It was “a stolen moment” in which both a decorated woman and a successful man of color have stolen important career landmarks, said Brent Jolly, president of the Canadian Association of Journalists. “This should be something that was celebrated,” he said. “And yet, unfortunately, the timing of the announcements doesn’t serve him as well as it could.”
Read more: Lisa LaFlamme removed as CTV National News anchor: ‘I was blindsided’
Bell Media issued a press release Monday saying that after 35 years, LaFlamme is leaving the station. Less than half an hour later, Sachedina was named as her replacement. Story continues below ad The ousted star took to social media where she said in a video that she was first informed of the decision on June 29, adding that she felt “blindsided” by what executives described as a “business decision.” For LaFlamme, she missed a career milestone when the CTV show she hosted for more than a decade went off the air without an official signing. The gravitas of Sachedina’s new position in the upper echelons of Canadian television also diminished. He’s a seasoned Ugandan-Indian political reporter who takes the helm of Canada’s most-watched evening newscast, but that was largely buried in the controversy surrounding LaFlamme’s sudden departure from the network. Lisa LaFlamme appears in a Twitter video announcing her departure from CTV National News. Twitter Sachedina paraded through appearances on the Bell Media-owned channels, where interviewers largely avoided the controversy surrounding his appointment, while he spoke optimistically about the newscast’s future. Story continues below ad Neither LaFlamme nor Sachedina responded to requests for comment. Bell Media did not respond to questions about its handling of the announcement. Nana aba Duncan, associate professor and Carty Chair of Journalism, Diversity and Inclusion Studies at Carleton University, said the announcement was mishandled and put Sachedina in a position where he would face intense scrutiny. “Now there’s this added pressure that this person can be put there for diversity reasons and that’s unfair to them,” he said. I am honored to follow in the footsteps of Lisa LaFlamme and Lloyd Robertson. So excited to be working with our incredibly talented team in this new role! https://t.co/HcduhjBqAl — Omar Sachedina (@omarsachedina) August 15, 2022 LaFlamme also didn’t get the respect she deserved, Duncan said. Usually, an outgoing presenter would have the opportunity to say goodbye to their viewers in a live signing, along with a retrospective of their work. It happened when Peter Mansbridge got almost a year of runway before signing on at CBC, while Lloyd Robertson was toast for more than 40 years at CTV when he retired in 2011. Story continues below ad “Usually there is time, and that time was not taken here,” Duncan said. “To me, it shows a lack of care and justice for both of them.” Leaders need to be aware that employees are becoming more aware of how they are treated – or mistreated – in the workplace, Duncan said. Employers need to recognize that a younger generation of journalists is coming to work more attuned to mental health in the workplace and less likely to buy into the “that’s just the way it is”, he added. “It’s not just in journalism, it’s everywhere,” he said. “People entering the workforce are looking for their employers to care – not just to say they care, but to actually show it in some way. And this is reversed.” But Duncan said she remains hopeful that progress can be made in journalism. “We have to change it systemically,” he added. “And that means the people at the top have to start thinking about how people behave and how people leave.” © 2022 The Canadian Press
