The Documentary Organization of Canada is profoundly alarmed by the decision by TVOntario’s Board of Directors’ to withdraw support for the documentary “Russians at War”, that was commissioned by TVO’s documentary team. Despite TVO’s staff publicly expressing their support for the film on September 6th, on September 10th the Board stated that the broadcaster would no longer be supporting or airing the documentary. The Board’s statement did not refer to issues with the content of the program, but rather that input from the Ukrainian-Canadian community led to their decision to censor the documentary.

DOC has started a petition requesting that TVO’s Board of Directors reverse their position:

https://win.newmode.net/documentaryorganizationofcanada/reversetvodecisiontocensorrussiansatwar

“Russians at War”, a Canadian-French co-production, was developed through a multi-year collaborative effort involving the filmmakers and TVO’s Documentary team. TVO’s team has traditionally operated with editorial independence, fostering essential collaboration with independent filmmakers through established journalistic processes of review and discussion. The Board’s decision undermines these fundamental processes and raises serious concerns about political interference, and must be confronted in order to preserve the integrity of our media institutions.

Independent media is the cornerstone of democracy, essential for ensuring accountability and informed public discourse. Documentaries bring critical in-depth perspectives that allow for nuance, context and reflection. Protecting the documentary creator’s ability to explore controversial subjects is vital for a healthy society. This action by the Board of a public broadcaster to censor content poses a serious threat to independent media in Canada. TVO’s decision risks setting a dangerous precedent and must be immediately reversed.