Latest news with #publicbroadcaster
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
News anchor Travis Dhanraj says he was pushed out of CBC for highlighting systemic issues, editorial imbalance
Former CBC News reporter and anchor Travis Dhanraj said he had no choice but to resign from the broadcaster after he says he raised systemic issues in its newsroom related to lack of diversity of opinion and editorial independence and was stonewalled by his employer. His lawyer says he intends to sue the public broadcaster. In an internal note to fellow CBC staff sent out Monday morning, Dhanraj said he felt he had no choice but to leave the broadcaster after his questioning of some of the CBC's editorial decisions and the "gap between CBC's stated values and its internal reality" was met with resistance. "When I pushed for honest conversations about systemic issues and editorial imbalance, I was shut out. Sidelined. Silenced. And ultimately, erased," Dhanraj wrote in the email sent to various CBC group email addresses from his CBC account. He accused his employer of "tokenism masquerading as diversity, problematic political coverage protocols, and the erosion of editorial independence," and said he had to "navigate a workplace culture defined by retaliation, exclusion, and psychological harm." CBC 'categorically rejects' allegations In an emailed statement, CBC spokesperson Kerry Kelly said the Crown corporation "categorically rejects" Dhanraj's allegations about what led to his departure, including his claim that his decision to leave was not voluntary and that he was "forced to resign." Kelly did not elaborate on Dhanraj's resignation or the reason he went on leave earlier this year; nor did she comment on his specific claims about editorial independence and newsroom culture at CBC. "We are saddened to see this public attack on the integrity of CBC News," she said. Dhanraj also posted a Google form on the social media site X earlier Monday in which he asked people to leave their contact information so he could keep them informed about the case. "When the time is right, I'll pull the curtain back," he wrote. "I'll share everything…I'll tell you what is really happening inside the walls of your CBC." The post was later removed. When CBC News reached out to Dhanraj's Toronto-based lawyer, Kathryn Marshall, to ask if he intends to sue the broadcaster, she responded with a one-word answer: "Yes." She also told the Toronto Star that Dhanraj plans to file a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Previously worked at CP24, CTV, Global Born in Alberta, Dhanraj was a general assignment reporter for CBC Edmonton and CBC Toronto before leaving for positions at CP24, Global News and CTV News. He returned to CBC in 2021 as a senior parliamentary reporter and later hosted Marketplace and Canada Tonight. Speculation began swirling in February when Dhanraj was abruptly no longer appearing on air, and Canada Tonight was replaced by Ian Hanomansing's Hanomansing Tonight. CBC confirmed at the time that Dhanraj was on leave but did not provide additional details. Dhanraj's lawyer said the leave was due to "ongoing systemic issues" at the broadcaster. The first public sign of tension surfaced a few months earlier when Dhanraj posted on X in April 2024 that he had requested an interview with then CBC president Catherine Tait when new funding for the public broadcaster was announced in the federal budget. According to a copy of his resignation letter published by the Toronto Sun, Dhanraj said CBC launched an investigation over that post and asked him to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which he said he refused to do.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
News anchor Travis Dhanraj says he was pushed out of CBC for highlighting systemic issues, editorial imbalance
Former CBC News reporter and anchor Travis Dhanraj said he had no choice but to resign from the broadcaster after he says he raised systemic issues in its newsroom related to lack of diversity of opinion and editorial independence and was stonewalled by his employer. His lawyer says he intends to sue the public broadcaster. In an internal note to fellow CBC staff sent out Monday morning, Dhanraj said he felt he had no choice but to leave the broadcaster after his questioning of some of the CBC's editorial decisions and the "gap between CBC's stated values and its internal reality" was met with resistance. "When I pushed for honest conversations about systemic issues and editorial imbalance, I was shut out. Sidelined. Silenced. And ultimately, erased," Dhanraj wrote in the email sent to various CBC group email addresses from his CBC account. He accused his employer of "tokenism masquerading as diversity, problematic political coverage protocols, and the erosion of editorial independence," and said he had to "navigate a workplace culture defined by retaliation, exclusion, and psychological harm." CBC 'categorically rejects' allegations In an emailed statement, CBC spokesperson Kerry Kelly said the Crown corporation "categorically rejects" Dhanraj's allegations about what led to his departure, including his claim that his decision to leave was not voluntary and that he was "forced to resign." Kelly did not elaborate on Dhanraj's resignation or the reason he went on leave earlier this year; nor did she comment on his specific claims about editorial independence and newsroom culture at CBC. "We are saddened to see this public