The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) has found TVA’s failure to clearly disclose sponsored content on its public affairs program Salut Bonjour, amounts to a Code of Ethics breach. 

The CBSC decision concerns the morning show’s recurring segment “C’est bon à savoir” (“Good to Know”). Hosted by Jean-François Baril, tax return software TurboTax was featured on Feb. 20, sponsored by the company, in which TurboTax was presented as “the #1 tax software in Canada for more than 25 years.”

A viewer complained the segment was an advertisement for TurboTax, but was misleadingly presented as a neutral tax advice segment. TVA characterized the segment as [translation] “promotional content made by and for our partners” and argued that it was distinct from the program’s newscasts and hosted by a separate contributor. TVA also noted that the web page for the segment explicitly identifies it as promotional content.

The CBSC’s French-Language Panel examined the complaint under the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Code of Ethics and RTDNA Code of Journalistic Ethics which require news and public affairs to be kept distinct from advertising. The CBSC Panel found breaches of some of those code provisions, stating that while broadcasters are allowed to air sponsored content, they must disclose it in a clear, transparent and unequivocal manner. The Panel says while TVA did this on its website, it should also have clearly disclosed the sponsorship to the audience during the on-air broadcast.

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