News anchor Lisa LaFlamme 'shocked' after CTV replaces her with Omar Sachedina

The_Foxer

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She has name recognition. I’m sure she can find a spot in journalism elsewhere perhaps in a different capacity being a writer for a non-CBC newspaper, etc..?
She'll find SOMETHING i'm sure, but i doubt it'll be anything as prestigeous or financially lucrative as this was. I'm pretty sure she was banking on getting another 8 years out of the job at least.
 

spaminator

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Bell CEO says Lisa LaFlamme's departure not related to age, gender or grey hair
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Brett Bundale
Publishing date:Aug 28, 2022 • 15 hours ago • 3 minute read • 42 Comments

The decision to end Lisa LaFlamme’s contract with CTV National News had nothing to do with her age, gender or grey hair, the head of Bell Media’s parent company said.


“The narrative has been that Lisa’s age, gender or grey hair played into the decision,” Mirko Bibic, president and CEO of BCE Inc. & Bell Canada, wrote in a LinkedIn post.


“I am satisfied that this is not the case and wanted to make sure you heard it from me.”

Instead, removing the longtime anchor reflects massive changes to traditional broadcasting in Canada, he said.

“The days when viewers wait until 11 p.m. to get their news are gone,” Bibic said. “While some may resist change, it is necessary and we need to confront this … Bell Media needs to provide our journalists with the resources they need on all platforms where news is consumed.”


His post caps a week of growing fallout from LaFlamme’s departure that saw Bell Media vice-president of news Michael Melling take a leave from his job as of Friday.


Melling has been the subject of “various allegations” and is on leave pending the outcome of a workplace review, Bibic said.

“To address concerns raised regarding the working environment in the newsroom we have begun an independent review involving confidential interviews with all newsroom employees who choose to participate,” he said.

“Any necessary changes that become evident will be implemented swiftly to ensure a respectful, unified workplace.”

Meanwhile, a long list of high-profile Canadian artists, politicians, business leaders and philanthropists issued an open letter on Saturday condemning LaFlamme’s abrupt dismissal.

The letter, which appeared over two pages in the Globe and Mail’s weekend edition, said LaFlamme was an award-winning ratings leader for the company “until one thing changed: the colour of her hair.”


“In making their ‘business decision,’ Bell confirmed one sad truth: even after all the progress women have made, they continue to face sexism and ageism at work everyday in a way which is unacceptable,” said the letter addressed to the board of directors and management of BCE and Bell Canada.

Bibic said he would like to say more on the Bell Media decision to end LaFlamme’s contract but is “bound by a mutual separation agreement negotiated with Lisa, which we will continue to honour.”

The controversy raised questions among media observers about whether sexism and ageism played a role in the newsroom shakeup, and has sparked a reckoning of the ongoing gender discrimination women face in the workplace.




LaFlamme, who has covered stories ranging from wars and natural disasters to elections and the Olympics, announced in an Aug. 15 video shared to social media that her contract had been terminated.

The longtime CTV National News anchor said she was blindsided by the company’s decision.

Bell Media said terminating LaFlamme’s contract after 35 years was a business decision, adding the company wanted to move the chief news anchor role in a “different direction.” Omar Sachedina has been tapped to take over the position.

LaFlamme has garnered strong social media support since announcing her departure. Brands such as Wendy’s, Dove and Sports Illustrated have all publicly backed the 58-year-old journalist, who has been open about not dyeing her grey hair.
 

The_Foxer

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nobody gave a shit about her hair. But it's sure a warning to businesses about hiring women isn't it.
 

The_Foxer

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That's because the Liberals are anti-women.
It's not really a 'liberal' thing. It's more of a business people not want to have unnecessary drama thing. Even ones who are as pro women as they can get are going to start wondering if hiring women will mean this kind of problem. You didn't see anyone talking about don cherry's hair when he got fired :)
 

spaminator

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Bell pushes back against accusations surrounding LaFlamme departure, coverage
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Publishing date:Aug 29, 2022 • 5 hours ago • 2 minute read • 6 Comments

TORONTO — Bell Media is pushing back against accusations that CTV National News anchor Lisa LaFlamme was ousted because of her appearance and that it interfered in the network’s coverage of the fallout.


Wade Oosterman, president of Bell Media, said in a letter out Monday that any allegations management breached its journalistic independence policy in covering the Lisa LaFlamme story are “outrageous.”


“Just as the termination of Lisa LaFlamme’s contract had nothing to do with age, gender or grey hair, I can categorically confirm that no actions were taken which violate journalistic independence policy.”

