Sled Dog Watchdog: Yukon Quest 'Media darling'

The Yukon Quest has for many years benefitted from a lack of media scrutiny with regard to the crueler
aspects of the race itself, and to the sad conditions many sled dogs live in when they are not racing. In the
early years of the race, the media may be forgiven somewhat for their limited awareness about sled dog
welfare. However, we are now living in the 'information age' and media have no excuse for not delving
further into the various cruelties inflicted on dogs by the Yukon Quest, or the suffering caused to dogs
because of the lack of any regulation of mushers' sled dog operations in the north.

[Ed. Note- there is much criticism of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on this page and web site.
The writer is not blindly opposed to CBC but actually grew up listening to CBC Radio from an early age. It
helped to develop my judgement as to recognizing 'irresponsible journalism' whenever I encountered it.
The CBC should have a policy of not supporting and promoting events that injure and kill animals
[Thank you to reporter Al Foster and cameraman Mike Rudyk of CBC Television's 'Northbeat' for the
interview during the 2007 Quest and for distinguishing themselves from most of their colleagues at CBC
Yukon.].

In the Yukon, the major media sources are the two Whitehorse newspapers (The Whitehorse Daily Star
and Yukon News) and the public radio and television broadcaster, the local Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation affiliate (CBC Yukon). All three organizations, to various extents, support and promote the
Quest. The Whitehorse Star is a major sponsor, providing numerous full-page advertisements for
fundraising events and other race promotions. The Yukon News has, in the past, sponsored individual
Quest mushers, according to mushers' web sites. CBC Yukon and its parent, CBC North, are the biggest
media cheerleaders, and negative coverage of the Quest by CBC has been practically non-existent for the
20-odd years the Quest race has been staged.

CBC Yukon and CBC North: Irresponsible journalists use public airwaves to promote an
ethically questionable race that has killed and injured sled dogs:

In February of 2005, the [now] administrator of this website wrote a 'letter to the editor' that was
published in the 'Yukon News' about CBC Yukon's perceived biased coverage of the Yukon Quest. The
letter, headlined (by the editor) 'CBC Should Stop Cheerleading for the Quest,' was printed on the Friday
of the first week of the Quest, in time for the Quest mushers' layover in Dawson City. The letter addressed
the perceived lack of journalism ethics displayed by several CBC radio employees when speaking about the
Quest, seemingly sanctioned by CBC management.

For most of the race there was no discernible change in CBC's coverage. However, toward the end of the
race it became apparent from listening to CBC Radio that the letter had registered with at least two CBC
Radio personnel. For example, the visiting 'writer-in-residence' at the Pierre Berton House in Dawson was
interviewed on the second Friday after the start of the Quest (when most mushers had already finished).
The writer mentioned that he had been in Dawson watching the mushers arrive there, and told CBC Yukon
radio announcer Roch Shannon-Fraser that, although he realized the Quest was somewhat controversial,
he found it 'touching' to watch the dog teams arrive.

To that date in the Yukon, the only way this visitor would have thought the race was controversial was by
reading the 'CBC as cheerleaders' letter which would have been passed around in Dawson during the
mushers' mandatory rest stop there, and another letter (also published in the Yukon News) critical of a
particular Quest musher known for his callous treatment of sled dogs, from another Whitehorse resident
during the second week of the Quest.

The next day (early on a Saturday morning) Mr. Shannon-Fraser was talking to CBC's Quest reporter
Trisha Estabrooks, on one of the final Quest reports, and he questioned her about Quest sled dog care. He
was assured by Ms. Estabrooks that Quest mushers took great care of their dogs and the name of a local
Whitehorse-area musher was brought up, a musher who is widely promoted as being the 'gold-standard'
with regard to dog care. This same musher had in the 2001 Quest, according to the 'Racing the White
Silence' book by Adam Killick, "through an oversight," neglected to bed his dogs down properly on a cold
night early in the race, and the dogs' heat loss had melted body-shaped impressions in the snow, causing
the dogs to endure much suffering, and sapping their strength.

Because of CBC's perceived pro-Quest bias, a decision was made to file an official complaint
with the CBC Ombudsman, to have the issue investigated.

