Saturday, October 01, 2005
CBC 124: Foreign posting offer came long before lockout: Common
Updated at 1816 and 2248
CBC reporter David Common told me Saturday that an offer for a foreign posting from CBC News came long before the current lockout. He also said an offer from Global Television also came about the same time. almost a year ago, when he was still stationed in Regina.
Reports on Friday had said the CBC offer and deal for Common to replace Paul Workman in Paris had come during the lockout. Some comments on blogs had seen that as a way of the CBC getting back at Paul Workman, who is on "unauthorized leave" for refusing to accept assignments during the lockout.
It's "outrageous," Common said, for anyone to think he could replace a skilled and versatile reporter like Paul Workman.
Common said CBC news managers mentioned to him about a year ago, while he was in Regina, that they wanted to groom him for a foreign posting. Paris was one of the cities mentioned. "I could be going to Paris or another foreign posting sometime next year," he said.
As part of that grooming process, CBC increased Common's temporary foreign assignments, including trips to London after this summer's bombings and to Afghanistan.
Common also says the CBC arranged for French lessons a year ago, it was not part of any recent deal. (Almost all CBC foreign correspondents are expected to file in both official languages so French lessons would be a prequisite whether the posting was Paris or Beijing).
In an interview with Antonia Zerbisias of the Toronto Star, CBC new chief Tony Burman said.
The CBC News rumour mill had heard for months before the lockout that the CBC had wanted to bring Workman home. The same rumour mill, unconfirmed, has been buzzing with talk that CBC News wants to replace all the older, experienced foreign correspondents with younger faces.
Common says that he was approached by Global a year ago, but he turned down the offer because he appreciated the "leg up" and "support" he had had with CBC. The Global offer had nothing to do with recent events, neither the departure of Wilf Dinnick for ABC News, which would have been the open roving foreign video journalist spot nor the CBC lockout.
Common did say that like Workman he can shoot, edit and report, skills not all the foreign staff have, but he said he found it "incredible" that anyone would think he could come close. at this point in his career, to reaching Workman's level of reporting. Noting that Workman is on a number of days per year contract, Common also said that with Workman in Paris, the CBC has "a wonderful story teller" for a relatively low cost
Common also said he was wondering why the story leaked in the middle of the lockout, that since long before August 15, his possible posting as a foreign correspondent was generally known among senior producers.
He also said that with a young child to support, he has been working at a part-time non-TV technician's job, as well as doing his picket hours.
Update 1816 ET: After the original posting, I heard from David on a couple points of clarification.
After the lockout began, Global did repeat its original job offer from a year earlier. At that time, Common says he did ask CBC News to put in writing what they had offered to him, so he could consider his options. He emphasizes strongly there were no negotiations with CBC management during the lockout, that the offer in writing was putting down on paper what had been discussed verbally before August 15.
He also told me that because he was working at his part time job, he did not know about the blogs until late Friday and he would have responded if he had been contacted.
See also: Reporter's reputation hurt by drive-by blogging from Mutually Inclusive PR.
Updated: 2248
Antonia Zerbisias has responded both to the posting in Mutually Inclusive and in the comments section of her own blog.
My own comment: Things are getting nasty and the blogs, not only on this, are turning into a flame war. All the comments on all the blogs I have seen today are becoming vicious. The fault, in the end, is not with those people who are caught up in all this, including David Common, who was and is between the rock and the hard place, but with the senior managers who orchestrated this disaster in the first place. After all, it was the lockout that prompted Global to repeat its offer. We haven't condemned our colleagues who have chosen to go elsewhere, have we? They were in negotiations with prospective employers as well.
The events of the past 24 hours do not bode well for an orderly, productive and creative return to work that could save the CBC.
Technorati tags
journalism, CBC, blog, news, lockout,
CBClockout,Paris,
2:38 PM posted by Robin Rowland
Permanent Link
Links to this post
Updated at 1816 and 2248
CBC reporter David Common told me Saturday that an offer for a foreign posting from CBC News came long before the current lockout. He also said an offer from Global Television also came about the same time. almost a year ago, when he was still stationed in Regina.
