Our file : 488809

5 July 2010

Mr. Ian Halperin

Re: Your complaint against Télévision de Radio-Canada

Re: Tout le monde en parle broadcast on April 11, 2010

Dear Mr. Halperin :

This letter is in response to the complaint you filed with the Commission on April 19, 2010.
Commission staff has now reviewed your complaint and other related documents, including
the Tout le monde en parle program broadcast on April 11, 2010 (the “program”) and the
response to your complaint provided by Télévision de Radio-Canada (Radio-Canada) dated
May 7, 2010.

The program is a well known and popular weekly variety show shot before a live audience.
During the program, host Guy A. Lepage has, as his guests, various celebrities from the arts
community, politics, the sports world and other sectors, or members of the general public
whose particular experiences have made headlines. The host is accompanied on stage by
Dany Turcotte, known on the program as the "Fou du roi" [the jester], whose role is
essentially to make comments to or ask questions of the guests for the purpose of eliciting
laughter or some other reaction from the other guests or the audience . On April 11, 2010,
you appeared on the program as a writer and an undercover journalist and were questioned
by the hosts and guests of the program about your professional life. More particularly, you
were asked how you verified the information you publish and how you arrived at certain
conclusions respecting Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the biography Brangelina: The Untold
story of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Questions were also asked regarding the information
published in your biography on Michael Jackson1 and your meetings with him, as well as a

1
This biography is entitled Unmasked : The Final years of Michael Jackson
biography you wrote about Guy Laliberté2. At the end of your interview, consistent with the
tradition in the Tout le monde en parle program, Dany Turcotte gave you a card to be read,
which could be translated as follows: “If I was on a deserted island, I cannot promise that I
would read your books, but I can promise that each page of your books would be diligently
used to feed my fire”.

Your letter of complaint states that during your interview on the program, you were subject
to ridicule, prejudice and unfounded allegations. You allege that you were treated unfairly,
that the hosts made fun of your trademark sunglasses and the way you were dressed and
challenged your credibility. You also submit that, as a Jewish person and the son of a
Holocaust survivor, you believe that the content of the card presented to you by Dany
Turcotte was anti-Semitic and racist.

Your complaint also refers to the comments made by the hosts on April 18, 2010, after they
had received a letter from you demanding a public apology. The hosts denied any
wrongdoing and made no apology with respect to what was broadcast on April 11, 2010.

With respect to portions of the program that were not broadcast on April 11, 2010,
Commission staff is of the opinion that the Commission has no jurisdiction over comments or
opinions that were allegedly made but not broadcast by Radio-Canada, after having been cut
at the editing stage. Therefore, the remainder of our comments will focus only on those
allegations you have made in relation to what was aired.

With respect to the content of the program, Commission staff is of the view that the
program’s content, and more specifically your interview, lies within the acceptable
parameters of the freedom of expression granted to broadcasters (section 2(3) of the
Broadcasting Act (the Act)). After viewing the program, Commission staff notes that the
host, Guy A. Lepage, was respectful to you throughout the interview. Questions were asked
to you by the host and co-host, as well as by the other guests; you were given a fair
opportunity to fully answer the questions. We believe that the program was well balanced
and we could find no evidence to support your allegations that you were subject to ridicule or
prejudice. As for any statements you believe were unfounded, it is our view that such
statements were clearly the opinions of the program’s hosts, which they are within their
rights to express.

2
This biography is entitled Guy Laliberté : La vie fabuleuse du créateur du Cirque du Soleil;
Moreover, we are satisfied with Radio-Canada’s comments that the Tout le monde en parle
program is not perceived by the public as being a “light” show; it is reasonable that guests
who appear on the show should be aware that the host, Guy A. Lepage, will have prepared
questions for them which can sometimes be uncomfortable. This is also why all the guests
who appear on the show sign a release form before being interviewed, in order for them to be
fully aware of the show’s format and intention.

We also agree with Radio-Canada that no racist or anti-Semitic comments were made during
the program. There is no evidence whatsoever that the card prepared by co-host Dany
Turcotte contained the meaning that you are giving it. In Commission staff’s view, it is clear
to any reasonable viewer that the card’s intention and content were limited to Mr. Turcotte’s
opinion of your work, which was expressed in a humorous manner, as it is his traditional
style. In no way could the subject or content of the card, nor the context in which it was
given, namely that it was an expression of opinion on your work, be interpreted to refer to
your Jewish origin or background.

In light of the foregoing, Commission staff is of the opinion that Radio-Canada’s broadcast
of the program in question did not fail to meet the high standard provision provided for in the
Act or any other requirements of the Act or the Commission’s Regulations.

Thank you for bringing these concerns to our attention.

Sincerely,

ORIGINAL SIGNED BY

Martine Vallee
Director, Social & Consumer Policy
Policy Development and Research

C.c. Mr. Michel Arpin, Vice-Chair, Broadcasting, CRTC

Mrs. Francine Allaire, Director, Arts, Variety and Factual Programming, Télévision
de Radio-Canada
regulatoryaffairs@cbc.ca