Oosterman’s comments are addressed to human rights lawyer Paul Champ, who submitted a letter to the company on behalf of a “large number” of CTV News journalists who raised concerns about the circumstances around LaFlamme’s firing and whether they were related to her appearance.

The unnamed CTV News journalists said they believe LaFlamme’s firing was based “more on personal malice than any business-related reasons,” and worry that her age may have been a prejudicial factor.


“Her dismissal appears to be an egregious act of revenge, tainted by ageism, sexism and misogyny at the hands of a male boss,” they said in the letter.

The journalists also said they lack confidence in Michael Melling, who was vice-president of CTV News before Bell Media placed him on leave pending a workplace review.

Since the letter was sent on Aug. 22, reports have also surfaced about concerns on how CTV News has covered the LaFlamme story.

Oosterman said Bell has a journalistic independence policy as a safeguard for unbiased news coverage, which leaves editorial decisions in the hands of the vice-president responsible for CTV News and keeps it outside the control of other executives at the Bell conglomerate.


He urged the unnamed CTV News journalists to raise their concerns directly with him, and to participate in the workplace review being conducted by a third party.

The journalists said in their letter that along with morale being low since Melling took on the role of vice-president of CTV News eight months ago, professional retaliation has also become a significant risk so it was necessary to shield their identities.
 

spaminator

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Lloyd Robertson speaks out on Lisa LaFlamme's firing from CTV: 'She held to her own integrity'
'You don’t go laying off that person the way you laid off Lisa LaFlamme,' CTV alum said

Author of the article:Mark Daniell
Publishing date:Aug 30, 2022 • 19 hours ago • 3 minute read • 33 Comments

Former CTV National News anchor Lloyd Robertson has spoken out after his successor Lisa LaFlamme was ousted from her hosting gig on the network’s evening news broadcast earlier this month.


“She held to her own integrity, all through with the old man. From the beginning, saying, ‘My bond is our father-daughter relationship.’ Right to the end, she was there for him,” Robertson, 88, said, comparing LaFlamme’s experience to that of Cordelia in William Shakespeare’s King Lear.


“You don’t go laying off that person the way you laid off Lisa LaFlamme,” Robertson added during a panel entitled Staging Democracy at the Stratford Festival’s Tom Patterson Theatre, according to Guelph Today. “These people are good human beings, communicating with the public in a real way, and being true to their own identities and their own integrity as they go along.”

Robertson was chief anchor of CTV’s national evening news program from 1984 to 2011 before LaFlamme, 58, took over the role. She informed viewers her contract was not being renewed in a video statement posted to Twitter on Aug. 15.


In a Twitter post, the Canadian Screen Award-winner said she was informed June 29 that her contract was not going to be renewed and it was a “business decision.”

“I was blindsided and I’m still shocked and saddened by Bell Media’s decision,” LaFlamme said. “I was also asked to keep this confidential from my colleagues and the public until the specifics of my exit could be resolved.”



In a press release, Bell Media said it was “recognizing changing viewer habits” as it moved “the role of its Chief News Anchor in a different direction.”

In her video, LaFlamme, who began her career in 1989 in Kitchener, Ont. said the job has meant “everything” to her.

“Reporting on the darkest days of war — from Iraq, Afghanistan and this year, Ukraine — to covering natural disasters, this pandemic, federal elections and so many other consequential events, including this summer’s papal apology tour to residential school survivors and their families, is a trust I have never taken for granted,” she said. “I am forever grateful to you — such loyal viewers — for sharing in the belief that news delivered with integrity and truth strengthens our democracy.


“At 58, I still thought I’d have a lot more time to tell more of the stories that impact our daily lives. Instead I leave CTV humbled by the people who put their faith in me to tell their story. I guess this is my sign off from CTV.”

LaFlamme’s departure has been met with anger coast-to-coast, with Michael Melling, the vice-president of news for Bell Media, announcing a leave of absence from the company last week.

Bell Media has also been forced to contend with claims that was ousted because of her grey hair with a number CTV News journalists asserting that her firing was based “more on personal malice than any business-related reasons.”

On Saturday, an open letter published in the Globe and Mail and signed by notable Canadians including Sarah McLachlan, Anne Murray, Jann Arden and Romeo Dallaire, pointedly asked Bell to “make things right.”


“Bell Media’s ‘business decision’ to fire CTV National News anchor Lisa LaFlamme, in the very prime of her career…struck at the heart of not only who we are as Canadians, but who we aspire to be,” said the letter addressed to the board of directors and management of BCE and Bell Canada.



