THE FACTS
The Zelda Young Show is a talk show during which the host and her guests discuss issues of interest to the Jewish community. It is aired on CHIN AM 1540 in Toronto. On March 24, 2019 at 8:00 am Young had as her guest American author and commentator Diana West. The two women discussed American politics in the context of West’s book, The Red Thread. They expressed support for President Donald Trump’s actions and policies, and voiced their concern about socialist and globalist ideas taking hold in the United States over the last number of decades.
At one point, they talked about Democrat politician Joe Biden. Young stated that she had thought of him as just “an old, white guy” until she read West’s book. During their conversation, West described Biden as “an extremely creepy, dangerous person” because “of the way he touches children in public” which she described as “very alarming” and “very disturbing”. Young agreed that it was “very scary”.
They then went on to criticize the views of other Democrat politicians, which led them to discuss Islam and Muslims. That portion of the conversation went as follows:
Young: Now what about the Ilhan Omars? This anti-Semitic, uh, rant that we see.
West: Yeah.
Young: Is she the one that supposedly has been married to her brother?
West: Yes, yes, that’s true.
Young: Oh my god. How does that happen?
West: I don’t know. I mean, it, I, the whole, you know, we don’t, that’s another aspect of this tragic period we’re in in America is this, this failure to follow law and order and tradition. I mean, you know, we’re in this very broken state. But this is what happens when you get an Islamic demographic. You do see an upsurge in anti-Semitism and, and, you know, it is something that is inculcated in the religion of Islam, just as it is anti-Christian. So, this is just what you see as a consequence of Islamic immigration. And we saw it ahead of us in Europe. Um, you know, there were many of us for the past fifteen, eighteen years, what are we coming up? We’re coming up, I can’t believe actually nearing two decades since 9/11. We’ll be coming up –
Young: Right.
West: – on the eighteenth anniversary later this year. This is what many of us have been talking about for, for years now in terms of a democratic country cannot remain true to free speech, freedom of religion and so on when it imports an Islamic demographic that will vote. And what we’ve seen in certain, um, areas of, of real colonization. For example, the Somali colonization of Minnesota. We have seen this, now we are seeing this demographic express itself and vote in the democratic way and elected Ilhan Omar or a, a Keith, uh, Ellison. Um, or we also have, you know, a, a, a Palestinian-, um, American representative, Tlaib. I mean, this is what happens when immigration is not calibrated to include people who are with you before they get here and don’t want to transform you to something you are not. So.
(A transcript of the full segment is in Appendix A.)
The CBSC received a complaint on March 25 about this broadcast. The listener was concerned about the “anti-immigrant statements and inappropriate insinuation of an individual’s character”, the latter referring to the comments made about Joe Biden.
CHIN responded to the complainant with a letter dated April 2. The station acknowledged that Ms. West discussed “controversial issues such as politics and immigration and made comments that some may find disagreeable”, but stated its view that the comments were not abusive. The station also provided a list of other individuals who have appeared on the Zelda Young Show who have expressed “a variety of differing views on matters of public interest.” The station wrote that it discussed the complainant’s concerns with Ms. Young and asked her to be diligent in monitoring her guests and to encourage balanced discussions in a respectful and intelligent manner.
The complainant filed his Ruling Request on April 4, arguing that the list of previous guests was not as “diverse” as CHIN suggested and did not justify West’s remarks. He also did not feel that asking the host to be more diligent would achieve an appropriate result. (The full text of all correspondence is in Appendix B.)
THE DECISION
The English-Language Panel examined the complaint under the following provisions of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Equitable Portrayal Code and Code of Ethics:
CAB Equitable Portrayal Code, Clause 2 – Human Rights
Recognizing that every person has the right to the full enjoyment of certain fundamental rights and freedoms, broadcasters shall ensure that their programming contains no abusive or unduly discriminatory material or comment which is based on matters of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or physical or mental disability.
CAB Equitable Portrayal Code, Clause 4 – Stereotyping
Recognizing that stereotyping is a form of generalization that is frequently simplistic, belittling, hurtful or prejudicial, while being unreflective of the complexity of the group being stereotyped, broadcasters shall ensure that their programming contains no unduly negative stereotypical material or comment which is based on matters of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or physical or mental disability.
