The departure of the Sun Media chain of newspapers from Ontario’s print media watchdog is a blow to the accountability of Sun publications and does not bode well for the company going forward, says the executive director of an international group of media ombudsmen.
Jeffrey Dvorkin of the Organization of News Ombudsmen said the letter from Sun Media’s vice-president of editorial, which stated the "politically correct mentality" of the Ontario Press Council is "incompatible" with the direction of that company’s newspapers, strips the company of much-needed transparency required to maintain public trust.
"The difficulty is that there’s now no mechanism in place for any kind of public accountability with Sun Media," said Dvorkin, who is based in Toronto. "It’s really too bad and I think Sun Media is the ultimate loser by this short-sighted gesture.
"Unfortunately, I see them heading down a path that conveys more shock value – which is clearly something that is marketable – but a more important value of transparency and accountability is lost," Dvorkin said. "In the short term, they may find their audiences support them by watching their programs and buying their newspapers, but in the long run, accountability is lost and that becomes a real problem."
In Glenn Garnett’s letter to OPC executive director Don McCurdy, dated Monday, he said the Sun’s Ontario newspapers were "departing membership," effective immediately.
The council, which was formed in 1972 and has a membership of more than 200 newspapers across the province – including nearly 40 daily publications – receives public complaints about news stories. Issues are heard by the council chairman, as well as a group of 20 members – comprised of 10 representatives from member papers and 10 members of the public.
The letter from Garnett reads: "It has become painfully evident that the editorial direction of our newspapers, especially our urban tabloids, is incompatible with a politically correct mentality that informs OPC thinking, in the selection of cases it hears, and the rulings it renders.
"We cannot be bound by the interpretations of our competitors on our obligations and objectives as journalists. We no longer believe there is common cause here and have no reasonable expectation this is going to change."
Sun Media offered no comment beyond Garnett’s letter.
Dr. Robert Elgie, a former Ontario cabinet minister, serves as chairman of the OPC. He said the move by Sun Media is disappointing, especially when the format of the council was established by media organizations themselves.
"We’re not a creature of some strange group," Elgie said. "We’re a creature of the industry itself.
"We’ve had a good working relationship with the Sun, and I have no complaints about how we related over the years. I’m naturally disappointed they decided to leave because I still continue to think we need a concept like the Ontario Press Council in order to provide the public some feeling that any complaints might be considered."
Elgie said the council has "endeavoured to be fair," adding that when issues arise dealing with a specific company, representatives on the council from that organization temporarily remove themselves from the process.
Dvorkin said he wasn’t surprised by the move because Sun Media’s parent company – Quebecor – previously pulled out of a similar watchdog group in Quebec. He called the timing odd, given the recent explosion of a United Kingdom phone-hacking scandal that put the venerable News of the World out of business and focused renewed attention on media ethics.
He said for Sun Media to "move in the exact opposite direction" of accountability "is too bad and rather sad."
Sun Media is no stranger to public controversy.
In late June, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council was forced to make a public plea for concerned viewers to stop filing complaints about a Sun News interview conducted by afternoon host Krista Erickson with a well-known Canadian dancer, Margie Gillis.
The council received well in excess of 4,000 complaints about the June 1 broadcast, which saw Erickson conduct a 20-minute interview in which she questioned Gillis about funding for the arts and pointedly asked the modern dancer about government grants Gillis has received over the years.
The council typically receives between 1,800 and 2,200 complaints a year.
Dvorkin said Sun Media’s decision does nothing to benefit the company.
"The value of any media organization is entirely based on whether the public sees them as reliable and trustworthy," he said. "The way we feel this is best done is by having a mechanism in place – whether it’s a press council or an ombudsman – who is able to act as the agent of the public inside a media organization.
"All media organizations have a right to their concept of a free press and free speech, but when the public is cut out of that, I think it lessens the value of that organization inside a democracy."
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