Journalist quits Canadian state broadcaster because it's too woke

"To work at the CBC [Canadian Broadcasting Corporation] in the current climate is to embrace cognitive dissonance and to abandon journalistic integrity. It is to sign on, enthusiastically, to a radical political agenda that originated on Ivy League campuses in the United States and spread through American social media platforms that monetize outrage and stoke societal divisions. 

"It is to pretend that the 'woke' worldview is near universal -- even if it is far from popular with those you know, and speak to, and interview, and read."

So says Tara Henley, a Toronto journalist who resigned today after over eight years with Canada's state-owned broadcaster.

Writing on the Substack platform, Ms Henley opened her piece on the Substack platform by revealing that she's been hearing more and more complaints about the house organ of Canada's governing Liberal Party. 

"People want to know why, for example, non-binary Filipinos concerned about a lack of LGBT terms in Tagalog is an editorial priority for the CBC, when local issues of broad concern go unreported. Or why our pop culture radio show’s coverage of the Dave Chappelle Netflix special failed to include any of the legions of fans, or comics, that did not find it offensive. Or why, exactly, taxpayers should be funding articles that scold Canadians for using words such as 'brainstorm' and 'lame'.

"Everyone asks the same thing: What is going on at the CBC?"

Ms Henley goes on to answer her own question. 

"To work at the CBC now is to accept the idea that race is the most significant thing about a person, and that some races are more relevant to the public conversation than others. It is, in my newsroom, to fill out racial profile forms for every guest you book; to actively book more people of some races and less of others. [Ahem. Less sugar, fewer people. Back to English class for you, young lady! Ed.] 

Ms Henley suggests that the focus on racial issues is resulting in less scrutiny of other issues that affect large numbers of people, such as the housing crisis, lockdowns, vaccine mandates, accumulation of wealth by billionaires and power by bureaucrats, and the rising total of overdose deaths. 

"It used to be that I was the one furthest to the left in any newsroom, occasionally causing strain in story meetings with my views on issues like the housing crisis. I am now easily the most conservative, frequently sparking tension by questioning identity politics. This happened in the span of about 18 months. My own politics did not change."

If working for a propaganda machine where newsreaders now must include not only vizmins but some who display their religious identity through their choice of headgear is too much for the not-quite-that-woke Tara Henley, Walt suggests she apply to CTV or Global, where things haven't gone quite that far... yet.

Further reading (added 4/1/22): Turns out Ms Henley landed softly at the new woke Globe & Mail, the Toronto elite paper that pretends to be Canada's national newspaper. Click here to read her reviews of six new books, including Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy, by Batya Ungar-Sargon (Encounter Books, 2021), which Ms Henley calls a must-read. I'll add that to my shopping list, but not from Amazon!