Richard Gizbert
Encyclopedia
Richard Gizbert is a Canadian
journalist
. He is the presenter of the Listening Post on Al Jazeera English. Gizbert was formerly employed by ABC News
but was sacked for refusing to travel to Iraq
to cover the 2003 U.S. invasion. He later won a case for unfair dismissal
against the network.
in Ontario
. His brother, Christopher, is an MIT-trained geologist currently living and working in Calgary, Canada. Another brother, Daviken, is an associate professor of history, specializing in Latin America, at McGill University
in Montreal
.
in Ottawa
, where he produced in-depth features for Sunday Edition
, the national current affairs programme. Prior to that, Gizbert was CJOH's parliamentary correspondent for five years, responsible for national political coverage. For his reporting of a hostage situation on Parliament Hill, Gizbert received the National Award for Breaking News Coverage.
From 1983 to 1985, Gizbert was a correspondent and political editor for CFTO-TV
in Toronto
, covering federal politics and co-presenting special events coverage.
Prior to the case, Gizbert had done extensive work in war zones for ABC. Starting in 1993, he covered the former Yugoslavia, Chechnya, Rwanda and Somalia. In 1999, he says, he told ABC that, as a parent of young children he felt he could no longer accept assignments in war zones. Gizbert told the tribunal that he offered to accept a domestic assignment in the US, if ABC wished him to do so. He said the network decided to keep him in London.
Five years later he was fired by ABC and replaced by a correspondent willing to report from war zones.
According to the UK's Guardian
newspaper, Gizbert's legal victory "could have far-reaching effects for war-zone journalism". Jeremy Dear
, General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists
in Britain, said the victory was "hugely important" for journalists and their families,
Martin Bell
, former BBC
correspondent and former member of UK parliament, testified on Gizbert's behalf at the tribunal. After the verdict he said "Richard has been very brave, beyond war-zone valour, taking on ABC News. He's taken a stand for young journalists."
Aaron Barnhart, TV writer for the Kansas City Star, wrote that Listening Post "might be the best media-critique program in English anywhere." Stewart Purvis
, former editor-in-chief and CEO of the Britain's ITN, said "The Listening Post has delivered," and that its real value "is the breadth of its monitoring beyond the mainstream".
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. He is the presenter of the Listening Post on Al Jazeera English. Gizbert was formerly employed by ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
but was sacked for refusing to travel to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
to cover the 2003 U.S. invasion. He later won a case for unfair dismissal
Unfair dismissal
Unfair dismissal is the term used in UK labour law to describe an employer's action when terminating an employee's employment contrary to the requirements of the Employment Rights Act 1996...
against the network.
Early life
Gizbert grew up in the Ottawa area and is a graduate of Algonquin CollegeAlgonquin College
Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded English-language college and member of Polytechnics Canada located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The college serves the National Capital Region and the outlying areas of Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. His brother, Christopher, is an MIT-trained geologist currently living and working in Calgary, Canada. Another brother, Daviken, is an associate professor of history, specializing in Latin America, at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Early career
Prior to joining ABC News, Gizbert worked as a correspondent-producer for CJOH-TVCJOH-TV
CJOH-DT is a television station serving Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and the surrounding region. Owned by Bell Media, it is part of the CTV Television Network....
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, where he produced in-depth features for Sunday Edition
Sunday Edition
Sunday Edition is a Sunday morning radio show on CBC Radio One, hosted by Michael Enright. As the title might imply, the program was originally simply the Sunday edition of This Morning, which Enright co-hosted until the Sunday program became a separate entity in 2000.Its subject matter is wide...
, the national current affairs programme. Prior to that, Gizbert was CJOH's parliamentary correspondent for five years, responsible for national political coverage. For his reporting of a hostage situation on Parliament Hill, Gizbert received the National Award for Breaking News Coverage.
From 1983 to 1985, Gizbert was a correspondent and political editor for CFTO-TV
CFTO-TV
CFTO-DT, broadcast on channel 9 and cable 8, is a television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media. Currently branded as CTV Toronto, it is the flagship station of the CTV Television Network, and was one of the charter members of the network when it was launched in 1961. It...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, covering federal politics and co-presenting special events coverage.
ABC News
After being fired by ABC News in 2004, Gizbert fought and won a wrongful dismissal case against the network, in which an employment tribunal awarded him $100,000 in compensation. In his legal claim, Gizbert argued that his refusal to accept assignments in Iraq led to his firing. The tribunal agreed, ruling Gizbert's stand on assignments in Iraq was a "primary" reason for his dismissal.Prior to the case, Gizbert had done extensive work in war zones for ABC. Starting in 1993, he covered the former Yugoslavia, Chechnya, Rwanda and Somalia. In 1999, he says, he told ABC that, as a parent of young children he felt he could no longer accept assignments in war zones. Gizbert told the tribunal that he offered to accept a domestic assignment in the US, if ABC wished him to do so. He said the network decided to keep him in London.
Five years later he was fired by ABC and replaced by a correspondent willing to report from war zones.
According to the UK's Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper, Gizbert's legal victory "could have far-reaching effects for war-zone journalism". Jeremy Dear
Jeremy Dear
Jeremy Dear was the General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists in Great Britain and Ireland, from 2001 to 2011.He has a reputation as one of the Awkward Squad of left-wing trade unionists. He is married to Paula Dear who is a journalist with the BBC. Jeremy Dear is a supporter of the...
, General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists
National Union of Journalists
The National Union of Journalists is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists .-Structure:...
in Britain, said the victory was "hugely important" for journalists and their families,
Martin Bell
Martin Bell
Martin Bell, OBE, is a British UNICEF Ambassador, a former broadcast war reporter and former independent politician...
, former BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
correspondent and former member of UK parliament, testified on Gizbert's behalf at the tribunal. After the verdict he said "Richard has been very brave, beyond war-zone valour, taking on ABC News. He's taken a stand for young journalists."
Al Jazeera English
Gizbert joined Al Jazeera English after spending 11 years as a London correspondent for ABC News (U.S.), and hosts the media critique show Listening Post since the channel's inception.Aaron Barnhart, TV writer for the Kansas City Star, wrote that Listening Post "might be the best media-critique program in English anywhere." Stewart Purvis
Stewart Purvis
- TV Journalism :An ITN trainee who rose through the ranks Purvis was the second editor of ITN's Channel 4 News from 1983 and is generally credited with creating the programme in its current ethos....
, former editor-in-chief and CEO of the Britain's ITN, said "The Listening Post has delivered," and that its real value "is the breadth of its monitoring beyond the mainstream".