attack on the integrity of CBC News," she said. Dhanraj also posted a Google form on the social media site X earlier Monday in which he asked people to leave their contact information so he could keep them informed about the case. "When the time is right, I'll pull the curtain back," he wrote. "I'll share everything…I'll tell you what is really happening inside the walls of your CBC." The post was later removed. When CBC News reached out to Dhanraj's Toronto-based lawyer, Kathryn Marshall, to ask if he intends to sue the broadcaster, she responded with a one-word answer: "Yes." She also told the Toronto Star that Dhanraj plans to file a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Previously worked at CP24, CTV, Global Born in Alberta, Dhanraj was a general assignment reporter for CBC Edmonton and CBC Toronto before leaving for positions at CP24, Global News and CTV News. He returned to CBC in 2021 as a senior parliamentary reporter and later hosted Marketplace and Canada Tonight. Speculation began swirling in February when Dhanraj was abruptly no longer appearing on air, and Canada Tonight was replaced by Ian Hanomansing's Hanomansing Tonight. CBC confirmed at the time that Dhanraj was on leave but did not provide additional details. Dhanraj's lawyer said the leave was due to "ongoing systemic issues" at the broadcaster. The first public sign of tension surfaced a few months earlier when Dhanraj posted on X in April 2024 that he had requested an interview with then CBC president Catherine Tait when new funding for the public broadcaster was announced in the federal budget. According to a copy of his resignation letter published by the Toronto Sun, Dhanraj said CBC launched an investigation over that post and asked him to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which he said he refused to do.
CBC
08-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
News anchor Travis Dhanraj says he was pushed out of CBC for highlighting systemic issues, editorial imbalance
Former CBC News reporter and anchor Travis Dhanraj said he had no choice but to resign from the broadcaster after he says he raised systemic issues in its newsroom related to lack of diversity of opinion and editorial independence and was stonewalled by his employer. His lawyer says he intends to sue the public broadcaster. In an internal note to fellow CBC staff sent out Monday morning, Dhanraj said he felt he had no choice but to leave the broadcaster after his questioning of some of the CBC's editorial decisions and the "gap between CBC's stated values and its internal reality" was met with resistance. "When I pushed for honest conversations about systemic issues and editorial imbalance, I was shut out. Sidelined. Silenced. And ultimately, erased," Dhanraj wrote in the email sent to various CBC group email addresses from his CBC account. He accused his employer of "tokenism masquerading as diversity, problematic political coverage protocols, and the erosion of editorial independence," and said he had to "navigate a workplace culture defined by retaliation, exclusion, and psychological harm." CBC 'categorically rejects' allegations In an emailed statement, CBC spokesperson Kerry Kelly said the Crown corporation "categorically rejects" Dhanraj's allegations about what led to his departure, including his claim that his decision to leave was not voluntary and that he was "forced to resign." Kelly did not elaborate on Dhanraj's resignation or the reason he went on leave earlier this year; nor did she comment on his specific claims about editorial independence and newsroom culture at CBC. "We are saddened to see this public attack on the integrity of CBC News," she said. Dhanraj also posted a Google form on the social media site X earlier Monday in which he asked people to leave their contact information so he could keep them informed about the case. "When the time is right, I'll pull the curtain back," he wrote. "I'll share everything…I'll tell you what is really happening inside the walls of your CBC." The post was later removed. When CBC News reached out to Dhanraj's Toronto-based lawyer, Kathryn Marshall, to ask if he intends to sue the broadcaster, she responded with a one-word answer: "Yes." She also told the Toronto Star that Dhanraj plans to file a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Previously worked at CP24, CTV, Global Born in Alberta, Dhanraj was a general assignment reporter for CBC Edmonton and CBC Toronto before leaving for positions at CP24, Global News and CTV News. He returned to CBC in 2021 as a senior parliamentary reporter and later hosted Marketplace and Canada Tonight. Speculation began swirling in February when Dhanraj was abruptly no longer appearing on air, and Canada Tonight was replaced by Ian Hanomansing's Hanomansing Tonight. CBC confirmed at the time that Dhanraj was on leave but did not provide additional details. Dhanraj's lawyer said the leave was due to "ongoing systemic issues" at the broadcaster. The first public sign of tension surfaced a few months earlier when Dhanraj posted on X in April 2024 that he had requested an interview with then CBC president Catherine Tait when new funding for the public broadcaster was announced in the federal budget. According to a copy of his resignation letter published by the Toronto Sun, Dhanraj said CBC launched an investigation over that post and asked him to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which he said he refused to do.