The complaint was responded to by the Director of English Radio and Television, Mr. Mike Linder, from
CBC North headquarters in Yellowknife. Mr. Linder 'pooh-poohed' the concerns expressed, and
furthermore made a valiant defense of the Yukon Quest (strangely enough, Quest officials themselves
practically never respond to the scant criticism the race has received over the years). A response to Mr.
Linder's 'whitewashing' of CBC's biased reporting was e-mailed to several media sources and animal rights
organizations, and included the original complaint letter and the response from Mr. Linder.

Shortly after, the Whitehorse Star published the letter of response to Mr. Linder (a previous CBC Yukon
staffer and station manager), which the editor titled "Stop 'Cub Reporting' on a Northern Disgrace" (April
8, 2005). This apparently infuriated Mr. Linder who quickly wrote a letter to the Star 'accusing the accuser'
of making 'unwarranted personal attacks' and 'slandering' individual CBC Yukon employees. It was obvious
that Mr. Linder did not read the actual letter, but was responding to communication from CBC Yukon
informing him of the letter having been published in the Star. In his letter to the Star editor [see 'Personal
Attacks Were Baseless' letter, to follow], Mr. Linder defended by name those employees named in the
original complaint letter (and some who were not).

It must be noted that, to that date, the only CBC employees named in print by the Star were the CBC 'cub
reporter' who had covered the 2005 Quest race and one of the hosts of the CBC Yukon morning radio
show. The week after, the Star then published the original letter of complaint to the CBC Ombudsman -
'CBC is Promoting Cruelty to Sled Dogs' (April 15, 2005).

CBC's Yukon Quest reporting policy/defense of Yukon Quest according to/by Mike Linder
(March 2005 CBC Ombudsman reply):

After a careful reading of your letter, I believe your true argument is with the very existence of the Yukon
Quest and perhaps any and all dogmushing (sic.). I don't dispute your right to hold this view but I can't
say that it is one necessarily held by the Yukon public…

There is great public interest in this event and as such it is one that the Yukon's public broadcaster must
pay attention to. This does not in any way suggest the event is above the same scrutiny we apply to other
endeavours…

The Yukon Quest has been running for many years and CBC Yukon has been reporting it from the start.
In our experience the Yukon public, the dog mushers and breeders and the veterinary community consider
this a legitimate athletic event. The consensus appears to be the dogs, by and large, enjoy the event…[Ed.
Note: I would be very interested, Mr. Linder, in seeing the transcripts of your interviews
with the dogs. Did your reporters capture the last words of the many dogs who have died in
the Quest over the years?]

I do expect our hosts to convey the sense of excitement around them when talking about one of the
largest international events in the north. This should not be construed to suggest our team was
"cheerleading"…

[Ed. Note: How's this for cheerleading?]
February 24, 2005 Quest report from Quest reporter Trisha Estabrooks:

What a race! This morning, last week, the start of the race, it all seems like a blur. Lance Mackey, the
rookie, victorious and hilariously excited. His father, Dick Mackey, travelled from Arizona to greet him at
the Angel Point checkpoint. Today he stood on the finish line beaming. Dick Mackey looms large in
mushing circles, being one of the founders of the Iditarod and by making history with his 1978
one-second win. Perhaps it was talking to him last night, perhaps it was my hunger for the race, but for
just a moment I thought William Kleedehn would follow Mackey to the end. The finish line was
exhilarating, the beginning of the end…

[The letter continues]
The musher who dropped out early because of her team having bloody vomit and diarrhea [Ed. Note - it
was actually bloody diarrhea and 'normal' vomit] did so at a designated dog drop with a veterinarian on
hand to provide care for the animals. Weather prevented the plane from landing for two days. This
weather related occurrence was unforeseen, but no lingering illness or injuries resulted…

The musher who overloaded his sled was a first-timer, learned his lesson and his "wore out" dogs
recovered and completed the race in good health… [Ed. Note - The musher was Jon Little, of
Kasilof, Alaska - an experienced musher/journalist who writes promotional articles about
dog mushing.]

