A GamerGate Supporter's Guide on Filing Complaints Against Canadian Broadcasters Note: This post is a compilation of the information that I've gathered over the past sixteen months during my correspondence with several individuals, including: Despite the title, the information provided here can be used to file complaints against any Canadian mainstream media outlet on non-GamerGate-related issues. I also plan to make a copy of this available on one of the Wikis dedicated to GamerGate at some point and am hoping that others like /u/KDulius and /u/Mug33k can add information on how to do so in other jurisdictions or countries. When it comes to Canada, however, the key players involved in the complaint process are: ...and you want to know what you can do about it. Not to worry, here's a handy step-by-step guide: 1. Listen to or watch the news segment in question. This may sound like a no-brainer, but given the fact that the mainstream media's been repeating rumor and hearsay about GamerGate for the past sixteen months, don't fall victim to the same trap and rely on secondhand information or out-of-context quotes to make your case. Not only will you damage your credibility if you complain about something that didn't actually happen, but, in, the case of the CBSC, at least, it's considered a mandatory step in the complaint process: Please note that it is essential that you must have personally seen or heard the offending material. Reporting what someone has told you was broadcast will not trigger the CBSC’s process. Since media outlets don't always post their news segments online following broadcasts, try asking your fellow GamerGate supporters if anyone managed to record it (or, in the worst case scenario, you may be able to ask the broadcaster for a video copy or transcript for a fee). If we're dealing with a segment that hasn't aired yet, spread awareness of it to increase the chance that someone out there will be able to capture it when the time comes. 2. Take down all the information that you can. The more details you can provide, the easier it'll be for everyone involved to locate the news segment in question and process/review your complaint. I personally suggest providing the following information if at all possible: 3. Realize that time is the enemy. In order to process your complaints, the CBSC and the CRTC must request that the broadcaster hold on to the logger tapes - recordings "that (contain) exactly what was broadcast, including commercials [...] viewer advisories, classification icons and usually a time counter that shows exactly what time the programming was aired" - for later analysis in order to come to their decisions. According to regulations, Canadian broadcasters are required to hold on to logger tapes for at least 28 days following a broadcast (though can hold on to them indefinitely if they want). After these four weeks have elapsed, the tapes can be destroyed or erased, so the window of opportunity for you to file a complaint is extremely limited. Disclaimer: In the past, the CRTC has twice bent the rules for me and asked the CBC to fork over their logger tapes several weeks to over a year past the 28 day deadline. However, this only happened because the CRTC decided to either lump several of my complaints together or closed one complaint in order to open a new one, so these should be definitely be considered exceptions that prove the rule. In other words, don't count on them doing the same for you. 4. Write your complaint. In order to come up with best argument possible, spend some time conducting investigative research yourself and gathering evidence (or ask other GamerGate supporters for help). Some important things to keep in mind: i. Freedom of expression in Canada means that private citizens like Brianna Wu (or any morally bankrupt academics, experts, and interviewees like her) are allowed to say pretty much anything they want about GamerGate, no matter how inaccurate, without consequences. So, while you should definitely point out the lies and inaccuracies in their versions of events, don't expect to get very far based on that evidence alone. You should spend more time going after statements made by journalists or experts employed by the broadcaster, as the freedom of expression on air and on social media of those individuals have far more restrictions placed on it because of the nature of their work. Matthieu Dugal of Radio-Canada, the French-Canadian branch of the CBC, for example, was reprimanded and forced to apologize after he referred to /u/Mug33k as a Holocaust denier on Facebook and even Esther Enkin was forced to admit that using a Law & Order: Special Victims Unit clip - where gamers were portrayed as rapists, terrorists, and kidnappers - to frame a real-life debate about GamerGate was taking things too far. ii. Canadian broadcasters not affiliated with or part of the CBC must adhere to a variety of broadcast standard codes. Of these, the following should be of particular interest to GamerGate supporters: iii. The CBC and its affiliates are required to adhere to a different set of standards, of which the following are of particular relevance to GamerGate supporters: While the CBC is free to interpret their own Journalistic Standards and Practices - which are an internal document, after all - as they see fit, they have less room to maneuver when it comes to the CAB Equitable Portrayal Code, so keep this in mind.