Public broadcaster or public communicator: The CBC goes online

Since 1993, the CBC has produced content for the Internet, a medium that could help the corporation to advance its mandate and become, not just a public broadcaster, but a forum to bring Canadians together online in new and creative ways. However, at the current time, this seems unlikely to happen because, beyond broad statements, the corporation has failed to articulate an inspired vision for online communications to match its past hopes in radio and television. This has been due to the lack of government policy to encourage the CBC's online content, the lack of discussion about online media by senior management of the CBC or of a clear leader to represent new media, internal disagreements about the role of the Internet, less concern that CBC New Media should “protect” Canadians from American content than was the case with radio and television, and the lack of a unified structure connecting all new media producers in the CBC. The result is that, while it has developed online content that has been professional, responsible and innovative, the future of CBC's new media operations lacks focus and vision.