Today’s Sun Media report about Friends of Canadian Broadcasting contains innuendo, outright errors and little if any news.
 
The story alleges that FRIENDS discloses “very little” about how the group invests supporter contributions.
 
Sun Media implies that the audited financial statements on FRIENDS' website are somehow lacking “since FRIENDS is not a registered charity”.  But the story fails to note that these public reports meet or exceed the standards for disclosure among charitable and non-profit organizations.
 
In addition to publishing audited financial statements, FRIENDS regularly updates its supporters on its campaign activities through regular stewardship reports.  FRIENDS' website at www.friends.ca stands as an excellent public source of information about our activities.
 
The story also implies that FRIENDS is acting outside the Lobbying Act because it “appears to be lobbying the CRTC and minister of heritage” on this (Sun TV News) and other issues” without registering with the Lobbyist Registry.
 
We have reviewed the Act and do not believe it applies to our activities.
 
"This episode underlines the importance of another request we have placed before the CRTC: that Sun TV News be required, as a condition of licence, to adhere to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Code of Ethics which requires broadcasters to meet minimum standards for balanced reporting and accuracy,” says FRIENDS spokesperson Ian Morrison.