It was my good fortune to graduate from the University of Toronto. The U of T is Canada’s Harvard, only affordable and without the annoying presence of many young men and women of means who believe themselves to be infallible.
One of the joys of living in a sophisticated city with practically no crime and terrific cultural and intellectual venues was its journalism. At the top of the journalism pyramid was Canada’s public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Long before NPR, there was CBC News. For many Americans, it was the source that told the truth about Vietnam long before U.S. news outlets caught on. It’s been thoughtful, comprehensive and respected for decades – though like almost every news organization around the world, it’s suffered from budget cuts.
The jewel in the crown of CBC news programs is its nightly one-hour prime-time news program, The National. Peter Mansbridge has been the face of The National for the past 25 years. Interestingly, Mansbridge elected not to join Canadian broadcasters like Morley Safer and the late Peter Jennings at U.S. network news, although he was asked in the 1980s. He reportedly turned down a million-dollar deal because money was less important to him than staying in Canada and doing outstanding journalism in his own country. At the time, the decision made him a hero to Canadians.
Out of the News 