More on CBC + RSS

Here’s the latest reply from CBC on the RSS issue:

As previously explained by the customer support representant, CBC does not allow external use of our RSS or XML files. This is a very strict policy to ensure full control by the corporation over the editorial content and branding. If I do understand your interest for a RSS feed, I have the regret to notify you that this service is not available for public use.

This leads me to understand that there actually are RSS and XML files somewhere inside the CBC; they’re just not letting them leak outside.

I can’t claim to understand their “very strict policy to ensure full control by the corporation over the editorial content and branding.”

Probably time to take this higher.

Comments

Steven Garrity's picture
Steven Garrity on October 23, 2003 - 01:38 Permalink

Sounds like a case for Tod Maffin to me!

Oliver B's picture
Oliver B on October 23, 2003 - 02:38 Permalink

Could the control issue be that they don’t want people modifying the text that appears under their logo and their reporter’s bylines? i.e. something like counterfeiting? It would certainly upset me to think that if I went to a Web site purporting to publish New York Times stories I might be reading something that had been tinkered with by, say, Bill O’Reilly. I don’t know if it’s likely, but it would be bad.

Sean Walsh's picture
Sean Walsh on October 23, 2003 - 11:25 Permalink

I know the federal government has strict look-and-feel guidelines for all of their websites (http://www.cio-dpi.gc.ca/clf-u…. Would this be related to CBC, as a Crown corporation?

Lawrence Lee's picture
Lawrence Lee on October 23, 2003 - 23:19 Permalink

Not sure, but I would guess their CMS probably stores all their site content in XML.

Related page from the Journalistic Standards and Practices on the CBC corporation website:

EXCHANGES OF ONLINE MATERIAL WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

In their 2002 Annual Report they laud all their other partnerships (wireless, new media partnering, headlines) pg 39.

From CBC’s speeches about new media, I wouldn’t see how they could say we’re going to do news on PDAs/cell phones, email and headline boxes on websites… but not at least consider RSS.

Jim Ramsay's picture
Jim Ramsay on March 26, 2004 - 18:49 Permalink

Maybe we can challenge them with competition… the Globe&Mail already provides RDF for their major sections:

http://www.globeandmail.com/ge…

Enjoy!