Ottawa, May 12, 1994 -- The Ontario Regional Council of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) announced today that comments made on the Geoff Franklin Show on CIWW (Ottawa) did not contravene an industry Code of Ethics.
On June 16, 1993, the host of the program discussed an area man who had decided to punish his dog by dragging it alongside the car for several blocks while the man drove at high speeds. The CIWW host invited listeners to call in with their views on suitable punishment for the dog’s owner, and suggested that the dog owner be dragged alongside a moving car himself. A listener to the station felt that the host had advocated vigilante action and contravention of the law. The station, in response, reprimanded the host and instructed him to read the industry’s Code of Ethics.
The Regional Council felt that the host had not seriously advocated criminal activities, and that, at worst, the host’s comments were in poor taste. The comments did not, however, breach the Code, which does not address poor taste and which states that stations must treat all controversial subjects fairly, and present comment and opinion fully, fairly, and properly.
Composed equally of representatives of the general public and of the broadcasting industry, the Ontario Regional Council is chaired by Marianne Barrie, a public member. Al MacKay, a broadcaster, is its Vice-Chair. The other public members of the Regional Council are Susan Fish and Robert Stanbury; the other broadcaster members are Don Luzzi and Paul Fockler. All members were present for this unanimous decision.
The CBSC was created in 1990 to provide self-regulation for private sector broadcasters. Formally endorsed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the Council administers four industry Codes: the Code of Ethics of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, the Sex-Role Portrayal Code, the Voluntary Code Regarding Violence in Television Programming, and the Code of Ethics of the Radio Television News Directors Association.
The decision is attached.
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For more information, please contact Ronald 1. Cohen, National Chair of the CBSC, at (###) ###-####.