CBC News

Summary

CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. Founded in 1941, CBC News is the largest news broadcaster in Canada and has local, regional, and national broadcasts and stations. It frequently collaborates with its organizationally separate French-language counterpart, Radio-Canada Info.

CBC News
Company typeDepartment of the CBC
IndustryMedia
FoundedJanuary 1, 1941
Headquarters
Canada
Area served
Specific services for Canada and rest of world
Key people
Brodie Fenlon, general manager and editor in chief, CBC News
ServicesRadio and television broadcasts
OwnerCBC
Websitecbc.ca/news

History

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The first CBC newscast was a bilingual radio report on November 2, 1936. The CBC News Service was inaugurated during World War II on January 1, 1941, when Dan McArthur, chief news editor, had Wells Ritchie prepare for the announcer Charles Jennings a national report at 8:00 pm. Previously, CBC relied on The Canadian Press to provide it with wire copy for its news bulletins. Readers who followed Jennings were Lorne Greene, Frank Herbert and Earl Cameron. CBC News Roundup (French counterpart: La revue de l'actualité) started on August 16, 1943, at 7:45 pm,[1] being replaced by The World at Six on October 31, 1966.[2]

On English-language television the first newscast, part of CBC Newsmagazine, was given on September 8, 1952, on CBLT (Toronto), the only English station then telecasting. Later that year CBC National News was introduced (anchors: Larry Henderson, Earl Cameron, Stanley Burke), then changing its name to The National in 1970.[3]

The CBC began delivering news online in 1996 via the Newsworld Online website.[4] The CBC News Online site launched in 1998.[5] In 2017, CBC News relaunched its flagship newscast, The National, with four co-anchors based in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver and later two anchors Monday through Thursday and a single anchor on Friday and Sunday.[6][7][8]

News output

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CBC News logo as seen in 2019

In November 2023, the CBC joined with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Paper Trail Media [de] and 69 media partners including Distributed Denial of Secrets and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and more than 270 journalists in 55 countries and territories[9][10] to produce the 'Cyprus Confidential' report on the financial network which supports the regime of Vladimir Putin, mostly with connections to Cyprus, and showed Cyprus to have strong links with high-up figures in the Kremlin, some of whom have been sanctioned.[11][12] Government officials including Cyprus president Nikos Christodoulides[13] and European lawmakers[14] began responding to the investigation's findings in less than 24 hours,[15] calling for reforms and launching probes.[16][17]

Television

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The Television News section of CBC News is responsible for the news programs on CBC Television and CBC News Network, including national news programs like The National,[18] Marketplace,[19] The Fifth Estate,[20] and The Investigators with Diana Swain.[21] It is also responsible for The Weekly with Wendy Mesley[22] until its cancellation in September 2020.[23] They are also responsible for news, business, weather and sports information for Air Canada's inflight entertainment.[24]

Local

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Most local newscasts on CBC Television are branded as CBC News: [city/province name], such as CBC News: Toronto at Six. Local radio newscasts are heard on the half-hour during morning and afternoon drive shows and on the hour at other times during the day.[25][26][27][28]

Radio

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The Radio News section of CBC News produces on-the-hour updates for the CBC's national radio newscasts and provides content for regional updates. Major radio programs include World Report, The World at Six, The World This Hour and The World this Weekend. The majority of news and information is aired on CBC Radio One. All newscasts are available on demand online, via apps or via voice-activated virtual assistants.

Online

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CBC News Online is the CBC's CBC.ca news website. Launched in 1996, it was named one of the most popular news websites in Canada in 2012.[29] The website provides regional, national, and international news coverage, and investigative, politics, business, arts and entertainment, investigative, politics, business, entertainment, Indigenous, health, science and tech news. An Opinion section was reintroduced in November 2016. Many reports are accompanied by podcasting, audio and video from the CBC's television and radio news services. CBC News content is available on multiple platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.[30]

In November 2022, the CBC launched CBC News Explore, a free ad-supported streaming television service.[31] In addition to existing CBC news and information programming, new original programming on the service includes About That, a daily news and interview show hosted by Andrew Chang; Planet Wonder, an environmental news series hosted by Johanna Wagstaffe; Big, a documentary series about industry; and This Week in Canada, which highlights local news stories from the CBC's local news bureaux in various cities.[31]

