From a media release:
Mistakes get made, but most are not newsworthy. This one is.
The CRTC’s recent decision regarding “Certified Independent Production Funds†(CIPFs) includes a significant factual error. It claims that the Canada Media Fund (CMF) argued in favour of reducing the points needed for Canadian productions to receive funding from the CIPFs. The CRTC stated:
“The CMF argued that this amendment would give producers creative flexibility in the development of Canadian productions, which would lead to international market appeal and the potential for international investment. This, in turn, would lead to better recoupment for CIPF-funded programs and would therefore provide more money for CIPFs to invest back into Canadian projects.â€
In fact, the CMF didn’t say any of that. Documents on the public record of this proceeding, submitted by the CMF and available on the CRTC’s website, show that the CMF never made these arguments, nor did it even address the issue in any substantive way.
The CMF is a well-established and respected funding body, whose views on the subject would presumably carry significant weight in a proceeding such as this. This makes the misattribution particularly concerning, and the WGC believes the error calls into question the rigour of this CRTC process.
Another recent troubling decision was to convert cable and telephone providers funding for community access back to themselves to fund ‘local news’. Only broadcasters can access no independent or community media entities. They are paying themselves to do what most stations have cut in the last few years. Now they can cut out the real local voices.