Saturday, October 25, 2025
More

    Top 6 This Week

    popular+

    CBC could be a beacon in turbulent times

    Sharing is SO MUCH APPRECIATED!

    By David Suzuki

    If we measured the amount of space and time devoted to issues in news outlets, we would conclude audiences are most interested in politics, business, sports and entertainment. This is astonishing when we consider the impact of science when applied by industry, medicine and the military.

    I was born in 1936 when smallpox ravaged millions annually (it’s been extinct for decades), polio was a feared childhood disease, and we didn’t have television, jet travel, computers, cellphones, penicillin, plastics, DDT, CFCs, satellites… the list is long and I’m not really that old! Change is inevitable, and science provides the best assessment of the state of a rapidly changing planet.

    When I returned to Canada in 1962 after studying in the United States for eight years, I was shocked by the lack of government support for science here, which reflected the population’s lack of interest in science. I was a scientist so it was in my self-interest for the public to understand why science matters, how new discoveries in areas such as my field, genetics, might affect their lives. Science was and is too important to be used selectively to justify or promote political and corporate agendas.

    I chose to work in print and electronic media on the assumption that with more information, people could make better decisions about how science and technology would affect their lives. Much of my career was with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the CBC, which is still vital. But the explosive growth in media outlets through cable, satellite and the internet flooded the public sphere with information and “content,” much of it pornography and advertising.

    People can now connect to the global network any time, anywhere with our phones, but how can an ordinary person navigate the glut of information designed to sell stuff and unfettered by such a distraction as truth? All the demands for freedom from government dictates or restrictions on corporate or industrial activity — outrageous claims backed by cherry-picked data or even manufactured information — serve vested interests driven by all manner of goals. Political events in the U.S. have plunged the country into an Orwellian nightmare where lies have become indistinguishable from truth.

    Disinformation, misinformation, advertising, distortion and deliberate lying are now unavoidable. Science has never been more important, to respond to viral disease outbreaks, artificial intelligence, nuclear threats, biotechnology and climate change. But how and where can we find the truth, the evidence?

    The adage “He who pays the piper calls the tune” is as relevant as ever. Well-funded right-wing and libertarian organizations (the Heritage FoundationFraser InstituteHeartland InstituteCato InstituteKoch network) flood the media and internet with biased materials that undermine progressive government policy and promote unfettered corporate activity. Conspiracy-driven efforts attack vaccines, climate activists, scientists, doctors, environmentalists and more. Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent on advertising to drive pacified, uncritical audiences to consume more.

    We now have federal and provincial politicians opposing carbon pricing, using simplistic slogans like “axe the tax” — without even mentioning climate change. It’s a distraction tactic from the fossil fuel industry’s playbook: never mention the real problem.

    The CBC is publicly funded. This makes it different than commercial networks, which rely on advertising as the primary revenue source. When major advertising revenues come from forestry, fossil fuels, banking, pharmaceuticals, car companies or salmon aquaculture, commercial media might avoid or tone down reports critical of clear-cut logging, oil and gas development, drug profits, automobile pollution or open-net pen fish farms.

    The CBC isn’t entirely ad-free, only its radio broadcasts. Television has long been supported by advertising revenue, although proposals to make it ad-free often emerge. Relying too much on advertising leads to greater reticence about broadcasting shows that might generate a negative response from industry.

    A publicly funded broadcaster’s constituency is the public. It must stand free of corporate or government control. It needs money to do that — but now we’re seeing political proposals to slash a billion dollars from CBC’s budget. With rapid and potentially disastrous change spreading from our southern neighbour, CBC is the critical eyes and ears on Canada. Its funding shouldn’t be cut; it should be increased by at least a billion dollars, so that it can inform all people in Canada, free of government or corporate control.

    David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation.

    Learn more at davidsuzuki.org.

    REFERENCES:

    Career was with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation:

    https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/the-nature-of-things/david-suzuki-prepares-to-bid-farewell-to-the-nature-of-things-a-letter-to-viewers-1.6629177

    Disinformation, misinformation:

    https://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/guidance/how-identify-misinformation-disinformation-and-malinformation-itsap00300

    How and where can we find the truth?

    https://www.davidsuzukiinstitute.ca/silencing-science

    Heritage Foundation:

    https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/heritage-foundation/summary?id=D000034435

    Fraser Institute:

    https://www.desmog.com/fraser-institute

    Heartland Institute:

    Cato Institute:

    https://www.desmog.com/cato-institute

    Koch network:

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/27/koch-americans-for-prosperity-trump-tax-breaks

    Conspiracy-driven efforts attack:

    https://www.davidsuzukiinstitute.ca/silencing-science

    Carbon pricing:

    https://davidsuzuki.org/story/carbon-pricing-101-how-it-works

    Slash a billion dollars from CBC’s budget:
    https://www.nationalobserver.com/2024/11/19/opinion/saving-cbc-saving-canada-poilievre

    Sharing is SO MUCH APPRECIATED!

    Popular Articles

    GEORGIANBAYNEWS.COM

    Popular Articles

    Collingwood OPP Arrest Three in Traffic Stop Linked to Local Thefts

    (COLLINGWOOD, ON) - On April 2, 2025, at approximately 11:22 p.m., members of the Collingwood and Blue Mountains Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)...

    Collingwood | Share Your Ideas & Name a Snowplow!