Network

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CBC News Network (formerly CBC Newsworld) is an English-language news channel owned and operated by the CBC. It began broadcasting on July 31, 1989, from several regional studios in Halifax, Toronto, Winnipeg and Calgary. It was revamped and relaunched as the CBC News Network in 2009 as part of a larger renewal of the CBC News division. Current programs include CBC News Now (based in Toronto with Heather Hiscox, Suhana Meharchand, Carole MacNeil, John Northcott, Andrew Nichols (weekdays) and Aarti Pole and Michael Serapio (weekends), Power & Politics (based in Ottawa with host David Cochrane), and The National (with Adrienne Arsenault (Toronto), Ian Hanomansing (Vancouver) and Rosemary Barton hosting the weekly At Issue panel (Ottawa)).[32] The network dropped the four-anchor format on January 22, 2020, and had Arsenault and Chang co-anchor from Monday through Thursday with Hanomansing as solo anchor for the Friday and Sunday editions. Barton became the chief political correspondent for CBC News; she continues to host The National's weekly "At Issue" political panel along with her own politics based program, Rosemary Barton Live which airs on Sundays.[33] In early 2023, CBC dropped the co-anchor format in favour of single anchor everyday. Adrienne Arsenault continues to host the show Monday through Thursday with Hanomansing hosting on Friday and Sunday.

Weather centre

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In November 2005, the CBC News Weather Centre was established to cover local and international weather, using in part data provided by Environment Canada. Claire Martin was hired to serve as the primary face of the Weather Centre.[34]

In April 2014, the national weather centre was effectively disbanded due to CBC budget cuts (Martin had left the CBC a few months prior). Weather presenters at local CBC stations were retained but with the added responsibility of supplying reports for The National and CBC News Network.[35]

In November 2014, citing difficulties implementing this new system, the CBC announced a one-year trial content sharing partnership with The Weather Network, the privately owned cable specialty channel, which went into effect on December 8. Under the partnership, in exchange for access to weather-related news coverage from the CBC, The Weather Network provides the national weather reports seen on The National and CBCNN daytime programming, as well as local forecasts for CBC Toronto's weekend newscasts.[35] Apart from Toronto, weather coverage during local newscasts was not affected, and CBC Vancouver meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe continues to provide weather coverage for the Vancouver-based (primetime) editions of CBC News Now on CBC News Network.[36]

Most local CBC stations have retained their weather team to provide local weather information, including:

  • Johanna Wagstaffe – CBC Vancouver meteorologist
  • John Sauder – CBC Manitoba meteorologist
  • Jay Scotland – CBC PEI meteorologist
  • Karen Johnson – CBC Toronto and Windsor weather specialist
  • Catherine Verdon-Diamond – CBC Montreal weather specialist
  • Tanara McLean – CBC Edmonton/Calgary weather specialist[citation needed]

The content partnership with the Weather Network has continued beyond the original one-year period, and has been expanded. The weather section of CBC.ca has been phased out in favour of forecasts from The Weather Network, and local CBC news headlines are displayed on the latter's website.[37]

Programming

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Television

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CBC News provides the following television programs.

Current programs:

Former programs:

Radio

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CBC News provides the following radio programs.

  • World Report, morning newscast
  • The World This Hour, hourly newscast
  • The World at Six, national dinner-hour newscast
  • The World This Weekend
  • The House, weekly national political affairs show
  • Local newscasts

Digital

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CBC Digital provides the following services:

  • CBCNews.ca website and Digital News App
  • Live and on-demand streaming of radio and TV news programming
  • Podcasts (broadcast highlights and original content like Finding Cleo)
  • Social media including Facebook. Instagram and Snapchat. CBC News Twitter feed has over 2.5M followers.
  • Digital delivery of CBC News in airports, trains, elevators and coffee chain

Bias allegations

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Public surveys in 2002 suggest that the CBC was viewed with potential left-wing bias.[38][39]

