CBC denies ‘sabotage’ claim about business program host

The CBC, still dealing with fallout from the Jian Ghomeshi scandal, is defending one of its personalities against a report that she attempted to “sabotage” a 2013 story about a bank that had sponsored some speeches or events at which she spoke.

CBC News editor-in-chief Jennifer McGuire said in a memo to staff Monday that the allegations about business reporter Amanda Lang’s involvement in the story on RBC’s use of temporary foreign workers were “categorically untrue.”

Lang is the host of The Exchange with Amanda Lang and occasional fill-in anchor of The National.

The CBC memo came after media website Canadaland published a report alleging Lang tried to scuttle the RBC story. It said Lang was in a “serious relationship” with an RBC board member at the time.

Canadaland alleged Lang tried to persuade colleagues during a conference call that the RBC outsourcing story wasn’t significant news.

McGuire said there was “rigorous debate” during the call but denied Lang did anything wrong. “There was no ‘sabotage’ and the notion that ‘Lang’s efforts to scuttle the story were successful, at first’ (as Canadaland reported) is categorically untrue. The story rolled out on all platforms,” McGuire said in her memo.

In an interview with the Canadian Press, Lang said she disclosed the relationship in 2012 to the CBC, which decided an on-air disclosure before an interview with RBC CEO Gordon Nixon was not necessary.

She also addressed the section of Canadaland’s report that stated she was paid for speaking at six events sponsored by RBC. “One of them is a charitable event for which I was not paid, the other five were events held by third parties who sought on their own sponsorships from multiple sources,” Lang said.

Canadaland founder Jesse Brown said the website stands by its story.