Look: CBC News Makes 46 Corrections or Clarifications In Just Over A Year.
Back in January 2021, CBC created a ‘corrections and clarifications’ page on their website, citing a need for transparency when informing Canadians.
The mainly taxpayer-funded crown corporation has been in the spotlight recently retracting many stories regarding the Freedom Convoy 2022 protest that happened in Ottawa. A look into CBC’s corrections and clarifications page show the outlet has corrected, clarified or inaccurately reported on a story 46 times in just over a year. There is likely more, and those are probably only the ones they have been called out on.
For some people 46 corrections or clarifications in just over a year might not seem like that big of a deal from a large media outlet like CBC, but the issue is really the impact that misinformed reporting has on the population and their reaction to it.
Here is a look at some of the recent corrections and retractions from the CBC.
On March 10, 2022, “an on-air correction was broadcast on CBC Radio’s The World This Hour regarding a story about Breonna Taylor, the Black woman who was killed in her apartment during a police raid in Louisville, Ky. The report, which aired on March 3, 2022, incorrectly said Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, was wanted on drug charges. In fact, Walker was not facing any charges and was not named in the search warrant that police used to enter Taylor’s home.”
Another one on March 10, 2022, “correction notice was added to a story on The National about the Chinese government promoting social media influencers with pro-government views in an attempt to improve perceptions on how it handles human rights issues. The story contained comments from Daniel Dumbrill, who gave his opinion about influence campaigns in China as an observer, not a participant. He said he’s not a paid participant in any state campaign and this context was not included in the story. The correction notice is available on the website and on YouTube for the segment, which aired on Feb. 6.”
On Feb. 2, 2022, “a clarification notice was added to Power & Politics on an interview about a truck convoy protest headed to Parliament Hill. A question was asked about the possibility Russian actors could be fueling or instigating the protest, without referencing experts’ concerns that during the current tension over Ukraine, Moscow could use its cyber and disinformation capabilities to “sow confusion” among Ukraine’s allies during a crisis. The clarification notice is available on the website and on YouTube for the Jan. 28 version of the show.”
CBC NEWS IS PUBLICLY TRACKING SIGNIFICANT CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
CBC News · Posted: Feb 03, 2021 10:57 AM ET | Last Updated: March 24
CBC News is committed to transparency and accountability to our audience whenever we make an error or need to clarify a story. Until now, we noted any corrections or clarifications to online articles at the bottom of the story; TV or radio correctives were done on air on the relevant broadcast.
Effective Jan. 1, 2021, as part of this commitment to transparency, CBC News is also publicly tracking significant corrections or clarifications to our TV and radio news reports and online articles.
MARCH 24, 2022
A clarification notice was added to The National on a story about the CRTC’s decision to ban the Russian news channel Russia Today (RT) in Canada. The piece quotes Slava Levin, the CEO of Ethnic Channels Group Limited, raising concerns about removing channels based on their political leanings. This was intended solely to convey Levin’s concerns about the process followed by the CRTC. The story should have made it clear that Levin, who was born in Ukraine, does not support RT and favours the channel’s removal in Canada. The clarification notice is available on the website and on YouTube for the segment, which aired on March 16, 2022.
MARCH 10, 2022
A correction notice was added to a story on The National about the Chinese government promoting social media influencers with pro-government views in an attempt to improve perceptions on how it handles human rights issues. The story contained comments from Daniel Dumbrill, who gave his opinion about influence campaigns in China as an observer, not a participant. He said he’s not a paid participant in any state campaign and this context was not included in the story. The correction notice is available on the website and on YouTube for the segment, which aired on Feb. 6.
MARCH 10, 2022
An on-air correction was broadcast on CBC Radio’s The World This Hour regarding a story about Breonna Taylor, the Black woman who was killed in her apartment during a police raid in Louisville, Ky. The report, which aired on March 3, 2022, incorrectly said Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, was wanted on drug charges. In fact, Walker was not facing any charges and was not named in the search warrant that police used to enter Taylor’s home.
MARCH 7, 2022
On Feb. 10, 2022, in a report about the protest convoy, CBC Radio’s The World This Hour incorrectly said GoFundMe ended a fundraiser for the protesters over questionable donations to the group. In fact, GoFundMe ruled the fundraiser was in violation of their terms of service, which prohibits the promotion of violence and harassment.