CAB Code of Ethics, Clause 2 – Human Rights
Recognizing that every person has the right to full and equal recognition and to enjoy certain fundamental rights and freedoms, broadcasters shall ensure that their programming contains no abusive or unduly discriminatory material or comment which is based on matters of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status or physical or mental disability.
CAB Code of Ethics, Clause 6 – Full, Fair and Proper Presentation
It is recognized that the full, fair and proper presentation of news, opinion, comment and editorial is the prime and fundamental responsibility of each broadcaster. This principle shall apply to all radio and television programming, whether it relates to news, public affairs, magazine, talk, call-in, interview or other broadcasting formats in which news, opinion, comment or editorial may be expressed by broadcaster employees, their invited guests or callers.
The Panel Adjudicators read all of the correspondence and listened to a recording of the challenged broadcast. The Panel unanimously concludes that there is no breach of Clause 6 of the CAB Code of Ethics for the comments about Joe Biden. The majority of the Panel concludes that there is a breach of Clause 2 of the CAB Code of Ethics and Clauses 2 and 4 of the CAB Equitable Portrayal Code for some of the comments about Muslims.
The questions put to the Panel were:
Did the program contain any abusive or unduly discriminatory comments about Muslims contrary to Clauses 2 of the CAB Code of Ethics and the CAB Equitable Portrayal Code?
Did the program contain any unduly negative stereotypes of Muslims, contrary to Clause 4 of the CAB Equitable Portrayal Code?
Were the comments regarding Joe Biden contrary to Clause 6 of the CAB Code of Ethics?
The majority of the Panel has determined that certain of the statements made during the subject broadcast were contrary to Clauses 2 of the CAB Code of Ethics and the CAB Equitable Portrayal Code as well as in breach of Clause 4 of the CAB Equitable Portrayal Code.
The CBSC has on many occasions dealt with the issue of whether comments are abusive and unduly discriminatory and, also, whether such comments constitute an unduly negative stereotype of a group of people. When assessing these types of complaints, CBSC panels have always considered first the fundamental right in Canada to freedom of expression which is at the very root of a democratic system.
This fundamental right to freedom of expression does, however, have its limits. In other words, this fundamental right is subject to “another equally basic standard to the right of members of an identifiable group to be free from abuse.” 1 Accordingly, “other Canadian societal values may occasionally require protection in the face of this basic right.”2
This means that where the opinions expressed constitute “fair political commentary, which is unrelated to anyone by reason of his membership in any of the identifiable minorities entitled to protection under Clause 2 of the CAB Code of Ethics”, then, in such circumstances, there will be no breach.3 This is true even when positions taken may be unpopular or even unpalatable as it is acknowledged that hosts or guests have a right to express their political opinions.4
Moreover, even where the comment or opinion constitutes a generalization regarding a group of people, if there is an attempt to distinguish the blanket statement by noting that not everyone within the particular group is necessarily tainted with the same brush, then in such circumstances, no breach will be found.5
A comment becomes abusive or unduly discriminatory, or is considered an unduly negative stereotype, when it suggests that every member of a group of people, without exception, acts or has beliefs in accordance with the negative or discriminatory opinion expressed. In other words, where the opinion expressed6 is a blanket statement which “holds identifiable groups up to ridicule and disrespect by making abusive or unduly discriminatory comments, he crosses the line of entitlement and loses the benefit of the shield of free expression.”7
Finally, in previous CBSC decisions, the accuracy of opinions expressed was also a material factor in determining whether there was a breach or not. When expressing an opinion or making a comment, it is essential that such statements are factually accurate. Failure to present the audience with accurate information will be considered misleading and unfair.8
The issue at hand for the first two questions put to the Panel is whether certain of the comments regarding Muslims and the religion of Islam were fair political commentary or, whether these comments crossed the line of what is considered acceptable under the identified clauses of the applicable codes.
The majority of the Panel considers that when Diana West stated that “this is what happens when you get an Islamic demographic. You do see an upsurge in anti-Semitism and, and, you know, it is something that is inculcated in the religion of Islam, just as it is anti-Christian” these comments do not constitute fair political commentary as it is clear that they apply without exception to all Muslims. In fact, West asserted that the religion of Islam actually inculcates anti-Semitism and is anti-Christian. The view expressed was unequivocal in that it stated without exception that the religion of Islam instills anti-Semitism and is anti-Christian through persistent instruction since this is the very definition of the term “inculcate”.
Such statements are not only abusive and unduly discriminatory, they also constitute an unduly negative stereotype of Muslims. Moreover, they are factually incorrect.
