Amid continued protests from viewers in English Canada, Bell Media will conduct an “independent assessment” of the climate surrounding the dismissal of Lisa LaFlamme, CTV’s star anchor, who was fired following 35 years of service, two years before the end of his contract.
• Read also: Her gray hair raised questions from a CTV executive
• Read also: Lisa LaFlamme’s surprise dismissal sends shockwaves
Screenshot, CTV
Lisa Laflamme
Newsroom management at CTV and Bell Media have been accused of ageism and sexism since the firing of Lisa LaFlamme announced on Monday.
In a terse statement, Bell Media explained that the group has made a tough decision. “In recent days, we have had to deal with a difficult and highly publicized change. In a newsroom, it is always difficult to make the decision to replace the anchor. We knew many viewers and members of the CTV family would be disappointed by the departure of Lisa LaFlamme as anchor and editor-in-chief,” reads the statement released today.
Without admitting to having mishandled this file, Bell Media states: “We have always taken issues related to any type of discrimination very seriously and are committed to providing all of our employees with a safe, inclusive, respectful and non-committal workplace. toxic behaviors. In accordance with our policies, we are taking steps to conduct an independent climate assessment in our newsroom, which will take place in the coming weeks.”
This press release does not mention the name of the person who will be responsible for the investigation in question or the time when the report will be delivered. It is also unknown if it will be made public.
“For more than 35 years, she [Lisa LaFlamme] has made a significant contribution to the information sector in the country. CTV regrets that the way the news of her departure was delivered may have given viewers the wrong impression of CTV’s regard for Lisa and her remarkable career. »
Gray hair and social networks
This declaration seems rather to have added fuel to the fire. On Twitter, the 1,000 users who commented on Bell Media’s publication say they are outraged by these “false excuses” and by the terms used (“her departure” when she was fired, in particular).
Recall that the issue of Lisa LaFlamme’s gray hair was reportedly raised by CTV News chief Michael Melling. In a meeting, he reportedly asked who approved of the decision to “let Lisa’s hair turn gray.”
On social networks, many are demanding the dismissal of Michael Melling, and the hashtags #FireMichaelMelling, #BoycottCTVNews and #BoycottBellMedia have also been created.
Social networks are not ringing, four days following the publication of the video of Lisa LaFlamme – in which she shares her surprise and her sorrow to have been thus thrown out. The comments of encouragement towards it and of anger once morest Bell Media are shared by the dozens on the various platforms.
On the Change.org site, the petition “Reinstate Lisa LaFlamme as chief news anchor” has collected 90,200 signatures to date. The ex-presenter’s video has been viewed by 4.4 million people.