National Post
07-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
CBC host resigns, saying he could not continue at public broadcaster 'with integrity'
A national CBC host announced his resignation from the public broadcaster Monday in a letter alleging he could not continue to work there 'with integrity.' Article content Travis Dhanraj describes leaving the network where the veteran journalist once hosted his own show. Article content 'I am stepping down not by choice, but because the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has made it impossible for me to continue my work with integrity,' he wrote. Article content Article content 'After years of service — most recently as the host of Canada Tonight: With Travis Dhanraj — I have been systematically sidelined, retaliated against, and denied the editorial access and institutional support necessary to fulfill my public service role.' Article content Article content 'When I joined CBC, I did so with a clear understanding of its mandate and a belief in its importance to Canadian democracy,' he wrote. Article content 'I was told I would be 'a bold voice in journalism.' I took that role seriously. I worked to elevate underrepresented stories, expand political balance, and uphold the journalistic values Canadians expect from their public broadcaster.' But, according to Dhanraj, 'what happens behind the scenes at CBC too often contradicts what's shown to the public.' Article content He accused the public broadcaster of 'performative diversity, tokenism, a system designed to elevate certain voices and diminish others.' Article content Article content Dhanraj's lawyer, Kathryn Marshall, said Monday that the CBC didn't want him booking 'Conservative voices' on his show. Article content Article content 'It turned out, to Travis' surprise, there was a strong editorial direction that he was supposed to promote,' Marshall said. Article content 'CBC, when they hired him, thought that they were getting someone who would espouse a certain world view,' Marshall said. 'I think they looked at him and they looked at the colour of his skin and they made some assumptions.' Article content Marshall is weighing making a complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Commission about her client's treatment at the CBC. Article content His allegations would include discrimination, reprisal and harassment, she said. Article content Dhanraj said he 'was repeatedly denied access to key newsmakers. Internal booking and editorial protocols were weaponized to create structural barriers for some while empowering others—particularly a small circle of senior Ottawa-based journalists.' Article content Dhanraj said when he 'questioned these imbalances,' he was 'met with silence, resistance, and eventually, retaliation. I was fighting for balance and accused of being on a 'crusade.'' Article content His show, according to Dhanraj, was rebranded. 'My name removed. My access curtailed. My medical leave was whispered about in the newsroom.' Article content Dhanraj claims he got in hot water over his April 2024 post on the social media platform now dubbed X about how the top CBC honcho at the time declined an interview request to discuss new budget funding for the public broadcaster. Article content Dhanraj said he 'was presented with (a non-disclosure agreement) tied to an investigation about a tweet about then CBC President Catherine Tait. It was designed not to protect privacy, but to sign away my voice. When I refused, I was further marginalized.' Article content Marshall said that 'CBC wanted him to sign an NDA in exchange for his job.' Article content Dhanraj went on leave in July 2024 and returned to full-time hours last December, she said. Article content 'Within basically the first week of his return he was immediately retaliated against by CBC for not signing the NDA,' Marshall said. Article content 'He was, at that point, permanently removed as the host of Canada Tonight, and his salary got slashed, and it was evident at that point that he had no future or career at the CBC.' Article content According to Dhanraj, 'these were not isolated actions. They were part of a pattern that sent a clear message: fall in line or be removed. I stayed as long as I could, but CBC leadership left me with no reasonable path forward.' Article content That's 'taken a real toll — on my health, my career, and my trust in an institution I once believed I could help reform from within,' Dhanraj wrote. 'But the greater harm is to the public: a broadcaster that no longer lives up to its mandate, a culture that resists accountability, and a system that punishes those who dare to challenge it.' Article content The CBC rejected Dhanraj's claims. Article content 'This morning Travis Dhanraj, a unionized employee of CBC/Radio-Canada who is currently on leave, sent internal notes making serious allegations. While we are limited in what we can say in response due to privacy and confidentiality considerations, CBC categorically rejects the accusations made about CBC News, our staff and management,' Kerry Kelly, who speaks for the public broadcaster, said in an email. Article content Article content Dhanraj's show was announced in late 2023, hit the airwaves in early 2024 and was done within the year. Article content 'Travis's engaging curiosity and incredible range of experience allows him to translate complex stories into personal terms and help audiences make sense of the news, which will be key as Canada Tonight sharpens its focus on stories that matter at home and make a difference in this country,' CBC executive Andree Lau said in a statement at the time. Article content
Washington Post
03-07-2025
- Washington Post
Finnish media reports several people have been stabbed near a shopping center
HELSINKI, Finland — Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported that several people were stabbed near a shopping center in the southern city of Tempere on Thursday. Yle reports that one person was detained without giving further details. It was not immediately clear how many people were arrested in the attack but police say the situation no longer posed a danger to others.
