CBC vet Wendy Mesley calls it quits after 38 years

spaminator

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CBC vet Wendy Mesley calls it quits after 38 years
Author of the article:Mark Daniell
Publishing date:Jul 05, 2021 • 7 hours ago • 2 minute read • 10 Comments
Journalist Wendy Mesley is shown during a charity show at Toronto Fashion Week in Toronto on Oct. 22, 2010.
Journalist Wendy Mesley is shown during a charity show at Toronto Fashion Week in Toronto on Oct. 22, 2010. PHOTO BY DARREN CALABRESE /THE CANADIAN PRESS
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Longtime CBC journalist Wendy Mesley is calling it quits at Canada’s national broadcaster.

Mesley, who had worked as a television news anchor and journalist at the CBC for 38 years, earned three Gemini awards in her lengthy career.


“Wendy Mesley is a trailblazer in broadcast journalism. To capture Wendy’s career highlights in one note is not easy,” a note issued to staff read.

Throughout her tenure, Mesley hosted a variety of programs, including The National, The Weekly with Wendy Mesley, Undercurrents and consumer investigation series Marketplace.

Last year, unspecified “disciplinary action” was taken against Mesley after she admitted to using the N-word on two separate occasions in news meetings.

“I used a word, and yes, it’s the word people think,” Mesley said.

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“I hurt my colleagues, my team, and the CBC,” Mesley said. “For that I am deeply sorry and ashamed.”

The Montreal-born journalist continued, adding that she thought she was “shining a light on anti-Black racism.”

“I now realize that I did the opposite and I am now one example of the problem.”

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The Weekly was taken off the air in the fall of 2020, a decision CBC said was unrelated to Mesley’s offensive language. “We had a look at the schedule and the decision was made that The Weekly would not be coming back in the fall,” CBC’s head of public affairs Chuck Thompson told the National Post.


Mesley admitted using the N-word twice in 2019, the first time during an editorial meeting while preparing for a broadcast segment. She also revealed that she repeated the offensive slur later in the year when she quoted the title of a book.

But her retirement may not last long. As of Monday night, Mesley had changed her Twitter profile to read: “Free range journalist. Open to new adventures. Always wish it was windier…..”

mdaniell@postmedia.com
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Mowich

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CBC vet Wendy Mesley calls it quits after 38 years
Author of the article:Mark Daniell
Publishing date:Jul 05, 2021 • 7 hours ago • 2 minute read • 10 Comments
Journalist Wendy Mesley is shown during a charity show at Toronto Fashion Week in Toronto on Oct. 22, 2010.
Journalist Wendy Mesley is shown during a charity show at Toronto Fashion Week in Toronto on Oct. 22, 2010. PHOTO BY DARREN CALABRESE /THE CANADIAN PRESS
Article content
Longtime CBC journalist Wendy Mesley is calling it quits at Canada’s national broadcaster.

Mesley, who had worked as a television news anchor and journalist at the CBC for 38 years, earned three Gemini awards in her lengthy career.


“Wendy Mesley is a trailblazer in broadcast journalism. To capture Wendy’s career highlights in one note is not easy,” a note issued to staff read.

Throughout her tenure, Mesley hosted a variety of programs, including The National, The Weekly with Wendy Mesley, Undercurrents and consumer investigation series Marketplace.

Last year, unspecified “disciplinary action” was taken against Mesley after she admitted to using the N-word on two separate occasions in news meetings.

“I used a word, and yes, it’s the word people think,” Mesley said.

Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW

Article content

“I hurt my colleagues, my team, and the CBC,” Mesley said. “For that I am deeply sorry and ashamed.”

The Montreal-born journalist continued, adding that she thought she was “shining a light on anti-Black racism.”

“I now realize that I did the opposite and I am now one example of the problem.”

MORE ON THIS TOPIC

CBC journalist Wendy Mesley.
FATAH: The death of journalism as we knew it
Journalist Wendy Mesley is shown during a charity show at Toronto Fashion Week in Toronto on October 22, 2010.
CBC News host Wendy Mesley disciplined for using racial slur in two separate meetings
The CBC building at Front and John Sts. in Toronto.
CBC bans Facebook comments to protect staff from toxicity
Jean Yoon
Kim's Convenience star blasts 'overtly racist' storylines

The Weekly was taken off the air in the fall of 2020, a decision CBC said was unrelated to Mesley’s offensive language. “We had a look at the schedule and the decision was made that The Weekly would not be coming back in the fall,” CBC’s head of public affairs Chuck Thompson told the National Post.


Mesley admitted using the N-word twice in 2019, the first time during an editorial meeting while preparing for a broadcast segment. She also revealed that she repeated the offensive slur later in the year when she quoted the title of a book.

But her retirement may not last long. As of Monday night, Mesley had changed her Twitter profile to read: “Free range journalist. Open to new adventures. Always wish it was windier…..”

mdaniell@postmedia.com
View attachment 9351View attachment 9352
Good grief.
 

bob the dog

Council Member
Aug 14, 2020
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I never thought it would take that long to get a cushie pension from CBC.
It doesn't and a 38 year employee would have a significant benefit.

One of the problems with the system is the good paying / no risk jobs get hung onto for dear life and many for 40 years or more. It would be much better to have 8 people get 5 years of good work and go on to something else rather than to sit around and pad pensions. Wendy Mesley would have done fine on her own to leave after 5 years at age 33 and someone else gets a chance. Instead she fills the role for another 31 years. Too bad, so sad for others.

I don't see productivity suffering bringing new people in. Might go up but they wouldn't like that. Should hire people off the street to read the news for
$200 a day. Some would be good, some not. People might tune in just to see.
 
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bob the dog

Council Member
Aug 14, 2020
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Time to retire the CBC.

If they disappeared today, nobodies life would change tomorrow, so why do we keep paying this useless dog??
because they need the jobs. It stopped being about the people a long time ago. Like the school system.
 
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AureaOlivas

Time Out
Feb 15, 2021
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I agree! I do believe that the decision is really unreasonably unrelated to Mesley’s apology for twice due to the racial slurs/remarks. I read somewhere that Chuck Thompson, the CBC head of public affairs, is it (?), said that the decision made would not be coming back in the fall.