A national ombudsman ruled that TV stations must inform viewers about the distinction between news and advertising content. .According to Blacklock’s Reporter, this decision was made in response to a case involving a Montréal morning show that promoted a sponsor's product without disclosing that it was an advertisement..“The point is the language was soft-pedalled,” wrote the Canada Broadcast Standards Council. .The TVA station “did not disclose in a clear and unequivocal manner” the sponsorship of a segment on its morning show Salut Bonjour, it said..During a broadcast on Feb. 20, CFTM-TV's consumer reporter praised TurboTax software without clearly communicating to viewers that the segment was sponsored..“Taxes scare me,” said host Jean-François Baril. .“Oh, boy, should I do all this by myself?”.“I’m talking about the time of year where we have to do our tax returns because, well, yes, it has to be done again this year,” said Baril. .“There are more and more people who are deciding to do it themselves with various software which, by the way, is getting more and more powerful, like the number one software in Canada for the last 25 years called TurboTax!”.“They have the expertise,” said Baril. .“They’ve been doing this a long time. No worries. It will be fine for you, easy to do. And the goal, of course, is that you find the maximum tax refund you’re entitled to! After all, it’s your money.”.Viewers had to visit the TV station's website to find out that the segment was sponsored..“Not all viewers will have the smarts to detect the scam,” wrote one complainant. .“An ad is an ad. The viewer should be made aware.”.“An uninformed viewer can easily be led to believe that this is a recommendation made in a disinterested manner, so if TVA is paid or sponsored to do this segment, it’s an ad,” said the complaint. The Broadcast Standards Council agreed..“In this case, TVA did not disclose in a clear and unequivocal manner the partnership between TurboTax and the broadcaster,” wrote the Council. .The agency said it “questions TVA’s motivation for dodging the question about the sponsorship of the segment even when the Council asked it that question directly.”.The station breached the Radio Television Digital News Association Code of Journalistic Ethics, which states that broadcasters must “clearly distinguish news content from advertising” with numerous warnings. .“The broadcaster airing sponsored or paid programming must advise its audience of that sponsorship clearly, transparently and unequivocally,” says the Code. .“The disclosure must also be made at the beginning and end of the program.”.There is no fine associated with the breach of the Code, but it is required for the station to announce the finding on-air.