FEB. 28, 2022
CBC News added a clarification note to a number of stories that referenced an incident involving Ukrainian border guards and Russian forces at Snake Island. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky initially said 13 border patrol officers at the outpost died after refusing to surrender, other Ukrainian officials later contradicted him and said they believed the guards were alive. The updated stories can be found here, here and here.
FEB. 25, 2022
An on-air correction was broadcast on The National to acknowledge that archive images of a truck belonging to Titanium Trucking Services were mistakenly used to illustrate a story about a blockade attempt of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont. In fact, there is no evidence Titanium Trucking Services was part of the attempt and the company says it has not been involved in the recent protests or blockades. A correction notice was added to the segment, which aired on Feb. 16 and is available on the website and on YouTube.
FEB. 15, 2022
CBC News corrected this story, published on Feb. 15, about the resignation of Peter Sloly as Ottawa’s police chief. A previous version mischaracterized a Globe and Mail report about Sloly. The story was changed to indicate that, according to the Globe story, Sloly was not known in police circles for being heavy-handed.
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FEB. 2, 2022
A clarification notice was added to Power & Politics on an interview about a truck convoy protest headed to Parliament Hill. A question was asked about the possibility Russian actors could be fuelling or instigating the protest, without referencing experts’ concerns that during the current tension over Ukraine, Moscow could use its cyber and disinformation capabilities to “sow confusion” among Ukraine’s allies during a crisis. The clarification notice is available on the website and on YouTube for the Jan. 28 version of the show.
JAN. 20, 2022
A clarification notice was added to The National about footage used to illustrate WestJet cancelling flights due to the pandemic. Archival footage shot in April 2020 was aired without indicating the date on the screen. The notice is available on YouTube for the Jan. 18 version of the show.
JAN. 13, 2022
CBC News corrected this story, published on Jan. 11, about compensation for survivors of residential schools. The story incorrectly said descendants of Indian residential school day scholars could apply for $10,000 in compensation. In fact, relatives and descendants can only apply in cases where the day scholar is deceased, no estate is appointed and they are the highest priority heir.
DEC. 27, 2021
Two lines that appeared at the bottom of the screen on CBC News Network regarding waning vaccine protection did not meet CBC’s Journalistic Standards and Practices. They omitted context, including recent research showing boosters would decrease the risk of infection by five times.
DEC. 5, 2021
An on-air clarification was broadcast on CBC Manitoba’s local radio newscasts about a protest in Winnipeg by people accusing Israel of human rights violations against child prisoners. The additional context was aired, including that a government spokesperson has denied allegations of similar criticisms in the past, stating Israel does not engage in torture, humiliation, or solitary confinement to achieve confessions.
NOV. 22, 2021
An editor’s note was added to the top of this column about the experience and reflections of an information officer with Elections Canada, originally published under the First Person category on Oct. 25. It has been revised with deeper context and to clarify the writer’s reaction was to some conservative candidates and their policies, and not broadly to conservative parties. The column was changed to the Opinion category after an editorial review. The piece was also updated to correct a detail about a Conservative Party candidate and a description of Bill 21 in Quebec.
OCT. 28, 2021
An editor’s note was added to the top of this story, published on Sept. 11, about vaccine hesitancy. A previous version featured only one expert’s opinion on the possible reasons behind vaccine hesitancy, and the story was updated to better reflect a range of views. It also previously included comments from the organizer of a vaccine mandate protest that were unrelated to the focus of this story. The organizer had not been interviewed about the psychology of vaccine hesitancy and should not have been included in the piece.
OCT. 12, 2021
An on-air clarification was broadcast on CBC Edmonton’s TV programs and posted to social media about footage that was included in an Oct. 7 story about COVID case modelling in Alberta. The story included six seconds of footage showing mannequins in beds in a realistic hospital setting. These images had been shot in September at an Edmonton-area hospital training facility to illustrate the nature of ICU wards and should not have been used out of context in the Oct. 7 COVID story.
OCT. 10, 2021
An on-air correction was broadcast on The National to acknowledge that images of Boris Yeltsin were mistakenly shown in a story that referenced Mikhail Gorbachev’s 1990 Nobel Peace Prize win. A correction notice was added to the segment, which aired on Oct. 8 and is available on the website and on YouTube.
OCT. 8, 2021
CBC Kids News corrected this YouTube video, originally uploaded in March 2019, about the use of the word Indigenous. A map of Canada that appeared 21 seconds into the video was replaced because the original version did not include any of the Maritime provinces.