“In making their ‘business decision,’ Bell confirmed one sad truth: even after all the progress women have made, they continue to face sexism and ageism at work everyday in a way which is unacceptable.”

Since announcing her departure, LaFlamme has courted support from mainstream businesses. Wendy’s, Dove and Sports Illustrated all waded into the fray backing the journalist.

Wendy’s changed its red-headed mascot’s hair to grey, while Dove pledged to donate $100,000 to a Canadian organization that helps build better workplaces for women.

Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated retweeted a cover that featured 74-year-old model Maye Musk.

Following its announcement that it is replacing LaFlamme with Omar Sachedina next month, Bell Media said in a statement it “regrets” the way in which LaFlamme’s departure was handled.

mdaniell@postmedia.com
 

Tecumsehsbones

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Shakespeare reference!

Ya know, Shakespeare was actually Catholic/Jewish/a nobleman/a woman/a feminist/an anti-racist/Scots/Irish/Black/Asian/Queen Elizabeth's illegitimate son.
 

spaminator

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Bell fights back too late as most media go with easy, and incorrect, story on LaFlamme
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Publishing date:Aug 30, 2022 • 14 hours ago • 3 minute read • 15 Comments

It’s probably too late in the day for Bell to be saying, “Let’s Talk” about Lisa LaFlamme. The company, one of the biggest communications firms on the continent, has lost the narrative, which is too bad because there’s more to this story than age, gender and the colour of one’s hair.


Belatedly, Bell executives have begun to speak out. First came a post via LinkedIn by Bell CEO Mirko Bibic, then an open letter from Bell Media President Wade Oosterman on Monday.


Despite reporting here in the Sun that looked at a number of factors from claims of a toxic work environment, reports of a clash of egos over a new direction, the possible role the Patrick Brown lawsuit played in this affair and more, it has been reduced to the colour of LaFlamme’s hair. Campaigns by Dove and Wendy’s along with a statement signed onto by many politicians are only sealing the not-entirely-true narrative that this is about age and sex discrimination.

Now former CTV anchor Lloyd Robertson is weighing in, which will only cement this vision, even if his words don’t back it up.


“You don’t go laying off that person the way you laid off Lisa LaFlamme,” Robertson said while moderating a panel discussion at the Stratford Festival.

True, you don’t and shouldn’t lay off someone like LaFlamme the way that CTV did, and I’ve written about this already. Bell’s handling of this was a textbook example of what not to do from beginning to end.

The company was caught off guard by LaFlamme’s video post announcing her departure Aug. 15 and they’ve never recovered. Rather than send out executives to speak clearly as to what happened, they’ve been hiding in the shadows for most of this time while rank and file employees spoke out.

“When I started reading the stories about the toxic work environment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, it was like reading about the CTV newsroom,” said one source.


Most LaFlamme detractors were women
While LaFlamme had her supporters who denied the claims of a toxic workplace, there were many detractors — mostly women in the newsroom — who described a toxic workplace. Yelling, belittling, undermining of news professionals which most say was carried out by LaFlamme’s executive producer Rosa Hwang, but was accepted without protest by LaFlamme.

When the term “mean girls” was used to describe the pair, it was most often used by women in the newsroom while men were more likely to defend them.

Some say those who fell out of favour with one or both of these women would be shunned or banished. Names like Avis Favro, Janet Dirks or Laurie Graham have been raised as examples of journalists who are said to have incurred the wrath of LaFlamme and Hwang.


While LaFlamme is gone, Hwang is still part of the CTV news operation. They’ve launched internal investigations but made it appear that it’s more about VP of News Michael Melling who has recently taken a leave of absence.

The claims about LaFlamme and Hwang are what staff will speak about, not the company.



Rather than speak about these things, in open or even quietly, Bell Execs have been silent. LaFlamme’s team has used intermediaries to get their message out and she also has leveraged her extensive network of friends in the business that anyone gathers after 35 years.


Yet there’s something telling in the statement of BCE CEO Bibic over the weekend.

“While I would like to say more on the Bell Media decision, we are bound by a mutual separation agreement negotiated with Lisa, which we will continue to honour,” Bibic wrote.

If there’s a mutual separation agreement that means that LaFlamme signed it. She has claimed to have been blindsided, yet she and her lawyers signed an agreement.

Secondly, if this was about her age, her sex or her hair colour, one would think she would have filed suit in court rather than sign off on a “mutual separation agreement.” However, for many supporting LaFlamme, it seems they will not let facts get in the way of a good narrative.

