| Comes as a surprise, doesn't it? |
Al-Jazeera is in the news again. Iraqi authorities shut down the Qatari television station's Baghdad offices, citing the "violence they are advocating, inciting hatred and problems and racial tension." The U.S. Democratic party decided to take down Al-Jazeera's banner from its national conference, so it would not be televised around the globe. But in Canada, in the biggest telecommunications uproar in decades, Al-Jazeera won approval for distribution over Canada's pristine, politically correct, airwaves. This unlikely success in Canada for an Islamist, antisemitic, pro-terrorist channel was achieved by winning a special dispensation not available to the Fox News Channel, the Italian state channel RAI, or a local Quebec City-based radio station — a dispensation full of implications.
First, some background: The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) was formed in 1968 to decide who gets to broadcast in Canada, and has always seen its mandate primarily to serve as a bulwark against American programming, fearing that the giant to the south would overwhelm homegrown talent. The main criterion for a foreign station to win access to Canada was its not competing with companies already in the Canadian marketplace, plus the existence of consumer demand for their product. Then, in 1986-87, restricting "abusive comment" became a CRTC responsibility, after Canada's "anti-hate laws" amended the Criminal Code, the Broadcasting Act, and other human rights statutes. Its only leverage however, was to grant or revoke 5-to-7-year licenses, though in instances, it can revoke a license sooner. The CRTC lacks funds to monitor stations on its own, so it responds to complaints, investigates them, and if it finds them warranted, revokes licenses. For example, earlier in July, the CRTC revoked Quebec radio station CHOI's license, on the "abusive comment" grounds. CHOI is a legitimate outlet but displays a politically incorrect agenda, regularly offending gays, women, and others. CHOI ignored CRTC warnings to change its ways and got shut down. Note that the CRTC made no attempt to sift the wheat from the chaff, block out a few shows, or fire a few announcers. It revoked the CHOI license, plain and simple. |