In 2009, CBC President Hubert Lacroix commissioned a study to determine whether its news was biased, and if so, to what extent. He said: "Our job — and we take it seriously — is to ensure that the information that we put out is fair and unbiased in everything that we do."[40] The study suggests Canadians perceived the CBC as having a more left-of-centre bias than other Canadian news organizations.[41]

A 2017 survey of Canadians suggested that CBC TV was the most biased national news media outlet (perceived biased by 50% of Canadians overall, tied with The Globe and Mail) followed closely by CBC Radio (perceived biased by 49% of Canadians overall). Respondents predominantly saw a bias towards CBC TV and radio coverage favouring the Liberal party, a view that held consistently across Conservative, Liberal and NDP voters.[42]

Hall of Fame

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The CBC News Hall of Fame was established in 2015 to honour men and women who have shaped Canadian journalism. Located in CBC's Toronto headquarters, inductees include:

Ombudsman

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The CBC sets out to maintain its accuracy, integrity and fairness in its journalism. As a Canadian institution and a press undertaking, the CBC set out the Journalistic Standards and Practices and works in compliance with these principles. Balanced viewpoints must be presented through on-the-air discussions. As it is with other public and private journalistic undertakings, credibility in the eyes of the general population is seen as the corporation's most valuable asset. The CBC Ombudsman is completely independent of CBC program staff and management, reporting directly to the President of the CBC and, through the President, to the corporation's board of directors.[50][citation needed]

Bureaus

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CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre in Ottawa
 
Maison de Radio-Canada in Montreal
 
Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto

CBC has reporters stationed in the following cities. Main cities are listed with the notation (M).

Currently vacant:

International

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Former

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  • Moscow, Russia (closed May 2022[51])
  • Beijing, China (closed November 2022; English-language posting vacant since 2020[52])

CBC also uses satellite bureaus, with reporters who fly in when a story occurs outside the bureaus. In the late 1990s, the CBC and other media outlets cut back their overseas operations.[53]