    Collingwood, ON – The Town of Collingwood has launched a fun and interactive contest to name four of its snowplows ahead of the...

    Electric Vehicle Show returns to Simcoe County

    Midhurst/June 18, 2025 – The County of Simcoe is once again partnering with regional experts to bring the Electric Vehicle Show back to this region....

    OPP ARREST TWO INDIVIDUALS AFTER VEHICLE THEFT INVESTIGATION

    (TOWN OF WASAGA BEACH, ON) - Members of the Huronia West Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have arrested two individuals in relation to...

    Holey Moley shares: Cabbage with eggs tastes better than meat recipe! Easy, quick and very delicious!

    Cabbage with eggs tastes better than meat! Easy, quick and very delicious dinner recipe. Delicious and quick recipe for cabbage with onions! You won't...

    Collingwood Museum hosts new travelling exhibit about the history of Black enslavement in Canada

    Collingwood, ON - Many Canadians are unaware that slavery was common across Canada and believe Canada’s connection to slavery begins and ends with the...

    Slavery in the name of progress | A Wake-Up Call by Martin Scorsese

    Surviving Progress explores the dangerous paradox at the heart of modern civilization: what we call "progress" might actually be leading us toward collapse. Based...

    Attempted Murder Charges Laid in Midland

    (MIDLAND, ON) - One individual is in custody following a serious incident that occurred on Hanna Street in Midland yesterday afternoon. On Sunday, October 19, 2025,...

    We Are As Vulnerable As 9/11″ Says Ex-FBI Counterintel Head on Trump’s Destruction of the Bureau

    "Something bad will happen" - Former FBI Counterintelligence Chief Frank Figliuzzi sounds the alarm on Trump's gutting of the Bureau. Terror task forces and spy-catching...

    OPP ANNOUNCES THE SEIZURE OF 435,000 POTENTIALLY LETHAL DOSES OF FENTANYL FROM TWO SEPARATE INVESTIGATIONS

    Historic Investigation Results (ORILLIA, ON) -Today, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has announced the results of two major investigations that resulted in a historic seizure of...

    Jack Sock v Christopher Haworth at the Fasenra Virginia Beach Cup presented by Joola

    Watch the Men's Singles Semifinals: (6) Jack Sock vs (15) Christopher Haworth at the Fasenra Virginia Beach Cup presented by Joola Players: -Jack Sock:...

    Do THIS and You Will NEVER Be ANGRY at ANYONE Again | Alan Watts

    What if anger was never caused by other people, but only by the way we resist life itself? In this talk, Alan Watts explores...

    Orion Moonsong: Super Sweet Horoscopes for the week of July 27, 2025

    Orion Moonsong, celestial eavesdropper extraordinaire… While we’re all busy with our earthly concerns, this astronomical busybody is up there tuning into the universe’s gossip channel,...

    Join the Affordable Housing Task Force in celebrating YIMBY Week (Yes In My Back Yard) 

    Collingwood, ON - Neighbours say Yes In My Back Yard in support of affordable housing! Join Collingwood’s Affordable Housing Task Force in celebrating YIMBY...

    Trail Tunes: Connecting Communities by Trail and by Song – One of Ontario’s Top 100 Festivals!

    Collingwood, ON - Celebrate International Trails Day with a soundtrack to your cycling or active journey during Trail Tunes 2025, a collaborative regional event...

    How to Lie Your Way to $44 Billion | Saigon Commercial Bank Fraud

    What happens when one person owns a bank and is free to do whatever they want with customer deposits. Well.. they steal as much...

    Sam Roberts Band Ready to Light Up Wasaga Beach on February 8

    The six-time JUNO award-winning artist will perform at the Wasaga Stars Arena, following Canadian country star Tim Hicks on February 7 “Wasaga Beach is a...

    FEMALE CHARGED WITH IMPAIRED OPERATION AFTER SINGLE VEHICLE COLLISION

    (TOWN OF WASAGA BEACH, ON) - The Huronia West Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have charged an individual with impaired driving after a...

    The Divorce Expert: 86% Of People Who Divorce Remarry! Why Sex Is Causing Divorces!

    James Sexton is America's top divorce lawyer, and bestselling author of romantic advice books 'How to Stay in Love' and 'If You're in My...

    Stay Cool in Collingwood: Enjoy the Comfort of Cooling Centres

    Collingwood, ON – With the high temperatures forecast for the next few days, the following sites in Collingwood are available to the public as...

    TRAFFIC STOP LEADS TO INPAIRED DRIVING CHARGES

    (SPRINGWATER TOWNSHIP, ON) - The Huronia West Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have charged an individual with impaired driving related charges. On January 15,...

    The Ambassador: Small Homes, Big Impact – Solving Canada’s Housing Crisis

    A Strategic Plan for Affordable Living Canada is grappling with an unprecedented housing affordability crisis that has made it increasingly difficult for many citizens to...

    WHOA! Bernie BRINGS THE HOUSE DOWN at PACKED RALLY

    MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on the massive rally that Senator Bernie Sanders led in Kenosha, Wisconsin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zSrXBg1NTU Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! MeidasTouch relies on...

    Canadian Coast Guard Advises of Ice Breaking Activity in Midland Area

    (MIDLAND,ON) -  Members of the Southern Georgian Bay OPP detachment would like to advise residents and visitors to North Simcoe of the upcoming ice breaking activity in the...