Source : Toronto Star

Media objectivity may be at risk, lobby group says

by Graham Fraser

OTTAWA - Canada's private broadcasters, whose successes hinge on government regulation and access to federal television funds, are significant political contributors, particularly to the Liberal party.

According to a study by Friends of Canadian Broadcasting to be released today, Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE Inc.) and its subsidiaries – which own both CTV and The Globe and Mail – contributed $125,134 to the Liberals, $95,451 to the Progressive Conservatives and $58,580 to the Canadian Alliance in 2000, an election year.

The study found no record of a contribution from Torstar.

The big individual winner was former industry minister Brian Tobin, who received a $10,000 donation from Regional Cable Systems of Oakville, Ont.

"Tobin was promoting federal investment in expanding the broadband system," Ian Morrison of Friends of Canadian Broadcasting told The Star. " Here is this company that owns hundreds of small-town cable systems. There would have been a huge advantage to them to receive a federal subsidy for the expansion of their infrastructure."

However, Tobin failed to get the federal funding that he wanted for the expansion of broadband service into rural Canada. He resigned from cabinet and from federal politics last month.

Morrison said the study is part of a continuing monitoring of the financial operations of private broadcasters by the lobby group for public broadcasting.

"This being a regulated industry whose welfare depends on federal decisions, it seems inappropriate that broadcasters are making political contributions," he said. "When they are involved in funding the political parties and influencing leaders, it can arouse legitimate doubts about the objectivity of the system."

He argued that, since the media have a critical role in informing citizens in a democracy, it is improper for media owners to make political contributions.

"There is always the possibility that there is more activity that we can't find," Morrison warned. "Then there is the whole murky world of leadership campaigns, in which there is no record of contributions."

The contributions to political parties apparently have the personal imprimatur of the chief executive.

Rogers companies – which own Rogers Cable and Maclean's – contributed $76,626 to the Liberals, $131,386 to the Progressive Conservatives and $48,950 to the Canadian Alliance.

John Tory, the president and chief executive officer of Rogers Cablesystems Ltd., was actively involved in the federal Progressive Conservative Party for many years.

CanWest Global companies – which own Global Television, Southam Newspapers and the National Post – contributed $62,878 to the Liberals, $31,674 to the Canadian Alliance – and nothing to the Progressive Conservatives.

Israel Asper, the executive chairman of CanWest Global Communications, is a longtime supporter of the Liberal party.

The study shows that the three private broadcasting companies were among the top 20 single contributors to the Liberal party.

Morrison pointed out that when the Progressive Conservatives were in office, they received the bulk of the contributions from the broadcasting industry that subsequently went to the Liberals. In 1993, the Tories received $290,000 in donations from the broadcasting industry. By the next federal election, in 1997, the Liberals received $300,000.

© The Toronto Star