And they say the decision to end her contract after 35 years at CTV National News is a sign that reporters can likely enjoy a career of only 20 to 30 years at best because of the changing nature of the industry. Nana aba Duncan, associate professor and Carty Chair of Journalism, Diversity and Inclusion Studies at Carleton University, said the termination of the contract was done with a lack of care and fairness. Duncan, who previously worked for the CBC as host of Radio One’s Podcast Playlist and Fresh Air, said the lack of care was evident when LaFlamme had to say goodbye first in a Twitter video and later in a news release , her team found out when they did , and when LaFlamme was told to keep quiet about it until the details were worked out. “I can say for sure that there are even young journalists, women who are writers and producers at CTV, who are wondering, ‘Well, what am I here for? What am I working so hard for if, after all this time, someone thinks that can the queen be so casually let go?’ said Duncan. In a social media post Monday, LaFlamme, 58, said she was “blindsided” by Bell Media’s decision to end her contract as lead news anchor and editor-in-chief at CTV National News. In two subsequent news releases, issued Monday, CTV said the decision to end LaFlamme’s contract was due to “changing viewing habits” and that national affairs correspondent Omar Sachedina, who joined the network in 2009, would take LaFlamme’s place as lead anchor. WATCHES | LaFlamme revealed Monday that CTV was terminating her contract:
CTV National News anchor Lisa LaFlamme announces she’s been let go
LaFlamme said she was “blindsided” as Bell Media ended her contract after more than 30 years. Duncan said young journalists want to work for companies that show they care about people in general and would care about them as employees individually. “That just doesn’t show it,” he said. “People see themselves in Omar and people see themselves in Lisa. People are watching.” Duncan said it was also a poor PR move on CTV’s part to announce LaFlamme’s termination and her replacement on newscasts on the same day. She said her replacement was not given time to get on the job. “It’s unfair all around,” he said. “You just did it badly.”
Abnormal layoffs are nothing new, the editor says
Connie Thiessen, editor of Broadcast Dialogue, a trade publication about Canadian broadcasting, said unusual layoffs are not new to the industry, but this termination is getting a lot of attention because of LaFlamme’s reputation. “I think this is probably the first time in recent memory that we’ve seen someone as high-profile as Lisa proactively step away from her role,” Thiessen said. Thiessen said she believes LaFlamme had a champion to get her into the national anchor role in the first place, and she lost that champion when Wendy Freeman left as vice president of CTV News in December 2021. Freeman was replaced by Michael Melling in January 2022. “This is ultimately about returning to shareholders,” he added. Thiessen said she believes the termination signals that a broadcast journalism career will only last 20 to 30 years if a reporter is lucky. “We’re definitely losing a generation of wisdom and knowledge and lived experience,” he said. “It’s an unfortunate way to go out for a journalist as long as Lisa LaFlamme.” In an article for Broadcast Dialogue, Thiessen wrote: “What is new is the near certainty now that most journalists and other media workers will pack up prematurely, cutting short careers and in the process the wisdom, experience and knowledge gained. who have historically been the guiding editorial lights in newsrooms everywhere.”
