Chris's Broadcast Writing Blog

It’s like I was there.

This week I decided to look at the CBC’s coverage of the Occupy Toronto movement on the day we went to cover the story to see how our coverage compared to the CBC. Most of it was the same. The CBC talked about the eviction just like we did, and the decision of the judge.

The biggest difference between the two was that we talked to protestors and the CBC didn’t. When we covered the Occupy Toronto movement, the protestors said that they didn’t like the mainstream media. They looked at our equipment, noticed that there were no logos to represent a news outlet and embraced us as independent media.

Perhaps the lack of reporting the side of the protestors is why the movement feels so bitter. They claim (and they are correct) that mainstream media outlets are owned by large corporations. Does this impact their coverage? Probably. Does it mean that mainstream media shouldn’t be trusted? Probably not.

Is it a mistake for mainstream media to not get the views of the protestors? I think so. As a journalist, it is your obligation to inform the public of both sides, in a fair and balanced way. Do the protestors have to have the same on-air time as the side of the police, and others opposing the protestors? No, but omitting the side entirely just isn’t fair to the viewers.  

Check it out: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/11/16/occupy-toronto.html