The Panel concurs with the long expressed view that the applicable codes do allow the expression of political views on any subject including immigration, socialization, assimilation, and globalization. The majority of the Panel considers however, that where an accusation is against an entire group of people without exception, as in the case of this program, then such a statement will not be acceptable. There is, therefore, a breach of Clause 2 of the CAB Code of Ethics, and Clauses 2 and 4 of the CAB Equitable Portrayal Code. Two adjudicators disagree, however, and consider that the comments came close to the line but did not cross it.
The majority of the Panel also notes that the host Zelda Young did not temper the discussion in any way. She never attempted to mitigate the opinions expressed and in fact, she wholeheartedly agreed with all of West’s commentary and seemed to encourage the expression of unduly discriminatory views without exception.
In its reply to the complainant, the broadcaster stated that it had “brought [his] concerns to the attention of Ms. Young and have asked her to be diligent in monitoring her guests in an on-going effort to encourage open and balanced discussions with the exchange of ideas, thoughts and opinions in a respectful and intelligent manner”. The Panel commends the broadcaster in this regard.
The Panel also considers that, in the context of controversial opinion-based programs such as the Zelda Young Show, broadcasters could consider disclaimers at the beginning of the programs. While disclaimers would not excuse abusive or unduly discriminatory commentary, they could at least alert listeners to the nature of the programs. Moreover, broadcasters could encourage on-air hosts to conduct “open and balanced discussions with the exchange of ideas, thoughts and opinions in a respectful and intelligent manner”, as was suggested in CHIN’s response.
On the issue of whether certain comments made regarding Joe Biden were unfair or improper, the Panel unanimously agrees that there was no breach of Clause 6 of the CAB Code of Ethics. The Panel considers that comments made by West and Young regarding Joe Biden were simply their opinions of Mr. Biden’s public behaviour. Such comments are acceptable as “Those who are democratically elected and espouse the political positions about which comments may be freely made are themselves necessarily exposed to criticism and commentary. […] As long as the broadcast commentaries or other content are full, fair and proper, that is, not muddied by, for example, malice or other evidence of unfairness, [they] will not breach Clause 6 of the CAB Code of Ethics”.9 The Panel considers that the comments about Joe Biden’s conduct around children did not constitute a breach.
Broadcaster Responsiveness
In all CBSC decisions, the Panels assess the broadcaster’s response to the complainant. The broadcaster need not agree with the complainant’s position, but it must respond in a courteous, thoughtful and thorough manner. In this case, CHIN provided a sufficient reply to the complainant. The broadcaster fulfilled its obligations of responsiveness and, subject to the announcement of this decision, nothing further is required on this occasion.
DECISION ANNOUNCEMENT
CHIN is required to: 1) announce the decision, in the following terms, once during peak listening hours within three days following the release of this decision and once more within seven days following the release of this decision during the time period in which the Zelda Young Show was broadcast, but not on the same day as the first mandated announcement; 2) within the fourteen days following the broadcasts of the announcements, to provide written confirmation of the airing of the statement to the complainant who filed the Ruling Request; and 3) at that time, to provide the CBSC with a copy of that written confirmation and with air check copies of the broadcasts of the two announcements which must be made by CHIN.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has found that CHIN breached the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Code of Ethics and Equitable Portrayal Code in its broadcast of the Zelda Young Show on March 24, 2019. The episode contained abusive and unduly discriminatory remarks and unduly negative stereotyping about Muslims, contrary to those codes.
This decision is a public document upon its release by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.
