Ontario’s former attorney general Liberal Michael Bryant is currently on a media tour for his book 28 Seconds and besides being creeped-out by the thought of someone making money off a death they caused, I saw a Tweet that caught my eye:
So I asked Lang twice if this was in fact true to which she replied:
Think for a second how arrogant this statement is from a journalist especially one who must abide by CBC’s Journalistic Standards and Practices:
The trust of the public is our most valued asset. We avoid putting ourselves in real or potential conflict of interest. This is essential to our credibility. (see here)
I asked Lang if the CBC Ombudsman would agree that interviewing friends is an ethical practice and meets CBC policy?
Still waiting for her answer.
BC Blue: One BC Conservative's view on it all... 
August 25, 2012 at 9:24 AM
Didn’t CBC publicily display Vic Toews private life.
Anyone who works at CBC is paid for by the public that’s you Dean, therefore, you have just ‘as much right’ to enquire what’s brewing in our store(CBC).
From the expensive toilet paper to the hiring and firing to hosting of shows and so on are all paid by us.
So, keep up your investigation.
‘The trust of the public is our most valued asset’
HA! In other words, the public’s money is CBC’s to do with ‘freely’ without recourse.
‘This is essential to our credibility.”
WHAT CREDIBILITY?
August 25, 2012 at 10:19 AM
Amanda . . . Great eyes, great legs, great shoes . . . that’s all folks.
Just another wannabe progressive-socialist type who is suckling on the Mother Corp’s taxpayer funded teat.
August 25, 2012 at 10:45 AM
Seems quite obvious that Lang does indeed have a friendship with Bryant. For me, Lang just ‘officially’ entered the growing league of (usually left-friendly) journalists with little ethics or understanding of “conflict of interest”. Hardly surprising for the CBC though.
And I’m with you on the issue of Bryant profiting from of a death that he caused… self-serving and disgraceful. And this from a former LIBERAL Attorney General.
August 25, 2012 at 11:12 AM
She did say during the interview that she has known him for a long time. What’s the big deal if they’re friends or not?
August 25, 2012 at 11:17 AM
During the interview?
August 25, 2012 at 12:31 PM
Yes, during the interview. Did you actually watch it?
August 25, 2012 at 2:53 PM
Feel free to link the time during the interview where she did.
August 25, 2012 at 8:20 PM
At 12:55 she did say “I’ve known you for a long time.”
September 5, 2012 at 10:18 AM
Amanda also indicated that she KNEW Michael Bryant had a drinking problem. Funny how a lush can be ATTORNEY GENERAL OF ONTARIO and the press, being aware of it, was reported nothing of his drunkeness when HE was making and enacting legislation and Ontario LAWS. Woe be On-SCARIO.
August 25, 2012 at 11:13 AM
Odd, really, because one would expect the CBC to do an excessively sentimental treatment of the poor guy who was killed, while demonizing the alleged oppressor with the expensive car. I guess that only works with Conservatives or business people, not highly skilled greased pole climbers.
August 26, 2012 at 3:52 PM
There’s little doubt in my mind that the story would’ve been played differently had it been fmr. conservative AG Bob Runciman in the back of the police car instead of Bryant. And when the crown withdrew the charges, mostly summary reporting followed… “Crown will not proceed with charges against Bryant; now in today’s other news… there was a major fire in Toronto’s west end” etc.
And with Runciman, he would’ve gotten the Jaffer treatment, with reporters musing aloud whether the fmr. PC AG got special treatment. Not so with Bryant. The MSM love him.
August 25, 2012 at 11:43 AM
I will remind everyone here that former Attorney General Michael Bryant has killed more people than my brother’s legally registered firearms; rifles that Bryant’s regime tried so hard to over regulate, control and confiscate because they were too dangerous to be owned by the citizens of Ontario.
September 5, 2012 at 10:27 AM
Bryant LOVED to stomp ALL over Ontario citizens rights and did more to harm other people’s Canadian Charter Rights as while AG, he put into legislation “reverse onus” and “warrantless entry”. He also Wanted to CRUSH cars of speeders. His SAAD should be holding soda in tin cans. Cant believe they tested the victim for signs of alcohol and drug abuse but NOT The Driver. My bet is Bryant was ON something.
August 25, 2012 at 11:58 AM
What is the big deal? If she has nothing to hide, then she should reveal her relationship to Michael Bryant?
End of story!
August 25, 2012 at 12:05 PM
I cannot comment on the interview nor on how sympathetically or not the interviewer treated the interviewee, since I did not watch it.
However, I respectfully disagree with the premise that merely knowing someone, or even being a friend of someone, immediately taints the interview.
Must journalists always treat public figures in an aggressive adversarial fashion? Isn’t that what some of us conservatives often complain about, the ‘gotcha’ form of journalism, using accusations rather than legitimate questions, seeking to evoke the interviewee’s POV? Surely those watching must exercise some critical thinking skills of their own, deciding for themselves whether the interview was too one-sided or not. And there’s no shortage of supplementary commentary (Radwanski, Coren and perhaps others) that people can read/hear to round out their opinion.
No, sorry, I don’t think Amanda Lang necessarily was in some conflict of interest here.
