CIJNews CBC Media Bias Top Down Part 2 – Jack Nagler
Posted by: Diane Weber Bederman September 2, 2016
Originally posted http://en.cijnews.com/?p=45378
Round and round and round we spin~Neil Young
Today I will introduce you to Jack Nagler. He works at the CBC. In his own words from Linkedin“Reporting to our GM/Editor-in-Chief, I am the keeper of journalistic procedures and policy for CBC News, judging what we produce against our standards and responding to complaints when our viewers, readers and listeners think we fall short.
“I monitor our coverage and assess what we do, guide the development of future journalistic policy and am the liaison with the CBC Ombudsman. I lead efforts to make CBC News more accountable and more transparent.
“I am also leading an effort to forge new relationships with journalism schools, stakeholders and industry groups, as well as helping develop a broader public engagement strategy.”
He is the Director of Journalistic Public Accountability and Engagement at CBC News since 2013.Managing Editor, Radio News CBC from 2010 to 2013 he managed network radio news programs ranging from hourly newscasts around the clock to the highest-rated daily news programs in Canada to weekly programs specializing in international affairs and Canadian politics. He was part of a leadership team for CBC News that sets strategy across all of its platforms. And he was Executive Producer, World Affairs CBC from 2006 to 2010. He was in charge of international news at CBC across all media platforms. In addition to overseeing all of their bureaus and their assignment and research desk, he was responsible for a daily international news program on CBC Newsworld.
I have been following CBC for a long time. And lodged many complaints. Operation Protective Edge was a cause of many of those complaints. There was without doubt a twisted worldview at the CBC.
I am enclosing my correspondence with Jack Nagler and the ombudsman Esther Enkin to whom I lodged my official complaints regarding sources and their legitimacy. The emails speak for themselves. They write their own story. This episode deals with a complaint to the Ombudsman, Esther Enkin on Wed, Jan 6, 2016 at 11:49 AM.
Diane Bederman wrote:
Ms. Enkin:
“It appears that at the CBC a report linked to a “Pro Israel” organization is suspect while information coming from the Palestinian Authority and Hamas is not questioned.
“I am lodging a formal complaint against Jack Nagler, Jennifer McGuire, Joan Melanson and any and all editors and journalists involved in the decision NOT to post the High Level Military Report about the IDF that declared the IDF to be the most moral army and exonerated the IDF of complaints against her actions during Operation Protective Edge the summer of 2014.
Here is the correspondence between Mr. Nagler and me.
To Mr. Nagler December 14, 2014
“The IDF has been declared the most moral army IN THE WORLD.
“I look forward to the CBC running this story after all, you spent most of the summer of 2014 trying to make a moral equivalence between Israel’s army and the terrorists of Hamas. Your reporters “apparently” didn’t see the rockets in the mosques and schools and hospital. Nor “apparently” did they see the five star hotels on the Gazan beach. They missed the terror that was felt by the children in Israel because they didn’t stay in Israel. The CBC narrative was poor Gaza and nasty Israel.
Surprise-your narrative is so wrong. Hamas is nothing but a terrorist organization that deprives their people of any life and instead just blames Israel and then they laugh. Why not? People like you, your reporters your editors-Jennifer McGuire and your ombudsman-who is in egregious conflict of interest- never point out the terror tactics of Hamas. Your story has been and continues to be one that blames Israel-the Jewish state-for what, Jack? Taking up too much space on the world-2% of MENA. It seems that is 2% too much for the CBC.
I do want a response from you Jack about this story. I want to know when you will be sharing it 24/7 on radio TV and Internet. If there is no response I guess I will go talk to the Ombudsman, again.
Here is a response from Mr. Nagler
The Ombudsman would probably be handcuffed here, because her mandate is to assess journalism we’ve done, rather than rule on choices CBC News makes about which stories need to be covered.
In any event, thank you for sharing the link to the High Level Military Group. (For those of you unaware of the report here is the link).There is interesting information in there.
I am sure you realize, as someone who’s worked in the media, how many different considerations go into deciding what is newsworthy. Reports by this group or that group are not always going to meet the bar. It depends on all kinds of factors. Some are about the news environment of the day (are there bigger stories out there). Others are about the report itself, including how new the information is; how important the information is for the audience; and how credible the report is.
In this instance, the High Level Military group which produced this report was formed by the Friends of Israel Initiative. So its conclusions are viewed differently than they would from a more clearly impartial organization. In essence, it is seen as an opinion and argument on behalf of Israel than it is an independent declaration that the IDF is “the most moral army in the world”. Not only that, it repeated themes from the same group that were made public back in September. (emphasis mine)
I am NOT saying that this report is inaccurate, or that it does not have important insights. But I hope what I’ve said above might help you understand why most of the world’s news organizations did not give this particular report any coverage.
All the best….”
I closed this complaint to Ms. Enkin, the ombudsman with the following paragraphs.
According to you in previous discussions, Ms. Enkin, reporting statistics from the Palestinian Authority and Hamas 24/7 during operation Protective Edge was appropriate because by mentioning that the statistics came from them gave listeners context and gave them the opportunity to decide for themselves about the accuracy of the numbers. This despite the fact that you have no statistics to prove that the vast majority of Canadians who listen to the CBC and read on-line are aware of the questionable accuracy of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas or that it was well known in 2008 that Hamas was putting pressure on journalists regarding what they could and could not report. You have those documents.
Please keep in mind that the CBC, the broadcaster for all Canadians, is also heard around the world.
If Canadians can be trusted to know the accuracy or lack of by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, then why does the CBC not trust Canadians to know the accuracy or lack of by a report from generals from nine countries that was merely requested by Friends of Israel?
According to Mr. Nagler, Palestinian Authority and Hamas meet the bar. Their information is apparentlycredible and impartial. (Reports from this group or that group are not always going to meet the bar.) But the report from generals from nine countries about the morality of the IDF which was put into question on a daily basis just from the 24/7 CBC reportage of unverifiable statistics – does not meet that bar ofimpartiality and credibility. According to Nagler it may be accurate-or not-but apparently doesn’t meet that bar.”
And the response from the Ombudsman
Dear Ms. Bederman:
2016-01-07
“I will not be conducting a review of this matter.
The News Department has the right to make editorial choices. The Ombudsman deals with published material.”
In other discussions with Mr. Nagler, I had expressed my concern about access to information in Israel and Gaza. Here was his response.
“In any conflict all sides want to control information. That is a given. Hamas does it, so does Israel. For obvious reasons they both want to control the release of any military information that might be of use to the enemy. Hamas has no formal system of censorship, but as you likely know, all foreign reporters working in Israel must agree to work under rules set out by the Israeli Military Censor. Stories on a list of topics – chiefly military issues and nuclear weapons, but also potentially oil and water supplies, among others – must be submitted for censorship prior to publication.
“It’s more than just military information, of course. Both sides want to shape their image, limit information that reflects badly on them while at the same time promoting stories that make the other side look bad.”
I suggested that this is a moral equivalency.
So with the CBC as with far too many media outlets, facts are not as important as the story. I am reminded of the lyrics:
“Round and round and round we spin”
