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'Howl #4' |
2008 Campaign for Yukon Sled Dogs [Campaign #4]: Need for responsible reporting by Yukon media To: CBC Ombudsman and CBC North, Whitehorse Daily Star, CKRW 'the Rush' 96.1 FM Subject: Please report responsibly about (and stop supporting) the cruel Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race! SAMPLE LETTER [Send this one or even better, write one of your own] In the service of responsible journalism ethics and standards and on behalf of suffering animals, I ask that the CBC Yukon and its parent at CBC North (this campaign is also addressed to Yukon Quest official 'media sponsors' Whitehorse Daily Star and CKRW Radio) start to report in a responsible manner when covering and discussing the Yukon Quest. To CBC, I also ask that instead of your organization acting for many years as a media cheerleader for the race (the CBC Yukon morning radio show host served as master of ceremonies for the 2007 Yukon Quest Pre-race Banquet, most of your on-air personalities promote the Quest year round) in which three dogs were killed and many more were injured. CBC Yukon radio and television personalities regularly act as boosters for the Quest. Please in the future, endeavour to employ investigative journalism techniques to expose some of the cruelty inherent in the Yukon dog mushing industry with special attention given to the Yukon Quest. Your radio announcers should also warn listeners about offensive content when speaking about dead and injured sled dogs such as the report about the dogs who had suffered frostbitten penises in the 2007 Quest race. A veteran Quest musher broached the unspeakable topic of sled dog culling immediately prior to the 2007 Quest race. Your reporters did not do any follow-up on this important issue and yet your organization still apparently considers this race to be 'a legitimate athletic event' (as CBC North's Director of English Radio and Television, Mike Linder, arrogantly deemed the race to be, while handling a complaint to an animal advocate on behalf of the CBC Ombudsman, in March 2005). As a taxpaying supporter of the CBC, I hope you will in the future provide more balanced coverage of the Yukon Quest, stop promoting the race, and ask some tough questions of Yukon Quest officials and its public sponsors for a refreshing change. http://sleddogwatchdog.com/yukonquest_media_darling.html http://sleddogwatchdog.com/cbc_supporter_of_animal_cruelty.html http://sleddogwatchdog.com/yukonquest_media_villains.html Thank you on behalf of Yukon sled dogs. [Please let the CBC, the Whitehorse Star and CKRW know who you are and where you are writing from] Email Whitehorse Star and CKRW: [Cut and paste 'To'] star@whitehorsestar.com,ckrwcopy@ckrw.com CBC Contact info: CBC President Robert Rabinovitch: CBC Head Office Robert Rabinovitch 250 Lanark Avenue P.O. Box 3220, Station "C" Ottawa, ON K1Y 1E4 TEL: (613) 724-1200 (general) EMAIL: commho@cbc.ca General online form (complaints): www.cbc.ca/contact CBC Ombudsman Vince Carlin: ombudsman@cbc.ca Mail: Vince Carlin, CBC Ombudsman P.O. Box 500, Station "A" Toronto, Ontario M5W 1E6 TEL: (416) 205-2978 FAX: (416) 205-2825 CBC North Communications: Janet Pacey Senior Communications Officer Box 160 - 5002 Forrest Drive Yellowknife, NT X1A 2N2 TEL: (867) 669-3531 FAX: (867) 669-3573 EMAIL: cbcnorth@cbc.ca CBC North online contact form: http://www.cbc.ca/local_includes/north_contacts/contact.html CBC Yukon: CBC Yukon 3103 3rd Avenue Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 1E5 TEL: (867) 668- 8400 FAX: (867) 668-8408 CBC Yukon Station Manager John Boivin: John_Boivin@cbc.ca 'A New Day' Morning show: anewday@cbc.ca Sandi Coleman, 'A New Day' show host, Yukon Quest media supporter: Sandi_Coleman@cbc.ca Cc: Canadian Broadcast Standards Council - complaints@cbsc.ca Sled Dog Watchdog Advocacy Group - admin@sleddogwatchdog.com |