Can Someone Help With a CBC Interview?

[Hartley]

I got a message from someone from the National - a news show - that is looking for a Canadian resident to discuss online gambling. Unfortunately, I can't do it but perhaps someone can help her out.
Here is the message she sent me.

>>Hi,My name is Leanne Hazon and I'm a researcher with the CBC. We're doing a
story on Internet Gaming and we would like to talk to someone who bets
on-line. I understand that you do and I was wondering if we could interview
you for the story. We don't have to show your face, we can shoot the
interview in a way that does not identify you if you're more comfortable
with that.At any rate, if you think you can help I would be eternally grateful!
You guys are hard to find! If not, perhaps you can point me in the direction of
someone whom I could interview.
We would need to do the interview on either Saturday or Sunday.

Thanks,Leanne

My phone number is (416) 205-2847<<

[Shawn]

As somebody who was briefly on the CBC payroll, let me pass on a word of advice:

Be very wary about agreeing to do something like this. We've all heard tales about how the media twists stuff...that goes double or treble for the CBC. When I was doing stories for them they were very explicit: unless an item was hard-news or feel-good, they wanted controversy, controversy, controversy.

Scary stuff.I mean from their point of view controversy is required to hold viewers/listeners but you can probably see how contyroversy could be stirred up here.

And let's face it: Terry Milewski isn't the only National reporter who likes to take a side on the story he reports. A quick line on who will be identified as the Forces of Darkness on THIS story:

Internet gamblers/outs -2000
Net Gambling naysayers +1500

Just my $.02 from the other side of the mike.

[Hartley]

Just passing it on as a favor. As I said I couldn't do it.