Former Global News journalist and current unemployed TikToker Rachel Gilmore has taken issue with the CBC’s newly-labelled status of “government-funded media,” calling the state broadcaster “completely editorially independent.”
Gilmore blasted Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, who called the CBC “propaganda” recently on Twitter.
“Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre just called CBC News – which is one of the biggest news outlets in Canada – propaganda, which is an outright lie,” Gilmore began.
“He said it after Elon Musk labelled CBC News ‘government-funded media’ despite the fact that it’s a Crown corporation, arm’s length from government and completely editorially independent,” she added.
“Poilievre then cited Elon Musk’s label as evidence that CBC is ‘not news,’ and he fundraised off of it,” she continued.
Crown corporations are defined as “government organizations that operate following a private sector model, but usually have a mixture of commercial and public policy objectives. Crown corporations are directly owned by the Government of Canada.”
The former Global News employee then claimed that CBC “hold[s] power to account.”
“Attacking the institutions that hold power to account just because you don’t like them is insanely irresponsible. Without reliable news that has editorial standards like CBC, politicians go unchecked,” she insisted.
“That’s bad for democracy.”
Senator Leo Housakos pointed out that the Liberal Party boasts on their own website about funding the CBC to the tune of $675 million.
“On the Liberal Party of Canada’s website, they don’t make the distinction that the CBC is publicly funded. Truth is, they also don’t say it’s government funded. No, no, it’s worse. The Liberals actually claim that the CBC is TRUDEAU FUNDED,” the Quebec senator wrote on Twitter.
Twitter later adjusted the label slapped on the CBC’s account to “69% Government-funded Media,” to account for the fact that approximately 30% of the CBC’s funding comes from advertising revenues.
