MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 19, 2006

Canadian activist shunned by CBS for her views on George Bush

Ottawa - Maude Barlow, known internationally for her work on the right to water, was recently informed that she would not be interviewed by CBS News due to her criticisms of the Bush administration. “This is a clear offense of free speech,” says Barlow. “Viewers should be concerned by the network’s decision to prevent critical views from being heard.”

On July 4, CBS News contacted the Council of Canadians seeking background information for a story on water and expressed an interest in interviewing its chairperson, Maude Barlow. After several exchanges of phone calls and emails, Meera Karunananthan, the Council’s Media Officer, was informed that CBS News was no longer interested in interviewing the prominent Canadian activist. When pressed, the CBS producer, Taigi Smith, revealed that CBS management was concerned about negative reactions from viewers due to Maude Barlow’s previous criticisms of the Bush administration.

“Maude Barlow has been critical of both Canadian and American governments on a variety of issues,” says Karunananthan. “This does not diminish the fact that she is recognized in both countries as the leading expert on global water issues - something CBS clearly acknowledged when they contacted us.”

Barlow says she would not have needed to criticize the Bush administration in an interview on the global water crisis. “I have been interviewed on numerous occasions by the American media, and wonder if this recent decision by CBS is indicative of a climate in which those who have criticized policies of the Bush administration will not be able to have their views - even ones uncritical of the Bush administration - heard by the American people,” she says.

Maude Barlow is the author of 15 books including the international bestseller Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop Corporate Theft of the World’s Water, which was published in 40 countries. Her work has earned her such prestigious awards as the Right Livelihood Award presented to her by the Swedish Parliament in December 2005.

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For more information, contact:
Dylan Penner, Media Officer: Tel.: (613) 233-4487, ext. 249; .