Mirko Bibic, CEO of Bell, said earlier this year that he had decided to launch LaFlamme after the decision was made by Vice President of News Michael Melling, according to these sources. I was informed of the decision to terminate.
That decision, however, was preceded by the approval of Bell, his media president, Wade, his Austerman, senior content development and news vice, Karine Moses, his president, and Bivic's own Only allowed after approval. The source tells the sun. The legal and human resources departments were also heavily involved, according to people close to the decision.
Moses issued a memo to staff in the early hours of Thursday trying to control the damage to the story that Bell had lost control of the narrative. Recent media reports have unfortunately been filled with false reports, and I appreciate that this report is difficult for many to see," Moses wrote.
She also took aim at the story of her LaFlamme being fired because her new boss in the newsroom, Michael Melling, did not like women. determined.
"As a woman leader at Bell Media for many years, I want you to know that my experience has always been consistent with a positive, supportive and inclusive environment," Moses wrote. I'm here.
Melling made the decision, but he wasn't alone
Some say LaFlamme was fired because Melling, news vice president, didn't like strong women pushing back. The idea put forward by people that he simply does not hold water. Bell is a large corporation with many layers of bureaucracy, not a place where you can get a face on the network without going up the food chain.
Undoubtedly, it would have required a sign-off from Moses, who is a woman, but according to sources, she sought approval from the company's CEO before anything happened.
Part of a note from Moses to her Bell Media staff, which people close to LaFlamme have disputed, is that she was offered the opportunity to say goodbye to viewers on air.
"She chose not to say goodbye to the public during a CTV National newscast," Moses wrote.
LaFlamme's aides say the network had strict conditions for an on-air farewell, including forcing LaFlamme to announce his retirement. Bell's view is that LaFlamme is exiting as it plans to reorient its news operations with its digital strategy. Unofficially, Bell's sources make the same allegations about the toxic work environment a former colleague has been making for days.
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Current and Former CTV Employees Diverging
More than a dozen current and former CTV News employees are Laflamme.
No one questioned LaFlamme's journalism or dedication to creating the best possible product. Many say LaFlamme is encouraging, generous, and could be a mentor to young journalists, but she believes that her second in command, Rosa Hwang, is the people. said he allowed him to lash out at
"Rosa was Lisa's bad cop," said one of her longtime colleagues.
Words like tyrannical, vicious, and spiteful are some of the words used to describe a fan's style in dealing with colleagues.
"She ran it like it was her own estate," said a longtime colleague of hers, adding that LaFlamme just looked the other way.
Such comments do not come from outsiders, but from women and men who have worked closely with LaFlamme and her Hwang for many years. The newsroom is a tough and difficult place, and the close attention we demand of others is often sidetracked.
Not my experience when I met Laflamme, her fan reputation preceded her, but I was Laflamme's fellow journalist, and for her It was not the person who worked.
Calls to LaFlamme's confidants to respond to these allegations fell silent on Thursday afternoon. Was this really the reason for her dismissal?
It's hard to believe, considering fans were in the studio Thursday and part of the town hall about the change. Why would you fire someone for an alleged toxic work environment? The most dissatisfied are those asking questions at city hall about layoffs.
This makes no sense.
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New Direction for Bell's News
Bell wants to take a new direction. National newscasts are not the sun that the CTV Universe orbits. In an email to staff, Moses said he was looking for "a shift towards more digital news production to meet the challenge of changing audience habits."
This is not a change LaFlamme agreed to for her, according to sources. She wanted to break the news on news programs first, and she didn't appreciate her first strategy digitally.
She wrote on Tuesday that she thought this was a clash of egos and personalities, and she still thinks so.
Allegations of ageism, sexism, and toxic work environments are all interesting and controversial, but ultimately they're about ego and vision.
LaFlamme most likely thought she should be responsible for the person she finally reported to, Michael Melling.
Melling, CTV News took a different view of the direction her operations should be headed, and clashed with LaFlamme. Everything else is secondary in my view.
Those at the top, including his CEO Mirko Bibic at Bell, had put in charge of running news operations, but this was only a small part of this company, and LaFlamme Didn't want to participate. Everyone has a boss, and when you hit someone, someone goes to the exit.
looks like LaFlamme in this case.
Bell, LaFlamme and Hwang all declined to comment.
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