Lisa LaFlamme, CTV News, and Bad Executive Decisions

There will be no bittersweet on-air goodbye for (now previous) CTV national news anchor Lisa LaFlamme, no ceremonial passing of the baton to the up coming era, no broadcast retrospectives lionizing a journalist with a storied and award-successful career. As LaFlamme introduced yesterday, CTV’s parent enterprise, Bell Media, has determined to unilaterally conclude her agreement. (See also the CBC’s reporting of the tale listed here.)

Whilst LaFlamme herself does not make this claim, there was of study course speedy speculation that the network’s conclusion has something to do with the truth that LaFlamme is a female of a specified age. LaFlamme is 58, which by Tv standards is not particularly young — other than when you assess it to the age at which well-known males who proceeded her have remaining their respective anchor’s chairs: take into consideration Peter Mansbridge (who was 69), and Lloyd Robertson (who was 77).

But an even much more sinister concept is now afoot: relatively than mere, shallow misogyny, proof has arisen of not just sexism, but sexism conjoined with corporate interference in newscasting. Two evils for the selling price of a single! LaFlamme was fired, says journalist Jesse Brown, “because she pushed again from one Bell Media government.” Brown reviews insiders as professing that Michael Melling, vice president of information at Bell Media, has bumped heads with LaFlamme a selection of occasions, and has a history of interfering with news protection. Brown even more studies that “Melling has continuously shown a absence of respect for ladies in senior roles in the newsroom.”

Needless to say, even if a particular grudge as well as sexism clarify what is heading on, here, it however will seem to be to most as a “foolish choice,” a single guaranteed to result in the enterprise headaches. Now, I make it a plan not to issue the enterprise savvy of professional executives in industries I don’t know perfectly. And I recommend my college students not to leap to the summary that “that was a dumb decision” just for the reason that it is just one they don’t recognize. But nonetheless, in 2022, it is hard to picture that the corporation (or Melling far more particularly) did not see that there would be blowback in this situation. It’s a person detail to have disagreements, but it’s another to unceremoniously dump a beloved and award-winning lady anchor. And it’s strange that a senior government at a information organization would feel that the truth would not come out, provided that, soon after all, he’s surrounded by persons whose task, and own motivation, is to report the news.

And it’s difficult not to suspect that this a less than satisfied transition for LaFlamme’s substitution, Omar Sachedina. Of study course, I’m certain he’s happy to get the occupation. But whilst Bell Media’s push release prices Sachedina expressing swish things about LaFlamme, definitely he did not want to assume the anchor chair amidst common criticism of the changeover. He’s taking on the function below a shadow. Probably the prize is worthy of the price tag, but it’s also hard not to envision that Sachedina experienced (or now has) some pull, some capacity to influence that method of the transition. I’m not indicating (as some definitely will) that — as an insider who knows the authentic tale — he should have declined the job as unwell-gotten gains. But at the quite least, it looks fair to argue that he should really have made use of his influence to condition the changeover. And if the now-senior anchor doesn’t have that type of impact, we need to be anxious without a doubt about the independence of that position, and of that newsroom.

A ultimate, relevant notice about authority and governance in sophisticated corporations. In any reasonably well-ruled corporation, the determination to axe a major, general public-experiencing talent like LaFlamme would need indicator-off — or at minimum tacit approval — from a lot more than 1 senior government. This implies that one particular of two points is correct. Both Bell Media isn’t that type of very well-governed business, or a big number of persons were concerned in, and culpable of, unceremoniously dumping an award-winning journalist. Which is worse?