1CFUN-AM re The John and JJ Show (Immigration Policy) (CBSC Decision 97/98-0422, May 20, 1998)
2CFUN-AM re The Pia Shandel Show (Native Land Claims) (CBSC Decision 98/99-0147, October 14, 1999)
3CJOB re the Adler on Line and Afternoons with Larry Updike Talk Shows (CBSC Decision 99/00-0092, May 5, 2000)
4CILQ-FM re The Howard Stern Show (Decision 99/00-0717 & -0739, June 28, 2001)
5CFMJ-AM re a segment on an episode of Coast to Coast AM (CBSC Decision 06/07-0009, January 9, 2007)
6CILQ-FM re The Howard Stern Show (Poland) (CBSC Decision 97/98-1186, February 3, 1999)
7CKAC-AM re an episode of Doc Mailloux (CBSC Decision 03/04-0453, February 10, 2005)
8CKTB-AM re The John Michael Show (CBSC Decision 92/93-0170, February 15, 1994) and CFRA-AM re an episode of the Lowell Green Show (the Qu’ran) CBSC Decision 05/06-1380, May 18, 2006)
9SRC re Bye Bye 2008 (CBSC Decision 08/09-0620+, March 17, 2009)
APPENDIX A
The Zelda Young Show is a talk show during which the host and her guests discuss issues of interest to the Jewish community. It is aired on CHIN AM 1540. On March 24, 2019 at 8:00 am Young had as her guest American author and commentator Diana West. Their conversation went as follows:
Young: And, uh, you know we see President Trump, the only president that has acknowledged and, you know, Jerusalem as, as Israel’s capital and now –
West: Right.
Young: – the Golan Heights.
West: Right, right.
Young: I mean, these are unbelievable things and yet they malign him, the Left. They call him insane. I just, I don’t get it.
West: Well, there’s, you, uh, we have to stop seeing people in terms of their labels. Like, if someone says “I’m a liberal” that isn’t a happy thing. It’s a nice word. And yet what we learn from their, their alliances, their actions and their words is, is this alignment with the enemies of Israel, the enemies of the United States, the enemies of liberty. This, this a, a dire kind of, um, battle that we are, we are in and President Trump, being truly, I mean, when I say he’s a counter-revolutionary figure, I mean that literally. We have been moving towards this globalist state. We have been moving toward a socialist America since the days of FDR. And this is sort of the story of American betrayal. My previous book, um, which essentially puts forward the, the proposition with, with about a thousand endnotes that, that the infiltration of communist and also Soviet agents into the Roosevelt administration in the 1930s ended up seizing a lot of our policy-making, our war strategy-making, including during World War Two and the rest of it in terms of remaking the world as we knew it as a constitutional republic in the United States previous to the 1930s essentially. So, this has been a long time coming. And when we look at, at Trump saying “No, we’re going to have a border. We’re going to have, we’re going to restore American manufacturing.” When you see him talking about restoring and beefing up American nuclear capabilities, well, that may have been a moment that really got Christopher Steele’s attention because when he was at Cambridge in the 1980s and known, as you mentioned, as a confirmed Socialist, he was also associated with a hard-Left, really a Marxist front known as Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in Britain. And this was all about, you know, anti-nuke movement that was right in line with the so-called peace movement of the 1980s. That was essentially a Soviet, uh, uh, disinformation campaign that was designed to prevent Ronald Regan from re-, re-arming America and also re-defending or, or increasing the defence of Europe against, um, um, Soviet and Eastern bloc forces, if you remember that struggle. That’s Christopher Steele. So, these, this is just a, a, an under-, a moment of clarity. I think Trump’s, maybe his leading characteristic is whatever he talks about, all of a sudden, there is light and, and frankness brought to a subject that was previously just a taboo.
Young: Well, I, I think, Diana, that he is a breath of fresh air. I don’t have to love everything about him, but what I do love is his respect for America, his –
West: Yes.
Young: – respect for Israel. I just want to mention that this book is called The Red Thread. And it is fascinating. Now, just tell me about Joe Biden.
West: Oh! One other thing about Christopher Steele, given the Jewish interest on the program, which is that when he was this hard-Leftist at Cambridge, one of the things that stands out about him is that in 1986, as president of the Cambridge union, the debating society, he extended the first invitation ever to a PLO representative to come speak.
Young: Well.
West: And this, of course, is, was a time before any sort of, quote, “peace process” when United States and Israel recognized the PLO as a terrorist organization. And he broke that, that taboo of not having a terrorist come speak in extending an invitation also to an Israeli Knesset member, Julia Cohen, who, who declined. She, she had no interest in participating.
Young: Dangerous! These people are so dangerous. Now, I just want to talk about the future of the Democratic party under the leadership of someone like Joe Biden. Now, I always thought he just seemed like somebody’s dad, somebody’s granddad, but he is a dangerous individual. And if you read about him, you will find that out. So, how did the American people have any opportunity to really get the kind of government they deserve when you have this kind of leadership in the Democratic party?
West: Well, they can vote for Trump in 2020. [chuckles]
Young: Okay. Okay. But tell us about Joe Biden. Tell me about, more about him because, until I started reading about him, I just thought he was an old, white guy.
