Lisa LaFlamme, CTV News, and Bad Executive Decisions

There will be no bittersweet on-air goodbye for (now previous) CTV nationwide news anchor Lisa LaFlamme, no ceremonial passing of the baton to the subsequent technology, no broadcast retrospectives lionizing a journalist with a storied and award-winning career. As LaFlamme declared yesterday, CTV’s parent corporation, Bell Media, has made a decision to unilaterally stop her contract. (See also the CBC’s reporting of the tale below.)
While LaFlamme herself doesn’t make this assert, there was of class immediate speculation that the network’s decision has a thing to do with the truth that LaFlamme is a woman of a specified age. LaFlamme is 58, which by Tv set benchmarks is not specifically younger — apart from when you evaluate it to the age at which common guys who proceeded her have left their respective anchor’s chairs: consider Peter Mansbridge (who was 69), and Lloyd Robertson (who was 77).
But an even more sinister concept is now afoot: alternatively than mere, shallow misogyny, evidence has arisen of not just sexism, but sexism conjoined with corporate interference in newscasting. Two evils for the value of one! LaFlamme was fired, suggests journalist Jesse Brown, “because she pushed back versus just one Bell Media executive.” Brown reports insiders as saying that Michael Melling, vice president of news at Bell Media, has bumped heads with LaFlamme a quantity of moments, and has a history of interfering with news coverage. Brown even further reports that “Melling has continually shown a deficiency of respect for women of all ages in senior roles in the newsroom.”
Unnecessary to say, even if a personal grudge furthermore sexism reveal what’s likely on, listed here, it even now will feel to most as a “foolish determination,” a person confident to cause the company problems. Now, I make it a policy not to dilemma the enterprise savvy of seasoned executives in industries I do not know effectively. And I suggest my learners not to leap to the summary that “that was a dumb decision” just because it is a person they really do not realize. But however, in 2022, it is difficult to visualize that the firm (or Melling more particularly) did not see that there would be blowback in this case. It is a single detail to have disagreements, but it is one more to unceremoniously dump a beloved and award-profitable girl anchor. And it’s strange that a senior executive at a information group would believe that the truth would not occur out, specified that, following all, he’s surrounded by folks whose position, and personal determination, is to report the news.
And it is challenging not to suspect that this a less than pleased changeover for LaFlamme’s alternative, Omar Sachedina. Of program, I’m sure he’s joyful to get the occupation. But when Bell Media’s push launch quotes Sachedina indicating graceful items about LaFlamme, undoubtedly he did not want to assume the anchor chair amidst widespread criticism of the changeover. He’s having on the part beneath a shadow. Probably the prize is really worth the cost, but it is also challenging not to picture that Sachedina had (or now has) some pull, some means to impact that fashion of the changeover. I’m not declaring (as some undoubtedly will) that — as an insider who appreciates the true tale — he really should have declined the position as unwell-gotten gains. But at the incredibly least, it appears fair to argue that he need to have employed his impact to form the transition. And if the now-senior anchor does not have that variety of impact, we really should be anxious without a doubt about the independence of that job, and of that newsroom.
A ultimate, similar notice about authority and governance in advanced businesses. In any reasonably properly-ruled corporation, the determination to axe a major, public-struggling with expertise like LaFlamme would have to have sign-off — or at least tacit acceptance — from much more than 1 senior govt. This implies that a person of two things is genuine. Either Bell Media isn’t that form of perfectly-governed firm, or a substantial amount of folks were included in, and culpable of, unceremoniously dumping an award-winning journalist. Which is even worse?