Terahertz

You may have heard that the CRTC, in addition to its quest to ensure cellphones and the internet are too expensive, is planning on loosening regulations requiring objective reporting in Canadian journalism.

Well the CRTC is taking comments until February 9th (Wednesday), so head over to their website right now and fill out their survey (scroll down to 7. and click the Broadcasting interventions/comments form and then find “2011-14” and click submit).

Here’s the comment I left, note that your name and comment will be available publicly.

I am very concerned and disappointed by the proposed amendment to loosen journalistic requirements for Canadian media. This is a move that no one has requested and seems to represent unnecessary meddling in a regulatory structure that is serving Canadians well.

We need only to look to the USA and the fallout from the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine to see what fate awaits Canada if we allow lies of ignorance to be promulgated through our airwaves. The poisonous political rhetoric in the USA has created a dangerous and violent climate with the media, in many cases, abandoning any semblance of objective and balanced reporting for blind partisanship.

A healthy democracy is ultimately dependent on an informed electorate. By allowing lies to be told on television and the radio, the CRTC is abandoning its role as a protector of the public with regards to broadcasting and telecommunications systems.

I seriously hope that this decision will be reconsidered and at the very least for it to be held off for further debate and consultation.

They currently have just over 1600 comments, and hopefully a few more will help reverse this decision.