West: Oh.
Young: I’m putting that in quotes, the way people –
West: Sure.
Young: Yeah, right.
West: Sure. No, I think that with these Democrats, Biden included for sure, you know, whatever his, um, his persona may appear to be, now, I think of him as an extremely creepy, dangerous person. When you mention father, grandfather, if you’ve ever seen the videos of the way he touches children in public – very alarming. And I recommend your viewers just look at it in any sort of, uh, swearing-in situation where there are children around, he’s way too grabby. It’s very disturbing. But that’s, that’s, that’s what I think about first with Joe Biden.
Young: Very scary.
West: Very icky.
Young: Right.
West: Disturbing. But, that aside, he, all of these Democrats, and Biden included, are, are very much of a piece. They’re, they’re, they’re down-the-line with the slightest calibrations from an Ocasio-Cortez. I mean, seriously, we don’t have any sort of moderate in this who belongs in the Democratic party or who’s in the Democratic party at this point. They are so far to the left that the choice so stark in 2020 that really is this is less a referendum on the presidency than on the state of the American people in that. It’s so obvious that if we want to remain the United States of America that we vote for Trump as opposed to these marxists and progressives and globalists and absolute collectivists. I mean, there’s, it’s a joke. It’s like a cartoon. But if the American people go left and choose left, well that just shows where we are in terms of we cannot support –
Young: Well, they’re not, they’re not listening. They’re not looking and that’s the reason why they just vote what seems attractive to them. If they were listening to this show, they were listening to, reading your book and, and really doing their homework, Diana, things would be different. Now what about the Ilhan Omars? This anti-Semitic, uh, rant that we see.
West: Yeah.
Young: Is she the one that supposedly has been married to her brother?
West: Yes, yes, that’s true.
Young: Oh my god. How does that happen?
West: I don’t know. I mean, it, I, the whole, you know, we don’t, that’s another aspect of this tragic period we’re in in America is this, this failure to follow law and order and tradition. I mean, you know, we’re in this very broken state. But this is what happens when you get an Islamic demographic. You do see an upsurge in anti-Semitism and, and, you know, it is something that is inculcated in the religion of Islam, just as it is anti-Christian. So, this is just what you see as a consequence of Islamic immigration. And we saw it ahead of us in Europe. Um, you know, there were many of us for the past fifteen, eighteen years, what are we coming up? We’re coming up, I can’t believe actually nearing two decades since 9/11. We’ll be coming up –
Young: Right.
West: – on the eighteenth anniversary later this year. This is what many of us have been talking about for, for years now in terms of a democratic country cannot remain true to free speech, freedom of religion and so on when it imports an Islamic demographic that will vote. And what we’ve seen in certain, um, areas of, of real colonization. For example, the Somali colonization of Minnesota. We have seen this, now we are seeing this demographic express itself and vote in the democratic way and elected Ilhan Omar or a, a Keith, uh, Ellison. Um, or we also have, you know, a, a, a Palestinian, um, American representative, Tlaib. I mean, this is what happens when immigration is not calibrated to include people who are with you before they get here and don’t want to transform you to something you are not. So.
Young: Okay, our guest this morning is Diana West. We still have just a few minutes left. Please pick up a copy of her book, The Red Thread. Now, don’t you think, Diana, all of this, –
West: Sure.
Young: But it is compact. You’ve got so much in here. That when Obama was plucked from obscurity and had a role to play and everything that Obama started with is now coming full circle and we can see where he was headed. And who was behind him, putting him in that direction.
West: And, and, so, the question being is this the fulfillment of Obama?
Young: Yes.
West: Is it?
Young: Yes, that’s basically, uh, the question.
West: I feel Obama is part of a continuum, though. I don’t see Obama as, as the beginning of this, uh, terrible period. He was a, certainly an acceleration, but Obama could not have done what he did unless you had had two, two terms of Bill Clinton, two terms of George Bush. I mean, we’ve been, we’ve been on this trajectory in so many ways. I mean, look at the first Obama, uh, national security team. It was essentially the Bush security team. It continued so many of the same kinds of policies. Uh, we saw the Russian Re-set and so on that, uh, this is, this is something that is essentially been [sic] in the same direction with, certainly Obama brought to a, a tremendous surge. For example, with, with Obamacare, the nationalized health, uh, initiative.
Young: Right. Right.
