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Fascism is a 'fresh opportunity' Seriously, CBC?

CBC News crows about "open markets" and "fresh opportunities" after Bolsonaro's win. Image by Michael Ruffolo

What is going on at Canada's public broadcaster? In response to Brazil's election of a wildly neo-fascist president, CBC News is glowing about new opportunities for Canadian mining companies in devastating the Amazon.

Bolsonaro is an unapologetic admirer of dictatorship, pro-torture, misogynistic and anti-LGBTQ. He has threatened to "disappear" indigenous peoples and has vowed to open up the rainforests of the Amazon to extractive industries. With time running out to avert climate breakdown, Bolsonaro's election is a catastrophe — he recently threatened to follow the lead of Donald Trump and quit the Paris climate agreement.

The demons of fascism just made another breakthrough, and the CBC trumpets not just a silver lining, but golden opportunities:

Brazilian democrats are dismayed:

Brazil gets a wildly neo-fascist president, CBC News is glowing about new opportunities for Canadian mining companies in devastating the Amazon.

As are Canadians:

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Journalism experts call the CBC coverage "sinister"

While National Observer columnist Sandy Garossino has dropped the gloves:

For the record, here's a small taste of Bolsonaro's rhetoric:

“I would not rape you because you are not worthy of it.”

"Our Amazon is like a child with chickenpox, every dot you see is an indigenous reservation"

"I am in favor of torture — you know that."

Canada is so very fortunate that previous generations have invested in creating the public broadcaster we have today. Responsible journalism is a critical immune booster against the neo-fascists infesting societies around the world and fake news campaigns infecting and fracturing democracies. Let's do better.

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