Talk Truth 09.28.26 - Rodney Palmer | Former CBC journalist Rodney Palmer takes a deeper look at what he believes happened inside Canadian media during COVID and why public trust in the news has collapsed. Drawing on more than 20 years in Canadian newsrooms, Palmer discusses the difference between journalism and propaganda, the use of fear and emotionally charged production in COVID coverage, his attempts to connect CBC with scientists offering different perspectives, and why he believes important questions were never asked. He also describes changes he says he witnessed in Canadian newsrooms before the pandemic, what he would do if he were put in charge of CBC for one year, and the two words he believes every viewer should ask when deciding whether a news story can be trusted: “Says who?”

00:00 - Introduction

01:46 - Guest comes in: Rodney Palmer

02:19 - Reaction to the Allison Inquiry

04:51 - What happened to fair and balanced journalism?

06:26 - How could journalists let this happen?

07:30 - Inside CBC editorial decisions

09:43 - Palmer says he tried to bring other scientists to CBC

10:26 - The use of tension music in COVID news

11:19 - When Palmer says he realized something had changed

14:32 - When did Canadian journalism start deteriorating?

16:08 - Palmer says COVID changed everything

17:24 - Was fear being sold to Canadians?

18:59 - “Vaccine hesitancy” and media labels

20:47 - Could trust in CBC ever be restored?

21:46 - What Palmer would do if he ran CBC

24:52 - Can independent media be trusted?

25:13 - The two words every viewer should ask: “Says who?”

26:57 - Final thoughts