West: These kinds of things. Um, but it’s, it’s, it’s, it was not foreign to us at this point, which is why he was able to be so successful. There was a lot of ground-building under him. And, and this again goes back especially to the Roosevelt years with the New Deal, so-called, that essentially wrested control of our financial centres to Washington, gave government control to so many, um, aspects of American life in that, that 1930s period that continued with regimentation during World War Two and the war effort. And that never really stopped. We never really got off a war economy. And we certainly never stopped in this internationalist, uh, pose so that this would be ensuing, you know, half century until Trump came along and said “Wait a minute. America has interests first and separate from the, from other countries.” That doesn’t mean they won’t overlap. That doesn’t mean we won’t have friends and do things in concert, but we have to look at American interests first.
Young: Absolutely.
West: This was, again, counter-revolutionary. And suddenly, with the very first, the very first presidential candidate. The first, you know, national, charismatic celebrity to make this case to the American people. And it, it did wake a sleeping giant in the electorate and this is what brought him to office. It wasn’t the media, it wasn’t Washington, it wasn’t the political establishment –
Young: It was the time. It was the time. You know, Pompeo said that, uh, “Trump must come from God” because he recognized Jerusalem and he recognized the Golan Heights. Now, in conclusion, what has been the response to your book? Are you fearful of what you’ve written and that there may be some negative repercussions?
West: No. I, I don’t think I’m fearful of it. I went through quite a lot with American Betrayal, um, The Secret Assault on Our Nation’s Character, which essentially, The Red Thread is a follow-on to. A lot of the, the techniques and, and research and, and a lot of the, the, the, um, the way I see history as this continuum come from American Betrayal. I already went through a lot of that and, and so American, so this book essentially, um, it has an audience. I think that there’s great excitement in certain quarters about it. And we’ll see if it actually enters into the discussion. People are loathe to discuss Communism and ideology. Um, I am thankful to Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders [Young laughs] for making the word part of our vocabulary again because there really was a, an embargo on discussing it. When I started writing the book, that was something I was wondering about, but, having gone through the 2018 midterms, we are now in full-throat discussion of socialism and communism, so that, for me, is a good thing. Because The Red Thread fits right in and shows how many American officials who seem to be just tremendously mainstream actually are hard-Left idealogues attempting to overthrow the Constitution.
Young: Well, so are the Republicans. There were many Repub–
West: Exactly. In the book, yes.
Young: Many Republicans as well –
West: James Comey, for example
Young: – were totally, yeah, totally against Trump. I think you’ve written a masterpiece, Diana.
West: Oh, thank you.
Young: I think, I think it should be read by people who really understand and what they can do about this, in America, in Canada, all over. It’s been a real pleasure to have you on air. And I thank you so much for your input. I hope that we can talk to you again in the future. But thank you so much for joining us this morning.
West: Oh, thank you, Zelda. And thank you so much for the opportunity to talk to your listeners. And I would invite people to visit my website dianawest.net.
Young: Okay.
West: For more information. To keep up with this. And also the book is also available on, as an audio book that I narrated. So, a lot of ways to get this information. And it’s only a hundred pages.
Young: It’s short. It’s compact, but it is dynamite. Thank you, Diana.
West: Thank you.
Young: Have a wonderful day. Diana West.
West: You too.
APPENDIX B
The Complaint
The CBSC received the following complaint via its webform on March 25, 2019:
Name of Television or Radio Station: CHIN 1540 AM
Program Name: Zelda Young
Date of Program: March 24, 2019
Time of Program: 8:00 am to 10 am (at approx. 8:30 am)
Specific Concern: Anti-immigrant statements and inappropriate insinuation of an individual’s character.
On CHIN Radio 1540 AM on Sunday, March 24, 2019 between approx. 8 am and 9 am on the Zelda Young programme, Zelda interviewed Diana West about her new book, The Red Thread.
During this interview, Ms. West referred to the "Somali colonization of Minnesota" and how this had led to the election of people like Ilhan Omar and Keith Ellison.
She then said, "This is what happens when immigration is not calibrated to include people who are with you before they get here and don't want to transform you to something you are not [sic]". That is an accurate quote.
When Zelda asked her about Joe Biden, former US vice president, Ms. West indirectly suggested he is a child molester and said people should look at video of him to see the way he touches children!
The complainant submitted the same complaint to the CRTC, which forwarded it to the CBSC in due course.
