CTV Head Of News Michael Melling Is Out After Lisa LaFlamme's Controversial Firing
An independent newsroom review did not sound good.
Lisa Laflamme reporting from England. Right: CTV signage in Ottawa.
Several months after news anchor Lisa LaFlamme was abruptly fired by Bell Media, there have been more changes announced to the CTV newsroom.
According to The Canadian Press, the former CTV head of news Michael Melling, who faced criticism over Lisa LaFlamme's firing, is now out.
He's been reassigned to the role of vice president of shared services. His position will be permanently filled by Richard Gray, who has been serving as the interim vice president of news.
According to The Globe and Mail, Michael Melling was the executive who questioned LaFlamme's hair going grey and told her she would no longer be working for the company.
Melling went on immediate leave after the fallout of LaFlamme's firing.
An internal memo at the time said that he had decided to take leave from his current role to "spend time with his family."
The news of his reassignment comes after an independent third-party review of the CTV national newsroom environment did not come out looking good.
The review was conducted by employment lawyer Sarah Crossley and her associate Laura Freitag, and raised several issues including a "culture where people are sometimes afraid to raise concerns for fear of reprisal or inaction."
The internal memo also said there was a "need for greater civility and respect in the newsroom" and "a desire to improve working conditions."
What happened to Lisa LaFlamme?
On August 15, the longtime chief anchor at CTV National News announced that she had been fired due to a "business decision."
The journalist made the announcement on Twitter, where she also said she was "shocked and saddened by Bell Media's decision" that had "blindsided" her.
Her role was taken over by current chief anchor Omar Sachedina.
The news of LaFlamme's firing led to a lot of outrage and got the nation talking about workplace culture, as well as ageism and sexism.
Big brands like Dove and Wendy's shared campaigns in support of the news anchor.
Since then, LaFlamme has returned on TV on a different network and covered the queen's death in September. She was awarded an Order of Canada medal in November.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.