Foreign correspondents

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Annual Report of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 1944, p. 7, at Google Books
  2. ^ "World at Six at 50: 6 defining moments from over the years | CBC News".
  3. ^ Colombo, John Robert: Colombo's Canadian references, p. 99, at Google Books
  4. ^ "Newsworld Online delivers breaking news". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  5. ^ "CBC News Online launches". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  6. ^ "CBC taps Arsenault, Barton, Chang, Hanomansing to host The National revamp". CBC News. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  7. ^ "CBC's The National is set to take on a new identity. Will its audience follow?". The Globe and Mail. November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  8. ^ Houpt, Simon (January 22, 2020). "CBC's The National to drop four-host television format". Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  9. ^ "Inside Cyprus Confidential: The data-driven journalism that helped expose an island under Russian influence - ICIJ". November 14, 2023. Archived from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  10. ^ "About the Cyprus Confidential investigation - ICIJ". November 14, 2023. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  11. ^ "Cyprus Confidential: Leaked Roman Abramovich documents raise fresh questions for Chelsea FC: ICIJ-led investigation reveals how Mediterranean island ignores Russian atrocities and western sanctions to cash in on Putin's oligarchs". The Irish Times. November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  12. ^ "Cyprus Confidential - ICIJ". www.icij.org. November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  13. ^ "Cypriot president pledges government probe into Cyprus Confidential revelations - ICIJ". November 15, 2023. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  14. ^ "Lawmakers call for EU crackdown after ICIJ's Cyprus Confidential revelations - ICIJ". November 23, 2023. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  15. ^ "Cypriot president pledges government probe into Cyprus Confidential revelations - ICIJ". November 15, 2023. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  16. ^ "Cyprus ignores Russian atrocities, Western sanctions to shield vast wealth of Putin allies - ICIJ". November 14, 2023. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  17. ^ Solutions, BDigital Web. "Finance Minister perturbed over 'Cyprus Confidential'". knews.com.cy. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  18. ^ "CBC News | The National".
  19. ^ "CBC News | Marketplace".
  20. ^ "CBC News | fifth estate".
  21. ^ "CBC News | The Investigators".
  22. ^ "CBC News | The Weekly".
  23. ^ Arnold, Chris (September 22, 2020). "Wendy Mesley a host without a show after CBC's The Weekly taken off air". National Post. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  24. ^ "enRoute Guide (January 2007)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 10, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  25. ^ "CBC News renewal presentation | FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting". friends.ca. Archived from the original on June 26, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  26. ^ "CBC.ca - Program Guide - Programs".
  27. ^ "CBC.ca - Program Guide - Programs".
  28. ^ "CBC.ca - Program Guide - Programs".
  29. ^ [1] Archived February 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  30. ^ "Through the Years". cbc.radio-canada.ca. Retrieved June 25, 2021. Radio-Canada's journalism laboratory experiments with new digital content formats. Its team focuses on the news and issues that are important to young adults and digital citizens. Rad.ca Facebook page Instagram page Youtube channel
  31. ^ a b Noel Ransome, "CBC launches free ad-supported streaming channel CBC News Explore". Toronto Star, November 30, 2022.
  32. ^ "CBC makes changes at 'The National' ahead of free streaming channel launch | CityNews Ottawa". ottawa.citynews.ca. July 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  33. ^ "New CBC shows with Rosemary Barton and Vassy Kapelos to boost political and COVID-19 coverage". The Georgia Straight. October 20, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  34. ^ "CBC News Announces 'CBC News: Weather Centre'". November 30, 2001. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  35. ^ a b Houpt, Simon (November 10, 2014). "Its outlook stormy, CBC turns to the Weather Network". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  36. ^ "Johanna Wagstaffe". CBC Media Centre. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  37. ^ "Local Weather - Toronto, Ontario". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016. Changes are coming to the weather pages you are visiting at CBCNews.ca. Starting soon, weather pages such as this will no longer be available. Instead, CBC News has partnered with The Weather Network to provide weather information on CBCNews.ca pages. Please visit your local news page to find your local news and weather.
  38. ^ Carafa, Tiziana (December 1, 2002). "Is CBC Really Biased?". Options politiques. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  39. ^ "CBC Television News has a bias problem". Policy Options. July 1, 2002. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  40. ^ Raj, Althia (May 13, 2010). "CBC to study whether its news is biased". Ottawa Sun. Archived from the original on May 17, 2010.
  41. ^ "The News Fairness and Balance Report" (PDF). CBC. Ipsos Reid. September 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  42. ^ Coletto, David; Anderson, Bruce (April 29, 2017). "Canadian News Media And "Fake News" Under A Microscope". Abacus Data. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  43. ^ "Knowlton Nash named inaugural inductee to CBC News Hall of Fame". CBC News. April 22, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  44. ^ "Joe Schlesinger latest inductee into CBC News Hall of Fame". CBC News. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  45. ^ "Barbara Frum latest inductee into CBC News Hall of Fame". CBC News. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  46. ^ "Broadcast trailblazer Trina McQueen inducted into CBC News Hall of Fame". CBC News. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  47. ^ "Wartime correspondents inducted into CBC News Hall of Fame". CBC News. June 14, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  48. ^ Weaver, Jackson (December 15, 2020). "Journalist Ernest Tucker inducted into CBC News Hall of Fame". CBC News. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  49. ^ "CBC's first Inuktitut-speaking daily TV news host to be honoured in Hall of Fame". CBC News. August 7, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  50. ^ "The Office of the Ombudsman". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on February 8, 1998. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  51. ^ "Russia closing CBC's Moscow bureau in retaliation for Canada banning Russian state TV". CBC News. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  52. ^ "CBC shutting down its China news bureau". CBC News. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  53. ^ "CBC/Radio-Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  54. ^ "Margaret Evans - CBC Media Centre".
  55. ^ "Chris Brown - Foreign Correspondent - CBC | LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  56. ^ "Derek Stoffel - CBC Media Centre".
  57. ^ "Paul Hunter - CBC Media Centre".
  58. ^ "Lyndsay Duncombe - CBC Media Centre".
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  • CBC News
  • CBC Annual Reports (1996–97 to present)