For decades northern mushers have run their dogs under extreme conditions, sometimes to save lives,
deliver mail, move freight or for their own personal survival. Quest mushers train their dogs to deal with
conditions they are likely to encounter during the race…

If you or anyone else has any proof of animal cruelty it should be reported to the RCMP and/or the
Humane Society. CBC Yukon would be receptive to reviewing any specific allegations or firsthand
information you may have. [Ed. Note - Based on past experience, RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)
officers do not have the will or resources to deal with animal complaints with their regular policing
workload, and are also hindered by weak animal protection laws. Humane Society Yukon does not have
either the resources or legal authority to police animal cruelty, more than that of any individual citizen of
the Yukon.]

[the letter concludes]
I hope I have gone some way to answering your concerns. I will note yours is the only complaint about
our coverage we have received.

Reply from Mr. Linder ('Personal Attacks Were Baseless' - Whitehorse Star, April 11, 2005):

This is an open reply to the correspondence published Friday, April 8, as a letter to the editor re: CBC
coverage of the Yukon Quest.

I believe I've addressed your substantive points in my reply to your letter to the CBC Ombudsman. That
you then chose to bypass that process and circulate your correspondence widely was your decision. It
seems to have achieved your goal, which appears to be gaining more attention for your personal views.

I challenged you to bring forward, to the proper authorities and the CBC, any evidence or first-hand
knowledge you have of animal cruelty and neglect. You have not done so. Instead, you cite media reports
as your sources. [Ed. Note - ???]

You then insult and denigrate those who made them - much as you insult and denigrate the many
mushers, sponsors, community volunteers and veterinarians who participate each year in this event.

I have great respect for their professionalism, and you have given me no reason to doubt they operate
from anything less than the highest standards of integrity and commitment. Your credentials to assess
journalism appear to be on par with your credentials to assess the competence of those who work with or
care for animals.

The people of the Yukon are well served and indeed fortunate to have broadcasters of the professional
caliber of [four CBC Yukon employees' names]. Your personal attacks on them are not only baseless but
malicious and outside the bounds of civilized discussion. As I stated before, you are entitled to your
opinion. I do not, however, believe that gives you licence to slander the dedication and professionalism of
so many Yukoners, be they CBC employees or others.

To give evidence of CBC's casting off all tenets of responsible journalism, here are some of
the examples seen or heard on the public broadcaster's various media formats:

After the 2005 Quest, when CBC Yukon had exchanged its Yukon Quest cheerleading garb for that of the
Iditarod's, one of CBC Yukon's 'A New Day' morning show hosts told listeners (in a syrupy tone) in an
interview with an Alaska Public Radio (another Quest and Iditarod media cheerleader) reporter that "of
course we know that mushers are not motivated by money." It is a great mystery how some of these
newly-arrived CBC employees from southern Canada are instantly transformed into Yukon Quest (or
Iditarod) disciples. Is there an internal policy at CBC Yukon, when talking about mushers, to occasionally
refer to them as "well-respected mushers" or as "legends?" If an announcer had attributed the same
altruistic motivations to Yukon politicians as he or she attributed to mushers, the phones at CBC would be
'ringing off the hook.'

The 2004 CBC North television documentary 'The Lone Trail: The Dogs and Drivers of the Yukon Quest'
used 'creative editing' to ridicule a lone, young activist who was brave enough to speak out in public in
about the cruel aspects of the Quest. This offensive program is shown to tourists at the Yukon Tourism
Reception Centre in Whitehorse. It was also circulated to the world on the CBC Newsworld International
television channel. CBC makes 'blood money' off the documentary by selling it through private retailers.

This is a description from the CBC News national website about the video production:

The Lone Trail is a CBC documentary special about "The Quest," an annual dogsled race that runs from
Fairbanks, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon. The 1600 km race is gruelling and takes over a week to
complete. The Lone Trail follows three of the race participants: a handicapped musher, a young woman
and a third musher, who has competed in every "Quest" race and who is now contemplating retirement.
This special broadcast, which combines moving human drama with breathtaking footage of
the northern scenery, is guaranteed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

There is a permanent Yukon Quest page featured on the CBC North web site year round. The fondness of
CBC towards the Quest is evident in the written archived 'race diaries' and sound clips available on the site.
[UPDATE: CBC stopped adding content to the site after the 2006 Quest race].

