When a formal complaint is made against information published or broadcast by CBC (whether an in-house production or a report or documentary produced by a third party), the executive producer responsible for the content in question undertakes to reply promptly.

If the complainant is not satisfied with the explanations given and applies to the Ombudsman for a review, CBC undertakes to make the Ombudsman’s opinion accessible by, among other means, posting a link on the program web page or on the page giving access to the content in question.

Because much online material remains accessible indefinitely, we receive requests to remove stories by audience members who are either principals in stories, or are affected by them.

We generally do not agree to requests to remove published material from our web pages.

Our published content is a matter of public record. To change the content of previously published material alters that record. Altering the record could undermine our credibility and the public’s trust in our journalism.

There can be exceptions to this position– where there are legal or personal safety considerations to the person named.

Requests to remove material should be referred to the Director.