Bell has handled this whole affair horribly, someone should be fired for this. That said, there is much more to this story than meets the eye, but most journalists have opted not to go beyond the easy and lazy narrative.

It fits their worldview even if it doesn’t align with the truth.
 

The_Foxer

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Bell handled it badly there's no doubt but they've done nothing wrong. And the "backlash" proves why we shouldn't trust "reporters and journalists". The open letter, from supposed experts in that craft, is clearly dishonest. And it keeps noting she was "fired". She was not fired at all. They chose not to renew her contract. That is not remotely the same thing. And it's pretty obvious it had nothing to do with her hair.
 

Tecumsehsbones

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Bell handled it badly there's no doubt but they've done nothing wrong. And the "backlash" proves why we shouldn't trust "reporters and journalists". The open letter, from supposed experts in that craft, is clearly dishonest. And it keeps noting she was "fired". She was not fired at all. They chose not to renew her contract. That is not remotely the same thing. And it's pretty obvious it had nothing to do with her hair.
Y'all should come down and live here. We have a court case that says a woman was fired as a TV news anchor because she had become "old and ugly" had no case. Turns out "old and ugly" is a perfectly OK basis for discrimination.

We got LOTS of guns, too!
 

The_Foxer

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Y'all should come down and live here. We have a court case that says a woman was fired as a TV news anchor because she had become "old and ugly" had no case. Turns out "old and ugly" is a perfectly OK basis for discrimination.

We got LOTS of guns, too!
I'd enjoy the guns :) Tho i already have a fairly shocking number of them myself.
 

The_Foxer

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Anything good?
Oh sure, although i must admit a fondness for shotguns so it depends if you like those or not :)

I've never figured it out - In Canada i can own a shotgun with an 8 inch barrel 'unrestricted' which can throw nine 38 cal projectiles at 1200 fps or better with each pull of the trigger and take it anywhere and have it in the car no problem - but not a 9mm pistol because THAT would be dangerous.

And for some reason in the states i can have an AR, or an AK, or a pistol with no probs but a short barrel shotgun is a big deal.

Gun laws are stupid.
 

Tecumsehsbones

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Oh sure, although i must admit a fondness for shotguns so it depends if you like those or not :)

I've never figured it out - In Canada i can own a shotgun with an 8 inch barrel 'unrestricted' which can throw nine 38 cal projectiles at 1200 fps or better with each pull of the trigger and take it anywhere and have it in the car no problem - but not a 9mm pistol because THAT would be dangerous.

And for some reason in the states i can have an AR, or an AK, or a pistol with no probs but a short barrel shotgun is a big deal.

Gun laws are stupid.
Yep. Any other basis than real rate of fire and concealability is just dicking around.

In my state, Maryland, we have a ban on "ugly guns," i.e., anything that looks like a "machine gun," but it includes the M1A (but not my Browning BAR Mk3 DBM, which takes 10-round mags standard, but accepts FN 20-rounders without problems). So. . . semi-auto FAL - banned. Rifle that works exactly like the FAL, to the point where it takes FAL magazines - okey-dokey.

Go figure.

We also have a ban on the "transfer" (sale or purchase) of mags holding more than 10, long gun or handgun. But not "possession." So I drive down to Virginia (all of 20 minutes) and buy my mags there.
 

The_Foxer

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In my state, Maryland, we have a ban on "ugly guns," i.e., anything that looks like a "machine gun,"
Or has the shoulder thing that goes up. :)

We also have a ban on the "transfer" (sale or purchase) of mags holding more than 10, long gun or handgun. But not "possession." So I drive down to Virginia (all of 20 minutes) and buy my mags there.
We have something similar - our law is "no magazine can hold more than 5 rounds for the firearm for which it was designed". So - standard AR mags are pinned at 5. But Beowulf mags which fit fine can hold and feed ten 5.56 rounds so people just use those. They were made for beowulf rounds so they're legal :) It's all stupid.
 

Tecumsehsbones

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Or has the shoulder thing that goes up. :)


We have something similar - our law is "no magazine can hold more than 5 rounds for the firearm for which it was designed". So - standard AR mags are pinned at 5. But Beowulf mags which fit fine can hold and feed ten 5.56 rounds so people just use those. They were made for beowulf rounds so they're legal :) It's all stupid.
I calculate that's because these laws are made by people who can't figure out which end is the dangerous one.
 

pgs

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Thus proving that stupidity is more dangerous than firearms. We should ban stupid.
The Brits used to round them up and fill their ships , allowing them to build an empire .we give them welfare .