Tout le monde en parle show ‘was well balanced’: CRTC

Tout le monde en parle did not break any codes under the Broadcasting Act when it aired a controversial interview with Montreal author and filmmaker Ian Halperin in April, the CRTC says. In a letter to Halperin, the commission referred to the sometimes edgy nature of the popular Quebec talk show and the provocative approach of one of the show’s hosts, Dany Turcotte, also known as the Fou du roi, or “the jester.” “t 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,” the commission said in a letter to Halperin, dated July 5. “I was subject to ridicule, prejudice and unfounded allegations against me throughout the interview. From the outset, the hosts kept interrupting me, making fun of me and challenging my credibility,” Halperin said in an April 19 letter to the CRTC, referring to his appearance on the program on April 11. “I am the first Canadian to writer a no.1 NY Times bestselling book since 1944 and have contributed to many top publications and media around the world, including The Independent, NBC TV, US Weekly, CBS 60 Minutes II, Sirius Radio and The Mail On Sunday in London.” Halperin is the author of Brangelina: The Untold Story of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson, and the controversial biography titled Guy Laliberté: The Fabulous Story of the Creator of Cirque du Soleil. Halperin said in his letter to the CRTC that, during the interview, he was treated unfairly, subject to racist comments, and that the hosts made fun of his sunglasses and the way he dressed. He alleged that the show hosts treated him unfairly because they are friends with Laliberté and did not approve of his biography of the Cirque du Soleil creator. At the end of the show, Turcotte normally hands a card guests to read to the audience. The card he gave to Halperin to read, said, in French, “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.” But the CRTC said the program broadcast on April 11 was within the limits of freedom expression as outlined in the section 2(3) of the Broadcasting Act and that Halperin was “given a fair opportunity to fully answer the questions.” The commission added: “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.”

Tout le monde en parle show ‘was well balanced’: CRTC

Brief | July 27, 2010

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