Let's Talk about Self-Serving Abuses of Power

Here at DAMMIT JANET!, we've had occasion to blog about cause marketing before, mainly over pinkwashing and the Komen Kaper.

This kick at that can is prompted by today's Bell's Let's Talk campaign for mental health/illness awareness.

First, yes, of course it is a worthy cause. Mental health issues are stigmatized and silenced. My friend Vicky Sanderson writes movingly (but not without her trademark snark) on the toll stigmatized, silenced suffering takes on individuals, families, and communities.

Mental health care and research and outreach are all also woefully underfunded.

So, it's brilliant, yes? Huge media and telecom conglomerate puts its mouth and money where the issue is and presto! Dough and discussions.

Win-win.

Plus, Bell gets props for taking on a 'difficult' cause. I mean, what business would associate itself with people who talk to themselves? (Unless they're using a hands-free smart phone, of course.)

My problem is cause marketing in general and this little dealie in particular.

Cause marketing usually latches onto decades of tough slogging by dedicated volunteers and under-funded organizations and turns all that work into a fleeting, feel-good, look-at-us-being-ethical festival.

It often trivializes patients and survivors. It can, as in the case of Komen associate itself with some dodgy sponsors, fudge around with some unpleasant facts that might upset said sponsors, and play hard-ball with well-meaning plebes who undertake unsanctioned activities.

And it is sometimes highly debatable how much actual dough is forthcoming to the worthy cause.

Oh hell, watch this trailer for the NFB's Pink Ribbons. (Download the whole thing here.)



I am NOT saying that Bell is doing any of that.

(Is there any colour left for the upcoming ribbons, by the way? 'Starry Night', perhaps, from the Van Gogh Chalk Paint Collection?)

But what is Bell doing? What is it getting out of this?

A tweet from Steve Faguy alerted me to the business side, aka the Bell-Astral deal.

Scroll down to the sub-heading 'The tangible benefits package and why CBC opposes it'.

CRTC policy dictates that when broadcast assets are purchased, a percentage of that purchase price (six per cent for radio, 10 per cent for television) be added on to create a "tangible benefits" package, a plan of spending on funds or projects that benefit the broadcasting system as a whole. Much of that money would be spent on new Canadian programming, which pleases independent producers.
. . .
The plan also includes $3.5 million in spending for the Bell Let's Talk campaign for mental illness. Though no one can complain about a charity program, competitors said this was an inappropriate use of benefits funds because it's not a broadcasting venture.

In other words, it is part of an attempt to sweeten up the CRTC with a (totally irrelevant) feel-good 'benefit'.

Here is Faguy again on the effects of such a campaign on the relationship between advertising and editorial and conglomerated media itself.

Here, good journalist that he is, Faguy presents Bell's response and concludes: 'There are worse reasons to abuse one's power'.

Now here is another critic of Let's Talk. Barefoot (love the name) talks about what 'tangible benefits' Bell is getting out of it, like actual revenue from texts and long-distance calls and tons of free advertising.

He concludes with some other things I find very unsavoury.

I’ve worked on projects similar to this, and am familiar with the tensions between corporate interests and charitable activities. Compromises are made, and strings are attached. But, if this is the way forward for corporate philanthropy, then we must play by the rules that the corporations set.

I do wish that Bell had, at the very least, done the following:

• Instead of declaring their very own branded day, they could have run their campaign around the universally-recognized WHO’s World Mental Health Day, on October 13.

• Instead of shoehorning their brand into the hashtag, they could have then used #worldmentalhealthday, like everybody else.

• They could have chosen not to tie funding to services they want consumers to use, like texting and long distance calls.

• They could have made their partner charities the heroes of the campaign, and prominently featured them on their site.

I applaud the other donations and support from Bell for the issue of mental health. They seem worthwhile and wise. Bell Let’s Talk Day is neither.

So, yes, it's grand that a bunch of people are talking about mental health issues. And it's grand that a bunch of organizations across the country will get some money.

But we should not close our eyes to the fact that #BellLetsTalk is also a self-serving abuse of power by one of the least-loved corporations in Canada.

UPDATE,February 14, 2013: Bell explains.

Next: Hiring Quotas for HarperCons

Also known as Affirmative Action for RightWingers.

Radio-Canada and other media have raised some interesting questions and uncovered some fascinating information about the recent appointment of Tom Pentefountas to the CRTC. From here:

A Commons committee has voted to bring the newly appointed vice-chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission before them to answer some pointed questions about his qualifications and his vision for the role.

Opposition MPs have accused the government of making a partisan appointment in former Montreal lawyer Tom Pentefountas, hired to the senior-ranking CRTC position earlier this month. Critics have said that Pentefountas, who is the former president of the Action democratique du Quebec, a political party with ties to the Conservatives, does not have the credentials for the job.

