Allan sends this one in:
Holy freakin’ efficiency, CBC!
A year later! A freakin’ year later! I arrive home to find a letter from the CBC in response to my question: “I would like to know if Mr. Tod Maffin is being compensated, either financially or in any other way by the CBC for his writings at the Web Page/Site titled
INSIDECBC.CA.â€The answer: “A thorough search was conducted within CBC/Radio-Canada files. No records were found that respond to your request.â€
Unbelievable. Is this a case of utter incompetence or a matter of “how soon they forget� I demand a refund. I want my $5 back!
7 Comments
They don’t have to answer questions; you have to phrase your request in terms of “responsive records.†And they have every right to take you literally and address your request exactly as written. It shouldn’t matter here, ideally, as, until recently, InsideCBC.CA redirected to InsidetheCBC.com. Or so I believe.
Be thankful they only took $5. I know of one case where they asked for $700 to process the request.
Feel free to feel pained. One way or another I was going to say something.
A s much as it pains me, I have to agree with Allan here. It’s disingenuous of you Joe, to say you’re giving him exactly what he wants, when you are, in fact, gving him a shit sandwich.
Allan, you complain about everything, even after I give you exactly what you want.
Hugh, my description of the access-to-information process is correct even if you think it it is not or you think the process should not be as I described it.
“They don’t have to answer questions”
Of course they do, they’re a public institution.
“you have to phrase your request in terms of “responsive records.—
If you do, then that’s a dodge to avoid having to ask questions. Perhaps they could require you to stand on one foot while you type, too, but that wouldn’t justify their not answering if your questions subsequently had typos.
It was an obvious question which anyone with an intent of being useful could have understood and replied to in a sincere way.
like putting a hand up her blouse and she says “I think Sarah Palin is right”, you really know how to spoil a moment joe.
Like, that was supposed to be a post, man.
You know, the kind where you put a headline on it, attribution, and an eye-catching graphic.
Sheesh
The point was that here was a vivid example of what you can expect by exercising this wonderful freedom to ask questions of researchers who are paid to research, and IT TAKES A YEAR TO GET A RESPONSE.
To a trivial look-it-up-in-the-staff-directory-and-make-one-phone-call question.
A year.
I know that working in the civil service is to constantly be told to slow down, but …
please spare me, joe, and do not respond to this comment