The 2005 Quest reporter almost made the CBC Yukon noon show host cough up a vital organ by
innocently blurting out that there was a portion of the Yukon Quest trail known as 'The Dog Killer.'

CBC enthusiastically provides promotional support for Quest fundraising events. In mid-2005, one
morning show host urged listeners to visit a popular Main Street coffee shop in Whitehorse (a venue for
several Quest fundraisers), to see the 'touching exhibit' of Quest photography. CBC Yukon often treats
Yukon Quest press releases or other Quest or Iditarod trivia as major news stories. Recent examples are:
the story about the local musher held up as an example to the corporate world; one about an Iditarod
musher who did some TV ads in Alaska about depression (…Living in the north and feeling
depressed? Get a bunch of sled dogs, they'll cheer you up!); and a story about Canada's national
airline promoting the Quest on its flights for the month of December, 2005. One of the hosts of CBC's
'Radio Free Quest' morning show excitedly expressed hope that it would be widely seen.

CBC Yukon and CBC North have for years, disseminated Yukon Quest propaganda to their southern
affiliates prior to and during the Quest race, with radio spots sold to radio shows such as 'Definitely Not
the Opera' and other national programs. CBC Yukon goes out of its way to make sure that its good friend,
the Quest, receives promotion whenever a national CBC program does a spotlight on the Yukon.

Shelagh Rogers, host of the national radio morning program 'Sounds Like Canada' based her show in
Whitehorse for a week in mid-December 2005, spotlighting various Yukon items of interest. She
interviewed a young musher who was entered in the 2006 Quest race. Ms. Rogers visited the musher's
family home and took a tour of the dog yard. Shortly before this, the Yukon News had a full-page article
about the young musher (November 18, 2005) and one of the accompanying photos showed the typical
scene of chained-up dogs in the background. One could see in the photo, cheap plastic rain barrels used
for dog houses, popular among mushers for their low cost, but which would provide very little protection
from the elements.

Ms. Rogers needs to learn to recognize this minimal standard of dog care when she sees it (it was very
likely that CBC Yukon employees did not tell Ms. Rogers that the Quest might be the 'tiniest bit
controversial' to some listeners). In a related matter, earlier in 2005 on the CBC North evening television
news program 'North Beat,' a Yellowknife dog musher was interviewed on a bitterly cold day in front of a
dog house which had a glacier of frozen dog urine at the doorway, likely not even raising an eyebrow of
the reporter.

Two CBC Yukon camera men were nominated for Canada's version of the Emmys (the 'Genie Awards') for
their filming of 'The Lone Trail' 'documentary.' They did not win, but were given special 'internal awards'
by CBC for their work on the film (reported in Whitehorse Star, January 18, 2006). In the film there was
footage of dogs running at night through icy water and a scene of exhausted dogs in burlap sacks being
loaded onto a small plane. In the annual coverage of the Quest, where is the video footage of exhausted
and suffering dogs? Where are the images of DEAD DOGS [Adam Killick, in his book, 'Racing
the White Silence,' about the 2001 Quest noted that an average of one dog a year had died
since the race's inception. John Balzar, in his book 'Yukon Alone,' about the 1998 race, noted
that two or three dogs died in some years, none in other years]?

Aside from Yukon Quest promotion, CBC Yukon is also very supportive of the fur trapping industry and
big game hunting in the Yukon, judging by the frequency and tone of the stories - of which CBC can be
depended upon to give only one side. Being supportive of these facets of northern society may possibly
help to allay criticisms of CBC as being a member of the 'liberal media,' but whatever the CBC audience's
feelings are about these issues, the public broadcaster should give both sides of the story.

[Ed. Note - The intent of the complaint letter to the CBC Ombudsman was that some of the
previous examples of media bias on the part of CBC would be included in the investigation.
It was obvious by Mr. Linder's letters, however, that CBC is entrenched in how it will cover
the Yukon Quest, and did not bother addressing these points. Personally, I have better
things to do with my life than sit around with my ears glued to CBC Radio, documenting the
garbage that comes out of some of their employees' mouths when they are speaking about
the Yukon Quest. The sad truth is that CBC has chosen to take the approach of 'preaching to
the choir,' seeing that the Quest is considered to be a 'sacred cow' by many Yukoners, and
that many Yukoners also accept the word of CBC 'as gospel.'

