Media Beat: September 12, 2018

By David Farrell

CIUT-FM sued for defamation by labour leader

U of T’s community radio station, CIUT 89.5 FM, has been caught in the crosshairs of a dispute involving organizers from two major labour unions in Toronto: Unifor and Unite Here. Lisabeth Pimentel, former President of Unite Here Local 75 and current organizer at Unifor Local 7575, is suing CIUT for allegedly allowing defamatory content about her to be aired on its radio shows.

CIUT is one of many defendants in a case that started as an internal conflict within Unite Here Local 75, which has now escalated into a multi-party defamation lawsuit with $500,000 in damages on the line. – Gheyana Purbodiningrat, The Varsity

Protecting culture is key to our national sovereignty

Canada might have to give up a lot for a NAFTA deal but there are certain no-go areas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says. He insists on a dispute settlement mechanism and the cultural exemption clause that protects Canadian cultural products.

“We’ve made it very clear that defending that cultural exemption is something fundamental to Canadians,” Trudeau said last week. “It is inconceivable to Canadians that an American network might buy Canadian media affiliates, whether it’s newspapers or TV stations or TV networks. It would be a giving up of our sovereignty and our identity and that is something that we will simply not accept.” – Heather Mallick, Toronto Star

Competition Bureau advises CRTC on telco regulatory practices

The Competition Bureau of Canada says the country's telecommunications regulator may have to add measures to protect consumers against misleading or aggressive retail sales practices by the country's largest phone, cable and internet service providers.

However, in a submission to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Canada's competition watchdog says the intervention should be done in a way that doesn't stifle competition. – The Canadian Press

Telecoms bow to pressure, offer affordable data plans

Canada’s Big Three wireless carriers are doubling the amount of data they’re willing to provide in the low-cost, data-only plans requested by the federal regulator after their initial pitches were met with widespread criticism. – Emily Jackson, Financial Post

Fagstein’s latest Media News Digest

News about news – Members of the Ottawa Newspaper Guild, which represents workers at Postmedia's Ottawa Citizen and Ottawa Sun, are voting on a new contract offer after the employer threatened to lock them out if they did not accept it. The results will be known on Wednesday, and if the offer is rejected, the lockout begins at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. – Steve Faguy blog, Fagstein

Twitter adds a live-broadcast feature

A new feature on Twitter will allow users to broadcast audio, through the already existing live streaming Periscope video platform. For now, the service is only available for IOS users. – The National

Broadcasters unite for cancer fundraiser

Four Canadian TV broadcasters were among a global count of 70 that joined to raise funds for the 6^th all-star pledge drive for the Stand Up To Cancer campaign.

Among three patients benefiting from Stand Up To Cancer research appearing on the telecast:

• Caitlyn Timmins, a Canadian teen whose hypermutant cancer failed to respond to traditional therapies and spread to two additional organs, acknowledged feeling that there was no point in continuing treatment. She describes the change of heart she experienced not long after starting a Stand Up To Cancer-funded immunotherapy clinical trial this way: "After the three months, they did an MRI, found out my tumour had shrunk—that was my moment of OK, maybe this worth it….I can picture prom with my friends, and graduation; things to look forward to."  Having just entered her senior year in high school, Caitlyn now has no evidence of cancer. – Market Insider

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