Defenders of recently terminated CTV news anchor Lisa LaFlamme won’t be going quietly into this good night, much to the chagrin (I’m sure) of Bell Media executives, who have now become known to fire her after 35 years of service for reasons that are still unclear.
The award-winning Canadian journalist has not publicly commented on the implications of her departure; LaFlamme’s last public announcement on social media on August 15, in which she announced that she was “shocked and saddened” to learn of her termination, simply fanned a flame that has now become a global blaze.
Between coverage from major U.S. news outlets including CNN and The New York Times, backlash from Canadian celebrities and visibility created by campaigns from brands like Wendy’s, Dove and Sports Illustrated, LaFlamme’s story has grown more powerful as the weeks go by. .
Enter Katie Couric, one of America’s most respected journalists, whose career and reputation can be compared in many ways to LaFlamme’s.
“Hey everyone…did you read about @lisalaflammectv who was unceremoniously dumped by @CTV because…well…maybe she let her hair go gray or she was making too much $$$ or the guys in charge are idiots,” Couric wrote in an Instagram post Wednesday, sharing a photo of LaFlamme holding a recent Canadian Screen Award.
“Yes, due to changing advertising models, mainstream media’s profits are declining significantly. But the way we handled it was really stupid,” the former TODAY show host continued.
“As reported in the @nytimes, “Many journalists and viewers noted that two men who were longtime anchors before Ms. LaFlamme, one at CTV and one at another major broadcaster, were given permission to retire at ages 69 and 77, both they were able to say goodbye on air.'”
Couric reposted LaFlamme’s self-filmed and self-published goodbye message to her IG Stories in a show of solidarity, raising even more awareness of the fiasco and inspiring even more outrage.
LaFlamme clarifies in the clip that at age 58, she thought she would be working for a while longer and that she did not leave CTV by choice.
Her departure video and Bell’s handling of the whole situation sparked accusations of sexism, ageism and corporate harassment within CTV, where at least one top executive (vice president of news Michael Melling, now on leave) questioned who “approved the decision to leave Lisa’s hair turning gray.
“Needless to say, this created a major PR disaster for the people responsible at @CTV,” Couric noted in her Instagram post.
“We got to see women age in every scene. Basically, it sucks.”
It seems almost everyone in Canada (and increasingly abroad) would agree.
Add Comment