Anonymous said...

Don't know - he is bidding his time until the Liberals get back into power and he can follow in the footsteps of the Duffinator.

In the blue corner Senator Mike Duffy in the red corner Senator Don Newman.

Yup - would certainly love neutrality in media.dr

Ardvark said...

There is nothing wrong with Newman working for Bluesky, in fact good on Bluesky for landing him, but the CBC on the other hand should be cutting all ties with the former host of the brawwwdcast ASAP.

As for a neutral media, I have my doubts if that is really even possible but it would be nice if they would at least admit there is a problem rather than pretend that none exists.

The_Iceman said...

Is Bluesky a lobbying group? I wonder what would happen if Quebecor hired Bluesky to lobby for Sun TV? Donny can use the CBC as a medium to advance the interests of his clients.

Anonymous said...

Is the Liberal Party a client of Bluesky?
Is the CBC a client of Bluesky?

I think Don owes us an explanation and a resignation.

Stan

maryT said...

Can we assume that the liberal party is a client of Blue Sky, and have told them to keep all their scandals and boondoogles out of the news.
That explains everything the media has not covered, from adscam, stolen funds and so many other things.