A Black Montrealer who filed a complaint against Radio-Canada over the on-air use of a racial slur says he's disappointed but not surprised by the pushback against a recent CRTC decision ordering the public broadcaster to apologize. Some 50 Radio-Canada personalities said in an open letter published Monday in La Presse that last week's CRTC decision in Lamour's favour threatens journalistic freedom and independence and "opens the door to the dangers of censorship and self-censorship." While it recognized that the word was not used in a discriminatory manner, it found the public broadcaster nevertheless violated Canadian broadcasting policy objectives and values. Radio-Canada did not do enough to mitigate the effect the word could have on its audience, "particularly in the current social context and given its national public broadcaster status," the CRTC decision read. In an email, a spokesperson for Radio-Canada said the broadcaster was aware of the "wide range of opinions" on the CRTC decision.

Source: CBC News July 04, 2022 15:59 UTC