August 25, 2012 at 2:55 PM
Then you don’t know what a conflict of interest is
August 25, 2012 at 5:53 PM
Maybe so. I’ll defer to your superior knowledge simply because I don’t want to get into a pointless battle of words.
However, as Anonymous at August 25, 2012 at 11:12 AM said, it was revealed during the interview that Amanda Lang has known Michael Bryant for a long time. It was stated not once but twice: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/08/20/michael-bryant-interview-28-seconds.html
The 1st time was during the interview at the 12:53 mark. The second was after the interview, with Ian Hanomansing, at the 15:09 mark. So, your tenet that “Amanda Lang refused to disclose her relationship with Ontario Liberal Michael Bryant” is clearly incorrect.
August 25, 2012 at 5:59 PM
Almost 13 minutes into the 14 minute interview she declares exactly what? And you are not saying it was her declaring her conflict of interest at the 15 minute mark are you?
You’re embarrassing yourself by trying to defend Lang.
August 26, 2012 at 5:04 AM
Sorry, but the one embarrassing himself is you. The entire premise of your post is that Lang “refused to disclose her relationship with Ontario Liberal Michael Bryant” — which is clearly not the case. At what point during the interview she disclosed she has known Bryant for some time is irrelevant. The fact is she did disclose it and you said she refused to do so. I’m surprised you’re not big enough to admit you’re wrong in this case.
“Don’t ever be afraid to admit you were wrong. It’s like saying you’re wiser today than you were yesterday.”
– Robert Newell, humorist
August 26, 2012 at 6:49 AM
Saying “I’ve known you for a long time” 13 minutes into a 14 minute interview is hardly disclosure but you keep defending Lang and telling yourself what you want to hear. You’ve had this same problem in the past if I remember correctly.
August 26, 2012 at 6:51 AM
Knowing a person and having a friendship over many years are two very different things.
August 26, 2012 at 9:23 AM
Should there have been flashing lights and a disclaimer at the beginning of the interview?
Look, had you argued that the interview was friendly and sympathetic to Bryant, with very few probing and incisive questions, I might even have agreed with you. But you titled your post “Amanda Lang refused to disclose her relationship with Ontario Liberal Michael Bryant” which is NOT accurate. If I demand accuracy & balance from the CBC, I expect it also from its critics, which includes me.
As for my past “same problem” … Ah yes! I guess you’re referring to when you accused me of “mirroring similarly like Liberals do on here”. You were arguing that Justice Minister Rob Nicholson had knowingly appointed a liberal activist judge and I disagreed with your take. Geez, I guess you only welcome singers singing from your songbook!
August 26, 2012 at 9:37 AM
You just can’t stop can you? I am tired of responding over and over ad nauseum every time you have the need to defend the indefensible. Move along…
Do yourself a favour – stop reading me and if you think people are dying to hear what you think, create your own forum by blogging yourself. I’m sure you’ll be over a million readers in no time.
August 25, 2012 at 12:52 PM
Thing is she shouldn’t have agreed to interview Bryant if she’s a close “friend”. For most people an objective interview would not be possible if there’s a close relationship between the two, however with the CBC why would we expect objectivity?
Have to agree there’s a bit of “Baba Wawa” here except people who work for the CBC are working for the people who pay their salaries which is the taxpayers of Canada thus we have a right to have some basic info on them. In this case are we again being taken for fools?
Has anyone ever found out what we’re paying Peter Mansbridge for reading us the news?
August 25, 2012 at 1:40 PM
BC Blue Are you trying to break into comedy writing? Putting cbc and ethics in the same sentence is a good start.
August 25, 2012 at 8:35 PM
otto and adrienne must be so proud – to have her on the inside in the CBC tower of babel, and a power couple to take us all to their twisted nirvana
may PM Harper reign forever
August 26, 2012 at 5:57 AM
The CBC is lost since the Liberals have crashed. Does anyone really think they’d be bothering with a “movie” about Saint Jack if the Liberals were in power or close to it?
BTW, we really should be protesting this over-the-top idolatry of Layton by the publicly owned CBC. It’s not the serving the public to do movies of a recently deceased politician, instead they should be doing movies about real heroes of the past not in the political realm. We have lots to choose from.
August 26, 2012 at 10:57 AM
In any investigation any previous relationship between and investigator and the investigated beyond strictly that of a professional, in the capacity of investigator/investigated is usually grounds to recuse the investigator.
See: judges, prosecutors, police, RCMP, securities commission, internal revenue, workmen’s compensation, food, health and safety, and anything I’ve omitted.
Cept the CBC douchebags.
This is just free personal promotion of a known killer friend with the same big nanny state political view, a further abuse of power used by no-breathalyzer-boy networking his buddies in high places.
August 26, 2012 at 11:09 PM
Amanda is all looks not much else
August 27, 2012 at 8:04 PM
Heard Amanda Lang is the daughter of ex-liberal politico Otto Lang. Who is adrienne?
August 27, 2012 at 8:09 PM
She is the daughter of Otto Lang, a Liberal party MP and federal cabinet member during the 1960s and 1970s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Lang
December 12, 2012 at 8:17 PM
Anyone get the impression that Amanda Lang knows absolutely nothing about real economics or finance? How on earth can she be Senior Business Correspondent? I forgot, its on the CBC.