OCT. 4, 2021
A clarification was added to this story, published on Sept. 16, about the personal taxation plans for each of the major federal parties. A reference to the net worth of the wealthiest one percent of Canadians was removed from a section focused on income. This story was also previously updated to correct a tax calculation under the New Democratic Party’s proposed wealth tax.
SEPT. 15, 2021
CBC News corrected two stories about Dr. Matt Strauss, who was appointed the acting medical officer of health in Haldimand-Norfolk. The stories, published on Sept. 4 and Sept. 7, incorrectly said Strauss described business owners who open in violation of public health orders as “heroes.” In fact, Strauss used the term to describe a gym owner who said he would keep his business open under the Reopening Ontario Act, which allowed facilities to continue to serve people with disabilities.
SEPT. 10, 2021
CBC News has added a correction notice to a segment of The National, available on the website and on YouTube. The previous title of the video said a Toronto company had lost the stem cells of thousands of children. In fact, the company says the samples were destroyed. The video was uploaded on July 26, 2021 and the title was changed on July 29, 2021.
SEPT. 3, 2021
An editor’s note was added to the top of this story, published on Sept. 2. A previous version incorrectly identified 24 schools across New Brunswick as having elevated carbon dioxide levels. In fact, they were the 24 Anglophone West District schools that don’t have mechanical ventilation systems.
SEPT. 1, 2021
An on-air correction was broadcast on Ontario Today addressing a number of false statements made on the previous day’s program by a guest caller who was an opponent of COVID-19 vaccinations. You can listen to the correction here.
AUG. 2, 2021
An editor’s note was added to the top of this story, first published on Aug. 2, acknowledging that the original version incorrectly stated that Sask. Health Minister Paul Merriman had contracted COVID-19, when in fact he had not.
JULY 21, 2021
This story, first published in March, was updated to remove unnecessarily graphic details from an agreed-upon statement of facts from a second-degree murder charge court decision in Thunder Bay.
JULY 20, 2021
Articles first published on June 16 and July 18 were updated to correct details of Green Party Leader Annamie Paul’s statement that was issued about the conflict in the Middle East.
JUNE 17, 2021
CBC News corrected this story, published on June 14, about the death of RCMP Const. Shelby Patton in Wolseley, Sask. Two people who claimed to have witnessed his death later admitted to fabricating their account. Those details were removed from the online story and the errors were corrected on social channels, local radio programs and on The National. A story on the false account was also published.
JUNE 6, 2021
An on-air clarification was broadcast on The World This Weekend regarding a story about the RCMP’s difficulties in recruiting Indigenous officers. The World This Weekend incorrectly reported that recruitment efforts by the RCMP were complicated by the shooting deaths of Indigenous people, such as Chantel Moore, by the RCMP. In fact, Moore was shot and killed by a member of the local police force in Edmundston, N.B.
MAY 13, 2021
CBC News corrected this story, published on May 5, about contractors of Irving Shipbuilding arriving from outside of Nova Scotia. The story contained factual inaccuracies and those errors were corrected online, on social channels, radio and TV when additional information was provided to CBC Nova Scotia.
APRIL 30, 2021
We updated three stories that incorrectly described the AstraZeneca vaccine as 100 percent effective in preventing the severe outcomes of COVID-19. In fact, the company says the vaccine has 100 per cent efficacy to prevent those outcomes. Effectiveness refers to outcomes in “the real world,” while efficacy refers to outcomes in clinical trials. The corrected stories can be found here, here and here.
APRIL 14, 2021
CBC News corrected this story, published on April 13, that said a patient hospitalized with COVID-19 had received two doses of the vaccine more than 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. In fact, the second dose was received less than seven days prior to symptom onset and would not have been considered active yet. The headline was also changed to better reflect the overall information in the story.
MARCH 31, 2021
CBC News has added a correction notice to an investigative documentary by The Fifth Estate called 13 Deadly Hours: the Nova Scotia Mass Shooting, available on the website and on YouTube. The documentary said officers jumped out of a cruiser outside the Onslow fire hall and began firing. In fact, the person interviewed said it was not a cruiser and she believed it was a civilian vehicle. Since then, Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team has found that it was an unmarked police vehicle.
