CTV National acknowledges Lisa LaFlamme's ouster in news segment

CTV National acknowledges Lisa LaFlamme's ouster in "going grey" segment (VIDEO)

@LisaLaFlamme_/Twitter | ACHPF/Shutterstock

Update: Daily Hive has learned that CTV executive, Michael Melling, is “taking a leave” from the company, just two weeks after LaFlamme’s exit.

CTV National News has acknowledged its former chief anchor’s forced exit in a segment about going grey in the workplace, which aired on Thursday, but there are questions emerging about how the news story came together at the embattled media giant.

The segment began by covering the big brand names like Dove, Wendy’s and Sports Illustrated, which have shown their support for going grey through ad campaigns.

“That topic has become a lightning rod in this country since Lisa LaFlamme announced her contract was ended and she would no longer be chief anchor and senior editor at CTV News,” said CTV National News anchor Sandie Rinaldo in the televised intro to the segment.

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CTV National correspondent Heather Wright continues with the report, adding that the campaigns come over a week after LaFlamme announced she was let go by Bell Media in a video on Twitter.

The segment aired a clip of the video where LaFlamme says she was blindsided by the abrupt decision.

It also included comment from former CTV Atlantic anchor Nancy Regan, who also went grey while on air.

Under the condition of anonymity, several Bell Media staffers told Daily Hive that the segment was originally supposed to air on Wednesday, but that it was held.

The story eventually aired on the national broadcaster’s flagship program on Thursday night.

However, unlike other news segments in the same broadcast, by Friday at 1 pm PT / 4 pm ET it does not appear to be posted on CTV News’ Twitter account, which has 1.5 million followers.

The video link was shared on Twitter by Wright, the reporter, as well as several other CTV National staff members from across the country.

On the CTV News app, the video segment was showing as the third most watched across Canada on Friday afternoon.

A screenshot taken from the CTV News app on August 26, 2022

In response to a tweet about the story from Wright, at least one former CTV staffer has weighed in.

Twitter

In the days following LaFlamme’s bombshell announcement, numerous news reports detailed the underlying reasons behind her forced exit, including allegations of ageism and sexism.

One specific anecdote obtained by The Globe and Mail revealed how Bell Media’s vice president of news, Michael Melling, questioned LaFlamme’s choice to go grey during the pandemic — and it’s a detail that has been a rallying point for many online.

So much so that big brands are capitalizing on the firestorm of backlash Bell Media has received.

Just this week Dove Canada launched its #KeepTheGrey ad campaign. It was quickly followed by Wendy’s Canada going grey in its Twitter profile picture, and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit sharing a greyscale version of their May issue.

Reaction to the CTV story airing

The story has been met with mixed reactions. Some think it’s tone-deaf, while others feel that it sends an important message to higher-ups.

Seriously?! Could @CTVNews be any more tone-deaf? #LisaLaFlamme

— If You Fall (@ifyoufallphoto) August 26, 2022

Great that this story was done, Heather. Good to see so many of your colleagues sharing on social media as well. Hopefully it sends a BIG message to CTV and Bell Executives that what happened to @LisaLaFlamme_ is NOT ok.

— Andrew Misiak (@andrew_misiak) August 26, 2022

Last week, Bell Media announced that it would conduct an “independent third-party internal workplace review” of its newsroom over its dismissal of LaFlamme.