In the arena of 21st century popular culture, you can get away with illegally invading sovereign nations to steal their oil and opium, even if you murder tens of thousands of innocents along the way. But when prominent public meat puppets from Adam Giambrone to Tiger Woods cynically pounce on any and every young thing in order to call attention to their alpha male proclivities, opinion tends to sour at such hubris. This general rule seems not to apply to CBC on air personalities who sleep with their managers, for some reason. Never mind that such activity conflicts with CBC’s Code of Conduct, which explicitly states:
Employees are expected to adhere to the highest ethical standards with respect to conflicts of interest, outside activities, the acceptance of gifts and hospitality, and in all dealings related to their position with the Corporation. Employees must ensure, to the extent possible, that their personal interests do not come into conflict with those of the Corporation. If a conflict does arise, it must be resolved in favour of the best interests of the Corporation.
It gets better:
In the event that an employee becomes aware of a serious breach of this Code of Conduct, or any other wrongdoing or illegal activity in the workplace, he/she has, by virtue of the duty of loyalty owed by employees to their employer, a responsibility to report that wrongdoing. Furthermore, an employee who, in good faith, reports any serious breach or other wrongdoing, is protected from reprisals for so doing.
Therefore, since the fact that Carole McNeil and George Strombolopoulos have been fucking their bosses is an open secret and that no-one at the CBC has blown a whistle, everyone on staff is guilty of wrongdoing (according to the policy). Doesn’t anybody at the CBC read anymore?
It’s one thing to run a closed shop where only relatives, sexual partners, and assorted sycophants can hope to find employment, but it’s quite another to flaunt it so damned recklessly. Time for a major investigation. Maybe some positions will become available for more than the same predictable list of usual suspects.
14 Comments
Whatever happened to Frank magazine?
Frank (Ottawa) or Frank (Halifax)?
The Haligonian is still around.
The problem with office affairs is that they reduce morale with the secrecy & sense of corruption that ensues. People wonder if their work has any merit, or if there is preferential treatment for employees who “put out”. Complacency & a sense of hopelessness results. Why bother working hard if the boss’ lover doesn’t have to?
I agree with you Arthur. Why is no one being held accountable for their actions at the CBC? The place is a mess. There is corruption everywhere. And, like someone mentioned earlier, if you have a private company and you want to promote the people who allow you to fondle them, then that is your money and that is your business. But, when taxpayers money pays the salaires of these sickos, then it’s everyone’s business. It is time for a third-party investigation at the CBC – on everything and everyone. There are serious breaches of the Code of Conduct, and there is incompetence and corruption everywhere at 250 Front Street West. I need to take a bath just thinking about it.
Remember Wendy & Peter?
Ah, good times… but I love that delightful, graceful, smart pixie that is Wendy Mesley, and probably always will.
Cueball Pete? Not so much.
I really can’t stand watching Carol McNeil for some reason, but I can’t bring myself to condemn the CBC for something so stupid that involves personal private relationships. Unless it affects the payroll or career opportunities, which I’m guessing by the lack of employee outcry it doesn’t, then it shouldn’t be anyone else’s business.
That, and I’m admittedly biased because CTV is such a horrible America-wannabe source for right-leaning news stories that I’ve come to love the CBC as the only real option for television news. Something like who’s dating who is hardly enough to get upset over unless you’re a conservative and have a beef with them to begin with.
She creeps the Hell out of me too, but that’s not what’s at issue.
Perhaps an illustration is in order. Suppose Carole McNeil and you are both newspuppets with the same levels of experience and achievement. You are both up for promotion, but she is sleeping with the boss. She gets it, supposedly on merit, but there is still an APPEARANCE of impropriety, and it is just that APPEARANCE of impropriety which goes against the Code of Conduct. Or don’t they even have to respect their own rulebook?
Well, with their flaccid, apathetic, laissez-faire attitude, they might not be on the air much longer…zzzzzzzzz….
The CBC… is that still on the air?
There is no issue. Both parties had established media careers before the relationships and now hold relatively inconsequential jobs on barely watched parts of the schedule. One might quarrel with the money spent promoting The Hour but otherwise giving George that job is doing him no favour. Were these people hosting shows that meant something, like local morning radio, there might be cause for concern.
If George was doing somebody in accounting, a writer for the Rick Mercer Report or one of the engineering staff, yeah, big whoop, no conflict of interest (unless the accountant was fudging George’s expense reports in exchange for some of his crazy Greek/Ukrainian luvin’).
But if he’s engaging in a sexual relationship with his boss? Yeah, that one should start ringing alarm bells inside HR, as it’s a clear violation of ethics, regardless of who started the relationship. At least, that’s how it works in the real world, aka, the private sector.
I’ve known people in the private sector who have had to change employers to date (& eventually marry) the people they worked with because it was unethical (not to mention uncomfortable) for them to date & work together. What makes the CBC executives immune to scrutiny? Ignorance, apathy or arrogance?
Cravan’s assessment is (pardon the pun) ‘bangin’!
In a way, who is dating whom could and should be a discrete ‘who the fuck cares’ situation in certain corridors of CBC or other workplaces. When it comes to the talents and the bigwigs who make decisions mingling their fluids, of course there’ll be cries of casting-couchery. Test the Nation anyone?
Everybody knows only lame dumbasses and delusional freaks date people from their work, anyhow. Seriously, Richard. Get out much? We always knew you wore no clothes, but yecchhh.