Broadcaster Response
CHIN responded to the complainant with the following letter dated April 2:
I am in receipt of your letter of complaint regarding the Zelda Young show of March 24, 2019 broadcast on CHIN RADIO AM 1540 in Toronto. The Zelda Young show is a talk/information radio program dealing with topics of interest to the Jewish community. Zelda has been the host of this long-standing radio program on CHIN RADIO for over 30 years and is a fixture in the Jewish community.
In your letter, you reference the interview with Diana West who was a guest via telephone, discussing her recent book The Red Thread: A search for Ideological drivers inside the anti-Trump conspiracy. By way of background, Wikipedia describes Ms. West as:
“a nationally syndicated conservative American columnist and author.[1] She writes a weekly column which frequently deals with controversial subjects such as Islam and is syndicated by Universal Uclick and appears in about 120 newspapers and news sites. She is the author of the books The Death of the Grown Up: How America’s Arrested Development is Bringing Down Western Civilization (St. Martin’s Press, 2007) and American Betrayal: The Secret Assault on Our Nation’s Character (St. Martin’s Press, 2013). West has been a columnist for Scripps Howard News Service and United Media.[2] As a former CNN contributor, West frequently appeared on CNN’s Lou Dobbs show. She is a graduate of Yale University.”
For the most part Ms. West dealt with topics and issues contained in her book and made other general comments of individuals in the US political cycle.
During the interview, Ms. West discussed controversial issues such as politics and immigration and made comments that some may find disagreeable. However, in the context of the discussion, Ms. West did not contravene CRTC broadcast regulations concerning abusive comments. The Zelda Young show provides an opportunity for the public to be exposed to a variety of differing views on matters of public interest. In that regard, I am pleased to provide a diverse list of guests who have been interviewed and/or are periodic contributors to the program.
Raheel Raza, Pakistani-Canadian, journalist, public speaker, media consultant, President Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow
Dr. Salim Mansur
Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Western Ontario
Former columnist – London Free Press, Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow
Yoram Ettinger, Former Israeli Ambassador, The Ettinger Report
Dr. Mordechai Kedar, Israeli scholar of Arabic culture and lecturer at Bar Ilan University, Israel Chaim Silberstein, Founder and President of Keep Jerusalem
Clare Lopez, strategic policy and intelligence expert with a focus on Middle East, National Defense, Counterterrorism
Mike Feigelman [sic], Honest Reporting Canada. Watch group monitoring news on Israel in Canada
Rabbi Mendel Kaplan, Spiritual Leader, Chabad Flamingo. Torah and Spirituality
Rabbi Reuven Bulka ... Ottawa Rabbi
Rabbi Jonathan Hausman ... American Rabbi
Matthew Hausman, Trial Attorney, Journalist
Paul Michaels, Canadian Institute of Jewish Affairs
Consul General of Israel ... Galit Baram ... Israeli affairs
Dr. Peter Pry ... Executive Director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security and Director of the U.S. Nuclear Strategy
C.W. Brotherton, African American Author
Black History
As you can see by this sample of guests, we strive to provide various viewpoints and positions during our programs. On the whole, when taken as a continuous program aired weekly, we believe we achieve a balanced and fair presentation of the various topics of discussion and varied viewpoints exchanged and heard on the Zelda Young show.
We have brought your concerns to the attention of Ms. Young and have asked her to be diligent in monitoring her guests in an on-going effort to encourage open and balanced discussions with the exchange of ideas, thoughts and opinions in a respectful and intelligent manner.
Additional Correspondence
The complainant filed his Ruling Request on April 4:
The response from [D. A.] CHIN VP programming was completely inadequate, self-serving and insulting. An excerpt from Wikipedia about Ms. West is hardly an appropriate response to my complaint. Wikipedia is not a credible source. The information can be edited by Anyone. [The VP of Programming] then proceeds to list guests, who are claimed to be "diverse" (they are not), that have appeared on Zelda's show as if this explains or even "justifies" Ms. West's outrageous comments. It's like someone who is accused of being an anti-Black racist defending themselves by saying "some of my best friends are Black." [The VP of Programming] says that my concerns have "been brought to the attention of Zelda Young" and asked her [sic] to be "diligent" in monitoring her guests. Well that and $2.00 will get you a cheap cup of coffee. Like asking the fox to guard the hen house. All in all a totally pathetic self-righteous reply from CHIN.