Reports on Friday had said the CBC offer and deal for Common to replace Paul Workman in Paris had come during the lockout. Some comments on blogs had seen that as a way of the CBC getting back at Paul Workman, who is on "unauthorized leave" for refusing to accept assignments during the lockout.
It's "outrageous," Common said, for anyone to think he could replace a skilled and versatile reporter like Paul Workman.
Common said CBC news managers mentioned to him about a year ago, while he was in Regina, that they wanted to groom him for a foreign posting. Paris was one of the cities mentioned. "I could be going to Paris or another foreign posting sometime next year," he said.
As part of that grooming process, CBC increased Common's temporary foreign assignments, including trips to London after this summer's bombings and to Afghanistan.
Common also says the CBC arranged for French lessons a year ago, it was not part of any recent deal. (Almost all CBC foreign correspondents are expected to file in both official languages so French lessons would be a prequisite whether the posting was Paris or Beijing).
In an interview with Antonia Zerbisias of the Toronto Star, CBC new chief Tony Burman said.
Tony Burman told me today that Workman has enjoyed several contract extensions in Paris and has known for a while the the third and final contract expires June 2006."Our desire is that he return to Toronto,'' said Burman. "Clearly there would be a very senior position available to him here. It's really up to Paul what he chooses to do."
The CBC News rumour mill had heard for months before the lockout that the CBC had wanted to bring Workman home. The same rumour mill, unconfirmed, has been buzzing with talk that CBC News wants to replace all the older, experienced foreign correspondents with younger faces.
Common says that he was approached by Global a year ago, but he turned down the offer because he appreciated the "leg up" and "support" he had had with CBC. The Global offer had nothing to do with recent events, neither the departure of Wilf Dinnick for ABC News, which would have been the open roving foreign video journalist spot nor the CBC lockout.
Common did say that like Workman he can shoot, edit and report, skills not all the foreign staff have, but he said he found it "incredible" that anyone would think he could come close. at this point in his career, to reaching Workman's level of reporting. Noting that Workman is on a number of days per year contract, Common also said that with Workman in Paris, the CBC has "a wonderful story teller" for a relatively low cost
Common also said he was wondering why the story leaked in the middle of the lockout, that since long before August 15, his possible posting as a foreign correspondent was generally known among senior producers.
He also said that with a young child to support, he has been working at a part-time non-TV technician's job, as well as doing his picket hours.
Update 1816 ET: After the original posting, I heard from David on a couple points of clarification.
After the lockout began, Global did repeat its original job offer from a year earlier. At that time, Common says he did ask CBC News to put in writing what they had offered to him, so he could consider his options. He emphasizes strongly there were no negotiations with CBC management during the lockout, that the offer in writing was putting down on paper what had been discussed verbally before August 15.
He also told me that because he was working at his part time job, he did not know about the blogs until late Friday and he would have responded if he had been contacted.
See also: Reporter's reputation hurt by drive-by blogging from Mutually Inclusive PR.
Updated: 2248
Antonia Zerbisias has responded both to the posting in Mutually Inclusive and in the comments section of her own blog.
My own comment: Things are getting nasty and the blogs, not only on this, are turning into a flame war. All the comments on all the blogs I have seen today are becoming vicious. The fault, in the end, is not with those people who are caught up in all this, including David Common, who was and is between the rock and the hard place, but with the senior managers who orchestrated this disaster in the first place. After all, it was the lockout that prompted Global to repeat its offer. We haven't condemned our colleagues who have chosen to go elsewhere, have we? They were in negotiations with prospective employers as well.
The events of the past 24 hours do not bode well for an orderly, productive and creative return to work that could save the CBC.
Technorati tags
journalism, CBC, blog, news, lockout,
CBClockout,Paris,
2:38 PM posted by Robin Rowland
Permanent Link
