CBC SCOLDEDFOR 'ANTI-AMERICAN'TOWN HALL

l:3y Michael Mallcson. The Sttand

TORONTO (CUP) - CBC's ombudsman l1c1-;critici,.e<l CBC New~ for broudcusting ,1 tll\\ n hall program he says expressed a one• sided, unti,Amcricon view oi' the Sept. 11 terrorist auacks.

David 8aa1y rulc<l that the nudie11ce111the Sept. I 9 wring ot' a Nation.ii Town Hall ennsis1ed almo~t entirely of university stu dents und f)llblic emrloyces, and lherl'l'ore did nut represent a fair cross-section of Canadians or Torontoni.ins as the term ''national town hall" might imply.

The ombudsman\ revkw began after viewer , many American. criticiL.cd the progrnlll for presenting u view heavily hiused towards a leftist and anti-Amcriean n11tlo11k.

Although Bai',ay said 1hc program did not technically violate the corporation ·s journ;ilism policy, he was critical of the CRC and m:ide several recommendations for change.

"How could CBC-TV News describe a program built around comments und que:.tions nf a studio audience in downtown Toronto as 'national?'" s:iid Ba,ay.

"There appeared to be lilllc representation from the private sector. and this in a dty thm's al the centre of Canada's important economic relationship with the United Stotes." Ba1.ayadded,

Of the 23 members of the audience who made a stotemen1.he counted 11 who either attacked the notion of using force 01 blamed American foreign policy for the allacks.

Applause greeted all of the 11 statements, but the audience was sih:111when one .iuJiem;e member said "the fact is, in a thousand ways, we arc more like the Americans than I think any other country i~."

Ba7:iy encouraged the producers to send invitations to pri• vale-sector employees as well as university students and pub I ic employees.