MEDIA WATCH | CANADIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Are You Antireligious, Radio-Canada?

In a time when there is so much unrest in the world, it’s vital that the press work with extra diligence to ensure what’s being reported is accurate and fair.

June 4, 2020

Ombudsman

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation:

In a time when there is so much unrest in the world, it’s vital that the press work with extra diligence to ensure what’s being reported is accurate and fair.

I have a radio show that is broadcast out of Nashua, New Hampshire. I understand the temptation to report alarming information in the hope of getting viewers and clicks. There’s vast economic pressure on news organizations these days to stay afloat, but regardless, fair and accurate reporting is a must to maintain the integrity of the journalism profession.

Unfortunately, your news reporting has not been fair or accurate, at least not in regard to your reporting about the Volunteer Ministers from my church, the Church of Scientology.

Those ministers are simply members of our church, who volunteer their time to help on a myriad of community projects sponsored by the Church of Scientology around the world. In this case, which you misreported, they were simply handing out booklets free of charge that contain no religious dogma of any kind—rather, the booklets simply contain fundamental and accurate information on how to stay well. The fundamentals include how to wash your hands, how to put on and take off a face mask, and gloves, and much more. They’re even illustrated to make it easier for anyone to understand.

What I don’t understand is how could you so fundamentally misunderstand what they were doing, and why you would report such alarming “information” about them and my church? Are you anti-religious? By your reporting, it certainly seems so.

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if more people volunteered to do what they could to help their community?

I hope you will mend your ways, reestablish fairness and accuracy, and restore the integrity of your own news reporting. And please, leave the antireligious slant out of it.

Sincerely,

Sean Burke
STAND