Whitehorse Daily Star

Although it is questionable that the Whitehorse Star, as a media entity, should be sponsoring a race in
which harm is inflicted on dogs, throughout 2005 and early 2006, the Star was commendable in giving
prompt and prominent attention to letters critical of the Quest and other letters to the editor about
humane issues. [2008 update - it appears that the Whitehorse Star has, in the last year,
realized as an official Yukon Quest media sponsor which side its 'bread is buttered on' and
has become more selective in allowing criticism of the Quest and Yukon dog mushing
industry to published. The new policy of the newspaper is apparently to let the 'local
rednecks' gang up on the 'crazy animal rights people from the south,' as was done in late
2007 in the case of a letter to the editor about Yukon animal cruelty from the Animal
Advocates Society of British Columbia - shame on the Whitehorse Star!]. SEE 'MEDIA
VILLAINS' PAGE

Yukon News

The Yukon News, although not an official race sponsor, has in the past, sponsored some individual Quest
mushers according to mushers' web sites. At least two of the paper's employees had, at points in their
journalism careers, worked as dog handlers for northern mushers. One of these ex-Yukon News
employees is Adam Killick, author of the book about the 2001 Quest, 'Racing the White Silence: On the
Trail of the Yukon Quest.'

To its credit, in the 2005 Quest, the newspaper had a headline about a musher using 'tough love' (as did
the Star) on his dog team to arrive first at the Dawson City checkpoint, winning a 'gold poke' prize for his
girlfriend. The 'tough love' consisted of running his dogs for fourteen hours, with minimal rest. The Yukon
News also printed two critical letters about the Quest, and had a front page photo of a glassy-eyed,
exhausted Quest dog in the basket of a musher's sled. In early 2006, the News printed a letter to the
editor from a Whitehorse resident about the Quest's lack of political correctness in holding a raffle for a
gas-guzzling 'Hummer' vehicle, whereas a local charitable organization, Habitat (For Humanity) Yukon,
was raffling off a 'Smart Car.' [Ed. Note - The Yukon News website is accessible by free subscription.]

Northern Native Broadcasting Yukon

Even the voice of the Yukon First Nations people apparently largely subscribes to the point of view
espoused by the pro-mushing community. In 2005, the weekly television news program 'Nedaa' produced
a lengthy feature 'Mush for Gold,' which was heavily slanted towards promoting competitive mushing,
including the lobbying efforts of the mushing community to have sled dog racing featured as a sport in the
upcoming 2010 Olympics which will be held in Canada. [Thank you Roxanne Livingstone and
cameraman Luke Smith for the APTN National television interview during the 2007 Quest.]

Reporting assignments for media (this especially applies to CBC Yukon/CBC North):

1. Visit the dog yards of Yukon Quest mushers and report on the level of care provided to the dogs [e.g. -
Are the dogs chained up or (preferably) kept in fenced enclosures? Do they have insulated dog houses? Is
the dog yard securely fenced off to protect the dogs from predators, to whom a chained dog might make
a tasty snack? Do the dogs have a fenced area where they can run free throughout the day? Do Yukon
Quest mushers cull (kill) unwanted/unneeded dogs (including puppies), and if so, are they humanely
disposed of? How about interviewing veterinarians such as those from AVAR, an organization which is
opposed to cruel and exploitative events like the Quest and Iditarod?]

2. Select a number of particular dogs who have competed in the Yukon Quest and monitor their lives for a
period of several years to see how they are doing, to ensure that they are being treated in a manner that
'elite athletes' deserve to be treated.

3. Take a survey of dog yards throughout the Yukon (this applies to hobby mushers and sled dog tour
operators) and ask the same questions posed in assignment 1.

4. Question the various levels of government in the north (including First Nations governments) to learn
about what they intend to do help improve the shameful conditions in which many northern dogs exist.

5. In conjunction with local animal protection organizations, help develop media spots to educate
northerners regarding humane treatment of their domestic animals.

6. For CBC only: as CBC Yukon/CBC North has already produced a promotional film for the
Yukon Quest, the organization owes the public a documentary devoted to addressing
humane issues in the north, affecting sled dogs and northern dogs.