Inside the CBC, behind a big firewall

In early November, the CBC was accused of pulling Beyond the Red Wall, a controversial documentary on the Falun Gong movement, because of pressure from the Chinese government.

The CBC denied the claim. CBC spokesperson Jeff Keay said the Chinese embassy in Ottawa and consulate in Toronto had contacted the CBC about the airing of the documentary. Keay also offered that quality was an issue:

We want to ... make sure it's an absolutely rigorous piece of work because it's become clear over the past 24 to 36 hours that there's a lot of interest in the thing...We want to make sure it's a solid piece of work that will stand up to intense scrutiny.

Instead, with an eye to the iffy situation in Pakistan, a profile on Musharraf was rerun.

But to the surprise of some, Beyond the Red Wall was broadcast on November 20th, 2007. Reports suggest minor changes had been made to the original, all approved by producer/director/writer Peter Rowe.

This very well may be one of the reasons the net nanny has wrapped its quieting arms around the CBC. It has certainly generated a lot more publicity as a result. Says Rowe: "and I suspect the Chinese now wish they'd never raised the issue."

Also worth noting is that Canamedia pulled Beyond the Red Wall from YouTube due to copyright claims.