MARCH 22, 2021
We updated this story, first published on May 8, 2020, because the original article did not accurately clarify that the COVID-19 pandemic led to the changed visiting hours, and that the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre was following Ministry of Health guidelines that were updated due to the pandemic. The story has also been updated to add references to restrictions imposed by the Timmins and District Hospital, and to clarify that CBC Thunder Bay’s research was based on a small random sampling of hospitals across Ontario and not a formal survey.
MARCH 22, 2021
CBC News updated this story, originally published on April 23, 2020, which did not accurately reflect how the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre was planning for the pandemic. The story has been updated with exact wording from the 2017 Pandemic Influenza Plan. A previous version of this story also said patients with a poor prognosis being admitted to hospital would be left to die. In fact, that is not stated in the plan nor did CBC Thunder Bay practise due diligence in contacting the hospital for clarification on any aspect of the 92-page document. The story did not comply with CBC’s Journalistic Standards and Practices.
MARCH 18, 2021
We amended this story, posted on March 16, about the discovery of new Dead Sea scrolls to clarify where the scrolls were found.
MARCH 16, 2021
On CBC Radio’s The World This Hour, in a March 3 story regarding the International Criminal Court’s decision to open up a war crimes investigation on Israel and Palestinians, we incorrectly reported that the court would investigate the Palestinians for the kidnap and murder of three Israeli soldiers in May 2014. In fact, the three Israelis were not soldiers and they were killed on June 12, 2014. That date is outside the scope of the court prosecutor’s investigation, which is examining allegations since June 13, 2014.
MARCH 16, 2021
We removed the content of this Associated Press story, published on Jan. 9, 2021, after AP said it had reported an erroneous account of a phone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and an investigative official from the state of Georgia about the U.S. election results. The corrected story is here.
MARCH 5, 2021
We corrected this story, first posted on March 1, that said a police cadet was a witness to “the Taser death of Matthew Fosseneuve at the hands of police.” In fact, while Fosseneuve died following an encounter with police during which he was Tasered, the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba said his death “resulted from pre-existing conditions to which no police action unlawfully contributed in any degree.”
MARCH 5, 2021
We removed the content of this story, originally published on April 30, 2020, regarding financial statements from the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. It contained misleading information that had not been verified by CBC Thunder Bay prior to publication, as is required by our journalistic standards and practices.
MARCH 1, 2021
We updated this story, first published on Feb. 26, to correct a statistic that said two per cent of those who identified themselves as Black or African American received doctorates in health sciences in 2017. In fact, the number is 9.5 per cent.
FEB. 19, 2021
An on-air correction was broadcast on News Network’s Canada Tonight after the program incorrectly reported that Jean Augustine, elected in 1993, was the first Black MP in Canada. In fact, Augustine was the first female Black MP. Lincoln Alexander was the first Black MP, elected in 1968.
FEB. 12, 2021
We updated this article, first published on Feb. 11, that reported on plans by the Manitoba government to purchase a Canadian-made COVID-19 vaccine. We removed an epidemiologist’s statements, which incorrectly compared two companies’ vaccine trial processes.
FEB. 4, 2021
A story we first published on Jan. 19 has been updated to clarify that there are questions about Michelle Latimer’s Indigenous identity claims, to better reflect Latimer’s understanding of her identity, and to clarify some details of the suggested legislation.
This story was also updated on Jan. 27 to clarify details about the kinds of awards and opportunities author Joseph Boyden has received.
FEB. 4, 2021
On a number of local radio programs on Jan. 21, in a segment about a call for federal legislation to authenticate Indigenous identity in Canada, we mistakenly referred to filmmaker Michelle Latimer as not Indigenous. We should have said her Indigenous identity claims are being questioned.
JAN. 25, 2021
An on-air clarification was broadcast on The National to acknowledge incorrect images of the Roberta Place Retirement Lodge in a story the previous evening regarding a COVID-19 outbreak at Roberta Place Long-Term Care. The retirement lodge is a separate building that did not have an outbreak at that time.
JAN. 17, 2021
An on-air clarification was broadcast on The World This Weekend to address some issues of balance regarding the vaccination process in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. You can listen to it here.
JAN. 11, 2021
We updated this story, first posted in November 2019, reporting on the backlash to a Facebook post from Lethbridge Conservative MP Rachael Harder. Our update was to more accurately reflect her views and to better contextualize some of the reactions to her Facebook post.
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