Another former CBC journalist blows the whistle on state broadcaster
Another former CBC reporter has come forward with claims of censorship, bias, and ideological gatekeeping inside Canada’s state broadcaster — echoing similar allegations made by past whistleblowers.
Another former CBC reporter has come forward with claims of censorship, bias, and ideological gatekeeping inside Canada’s state broadcaster — echoing similar allegations made by past whistleblowers.
Jason Unrau, who worked at CBC in Yellowknife and Ottawa, wrote for True North that he witnessed “the CBC’s culture of ideological conformity and censorship up close,” and that “it would shock most Canadians.”
He said whenever he tried to bring in voices skeptical of climate change and Indigenous narratives, his bosses shut him down.
“Same deal in Ottawa — overbearing woke managers in our editorial meetings squashed any opposing views, so we ended up with the same old predictable, one-sided stories,” he said.
Unrau recounted how an interview he conducted with a geologist who questioned human-induced climate change was killed after he refused to find someone to “debunk” it.
Conversely, he said that David Suzuki could go on CBC and say whatever he wanted, without being challenged.
Unrau cited one example where he invited MPP Randy Hillier to discuss an evolving story on an Algonquin land claim’s threat to non-Indigenous hunting rights. However, he was told Hillier could not come on the radio, with the sole explanation being that he was “crazy.”
Unrau’s claims come just weeks after veteran CBC anchor Travis Dhanraj said he was “forced to resign” for raising concerns about tokenism, editorial bias, and a culture of exclusion.
“This comes after trying to navigate a workplace culture defined by retaliation, exclusion, and psychological harm,” Dhanraj wrote in his resignation letter. “A place where asking hard questions about tokenism masquerading as diversity, problematic political coverage protocols, and the erosion of editorial independence became a career-ending move.”
Leaked audio from a disciplinary meeting showed CBC managers accusing Dhanraj of breaching internal standards over a tweet criticizing former CBC president Catherine Tait for declining to appear on his show. Dhanraj defended the post as a matter of public interest.
“I’m not seeing the separation right now between journalism and the interest of the corporation,” he said in the recording.
Dhanraj’s lawyer, Kathryn Marshall, alleged the CBC offered him a demotion and a nondisclosure agreement before he resigned.
“Travis was intimidated for simply doing his job as a journalist,” said Marshall.
In 2022, former CBC producer Tara Henley also resigned publicly, accusing the broadcaster of pushing a “radical political agenda” and suppressing dissent.
“To work at the CBC in the current climate is to embrace cognitive dissonance and to abandon journalistic integrity,” Henley wrote. “It is to capitulate to certainty, to shut down critical thinking, to stamp out curiosity. To keep one’s mouth shut, to not ask questions, to not rock the boat.”
Henley described race-based guest booking practices and an editorial culture where “dialogue itself can be harmful” and “critical thinking” was stifled.
Unrau concluded his op-ed by warning that CBC’s structure rewards ideological loyalty over journalistic inquiry.
The best way to remain at the CBC—either casually or otherwise—is to toe the ideological line,” he wrote. “Employees toe it because the pay and benefits are fantastic. Then there are the true believers at the CBC, who are also in abundance.”
And, this is why they should be DEFUNDED! The Liberals have bought the CBCmedia through tax Canadian tax dollars dishonestly. In order to promote further lack of journalistic integrety and support Liberal dishonest practices. It's a form of treason for tax dollars.
Slow and steady collapse of credibility. Soon viewership will be zero.