At a Commons heritage meeting Wednesday, MPs agreed to call on Pentefountas along with officials from Canadian Heritage, the Privy Council and the Prime Minister's Office to describe the hiring process, from the criteria used in vetting applications to timelines for interviews.

The position involves a number of complex responsibilities, and applicants for the position are in principal, required to demonstrate that they have the knowledge, the experience and the skills needed to accomplish the job.

But never fear! The PMO, aka Stevie's Politburo, was directly involved in the vetting process. Furthermore Michel Arpin, who previously held the position, was hired to "coach" Pentefountas in all the areas in which he is deficient.

If you do one activisty thing in the next two weeks. (with update)

Squeal about this.

The CRTC seems to be about to change its regulations to enable Fox News North.

A recent, little-noticed news item may result in a deep and indelible blemish on the Canadian mosaic.

Earlier this month, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), without fanfare, posted on its website a potential game-changer in the world of broadcast journalism. The CRTC is seeking to relax restrictions concerning the broadcasting of specious information on radio and television.

Currently, the law stipulates that broadcasters “shall not broadcast any false or misleading news.”

Sounds reasonable enough — and straightforward — as it should, since it concerns the integrity of news reporting.

But not apparently to the CRTC. It is proposing to soften the regulation, banning “any news that the licensee knows is false or misleading and that endangers or is likely to endanger the lives, health or safety of the public.”

In short, with the new wording, broadcasters could air false or misleading news with impunity, provided that it does not endanger the lives, health or safety of the public.

Unfortunately, the CRTC does not specify who will judge whether or not such disinformation poses a danger.

Like the public discourse is not already degraded enough.

WTF is the CRTC thinking/smoking?

Squeal here. And do it soon. The deadline is February 9.

Um, Margaret, can we get a little promotion here?

Update from deBeauxOs - NDP MP Charlie Angus is also concerned - grand merci to AZ. Reminder - deadline is Feb. 9 - this Wednesday.

Did the good guys just win one?

Seems so.

On Tuesday, after a speech in Ottawa, Quebecor chief executive officer Pierre Karl Péladeau said the company would withdraw its request to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission for an exception to the rules of its licence that would have made Sun TV News available to more Canadians.

So, now they're going for an ordinary Category 2 licence, despite the fact they had previously argued that Fox News North wouldn't be financially viable without the three-year 'must offer' special licence.

Oh, and speaking of special, isn't this? Quebecor is actually going to follow the rules.

“We’ve decided to go with the policies of the CRTC,” said Quebecor spokesman Serge Sasseville. . . .
“We are in favour of deregulation, but that [three years] would have been a transition period for us ... but we are part of the free market, so we decided to renounce that special request.”

Now they're part of the free market?

Impolitical speculates on the reasons for the walk-back, but I'm going with the straightforward.

After their ReformaTory bumboy with, supposedly, the ear of the PeeEmmOooo made a complete ass of himself and had to resign, Quebecor simply didn't have the juice.

And, of course, more than 83,000 pissed off Canadians who signed the infamous Margaret-Atwood-backed Avaaz petition had zip zero nada nothing to do with it either.

Mr. Sasseville said the decision to change its request to the regulator “had nothing to do with the Avaaz petition.”

Yaaaaaah, riiiiiight.

No juice and egg on their face. Not quite the hog's trough banquet they were expecting.

Let the market decide. And I'm betting this venture is falling flat on its eggy face.

Fox News North

I haven't been blogging much because I'm in despair over the level of political discourse going on. The bald-faced lies, endless spin and re-spin, ideology trumping sense every fucking time. I'm just so sick of it and it's going to get worse if the Harpies get Fox News North on basic cable.

There's an online petition to sign. The text reads:

To CRTC Chair von Finckenstein and PM Harper:
As concerned Canadians who deeply oppose American-style hate media on our airwaves, we applaud the CRTC's refusal to allow a new "Fox News North" channel to be funded from our cable fees. We urge Mr. von Finckenstein to stay in his job and continue to stand up for Canada's democratic traditions, and call on Prime Minister Harper to immediately stop all pressure on the CRTC on this matter.

There are almost 30,000 signatures now. When the total hits 100,000, the organizers will run a full-page ad in a major newspaper.

Please sign and circulate to your friends and associates.

And in a beauty little nutshell (snerk), here's a preview of what Faux News North will be like.

The Blogging Tories are spinning the petition as -- you guessed it -- media censorship.

Blogger posts two tweets, one from Margaret Atwood and one from a Liberal candidate, then says:

Turns out there is an on-line petition circulating (see here) to stop Sun TV and these two wingbats are actually publicly endorsing this attempt at media censorship.
. . .
Can’t wait to hear how the Canadian loonie left that worship Margaret Atwood will try to defend her coming out against freedom of the press.

And here's another ijit spouting the same crap.

When it's a ReformaTory cabinet minister spewing porky pies like this, I hope to hell it's because they toeing the ideological line not because they are actually that braindead. But with Blogging Tories, one wonders.