Ottawa, June 11, 1993 — The Ontario Regional Council of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) has decided that the Ed Needham Show aired on CFRB (Toronto) on November 16, 1992, contravened two industry codes.
In a unanimous decision for which all regional council members were present, the Ontario regional council indicated that the show reinforced two gender stereotypes: that women who do not react immediately to sexual harassment deserve their situation, and that women’s modes of dress invite comment. Based on their reading of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Code of Ethics and the Sex-Role Portrayal Code, which state that broadcasters should display “sensitivity to the problems related to sex-role stereotyping” and “should reflect an awareness of the need to avoid and overcome discrimination on the basis of gender,” the council members felt that the host’s comments lacked sensitivity and awareness of sex-role stereotyping issues.
The Ontario Regional Council includes equal representation from the public and broadcasters. The regional council Chair, a public representative, is Marianne Barrie. Al MacKay, representing broadcasters, is the Vice-Chair. Other broadcaster members of the Ontario Regional Council are Don Luzzi and Paul Fockler. Susan Fish and Robert Stanbury represent the public.
Established by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) to provide private sector broadcasters with a mechanism of self-regulation, the CBSC was formally endorsed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in August, 1991. The CBSC administers the Code of Ethics, the Sex-Role Portrayal Code and the Voluntary Code Regarding Violence on Television; the codes were developed by the CAB.
The decision is attached.
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For more information, please contact the CBSC National Chair, Mimi Fullerton, at (###) ###-####.