The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » Paul Bliss

Just a Radio Fan · January 26, 2018 7:25 pm

Have to admit I was doing other stuff with the TV on and swore I heard CTV Toronto anchor Ken Shaw say that Queen's Park reporter Paul Bliss was under suspension, and that the station takes the allegations seriously.
Anyone know what this might be about ?

Chrisphen · January 26, 2018 7:34 pm

Slippery slope?

splunge · January 26, 2018 7:36 pm

from CTV Toronto twitter...

Allegations have been made against a CTV News Toronto reporter. Vice President of Communications for Bell Media Scott Henderson said this in a statement: "We take this very seriously and as a result have suspended Paul Bliss until an investigation is complete."

Just a Radio Fan · January 26, 2018 8:23 pm

Further update. You may notice at the end of the post is information regarding a new book she is set to release next year.

https://medium.com/@bridget.erin.brown/metoo-in-canadian-broadcasting-f881c3a50b74

pinto · January 26, 2018 9:11 pm

Hung before trial?

Chrisphen · January 26, 2018 9:21 pm

Fsck all that. Cleansing fire.

TomTV · January 26, 2018 11:58 pm

Paul Bliss' career is probably over as of right now, and possibly his marriage to Minna Rhee as well... Shame. I enjoyed his reporting on CTV.

ig · January 27, 2018 12:02 am

TomTV wrote:
Paul Bliss' career is probably over as of right now, and possibly his marriage to Minna Rhee as well... Shame. I enjoyed his reporting on CTV.

Unless others come forward, this apparently happened many years ago. He may have discussed it with his wife, or depending on when they met it may have been long before that.

TomTV · January 27, 2018 12:37 am

I was under the impression he was married to someone else before he married Minna. There used to be an attractive asian woman who was a spokesperson for the Special Investigations Unit of the police, I believe her name was Rose Hong.

Later on she changed her name to Rose Bliss - which I had presumed was due to the fact that she married reporter Paul Bliss... the CFTO reporter who I think was actually often the one who interviewed her for his news stories. I just assumed he got romantically got involved with her and they eventually married. If so, they must have divorced at some point (since he is now obviously married to Minna Rhee).

This is pure speculation on my part, but if this scandalous incident did occur with his accuser 12 years ago, I believe it could've happened during his first marriage (and could even be linked to why the divorce happened if this was part of cheating on his then-wife). Or, perhaps he had undergone a bitter divorce by the time of the "incident" and as some men may understand, a bad breakup can lead men to do some very stupid things to restore their confidence or sense of manliness (it usually involves sex, or buying an expensive sports car).

Either way, it probably matters not. His #metoo story was the lead on tonight's 11:30pm newscast and his reputation is going to be tainted no matter what the eventual investigation concludes (I do tend to believe this woman though, even if her agenda was to push her new book, that's a huge risk to take to her own reputation to make that kind of an accusation against a popular news reporter).

Radiowiz · January 27, 2018 12:58 am

Just a Radio Fan wrote:
Have to admit I was doing other stuff with the TV on and swore I heard CTV Toronto anchor Ken Shaw say that Queen's Park reporter Paul Bliss was under suspension, and that the station takes the allegations seriously.
Anyone know what this might be about ?

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/bell-media-suspends-paul-bliss-over-allegations-brought-by-former-employee-1.3777805

RadioActive · January 27, 2018 8:52 pm

The Toronto Star article on the suspension is far more detailed and yes, graphic about what allegedly happened.

CTV News anchor Paul Bliss suspended following sexual misconduct allegations

I found it very ironic, although not in the least surprising, that they spent the first 15 minutes or more of their 6 PM newscast Friday on the Patrick Brown sex story. The Bliss announcement? It lasted all of about 20 seconds on air as a copy-only story and nowhere was the word "sexual" used, just "allegations." Talk about protecting one of their own.

TomTV · January 28, 2018 2:27 am

No, no... their 11:30pm broadcast actual LED with the Paul Bliss story and it was a full story covered by one of their evening reporters. I applaud them for making it the feature of the later newscast (I'm sure it does take time to assemble all the facts and video due to how late the story probably showed up on their desks, it wouldn't have been ready for 6pm). It was a 2 minute-long report.

And prior to that on CTV National, I believe around the 7min mark, Sandie Renaldo did a 45-sec mention, even giving out the details that Bliss asked for "oral sex" (funny to hear Sandie actually say that aloud, although she refrained from saying "ejaculate" even though the text was on the screen).

CTV actually did a fair job on covering it, IMO. Same as when Leslie Roberts got booted and Global didn't spare any details in showing viewers what led to his firing.

RadioActive · January 28, 2018 10:25 am

I didn't see those shows, but I'm glad to hear it. Still, their 6 o'clock newscast was very light on facts. Even if it was close to the deadline, there was no pic or viz of Bliss - something that could have easily been used even in a rush. And they reported only that he was suspended for "allegations" - without ever once saying exactly what those allegations were.

Was it some kind of a biz deal that contravened company policy, like Evan Soloman at the CBC? Was it a Leslie Roberts-style sin, like putting clients on undisclosed as interviews while running a PR company that got him booted from Global? Or was it something of a sexual nature? They knew and chose not to say at six. That can't have been anything but deliberate.

cash · March 6, 2018 6:08 pm

No longer with CTV

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/03/06/reporter-paul-bliss-no-longer-with-ctv-following-sexual-misconduct-allegations.html

Last edited by cash (March 6, 2018 6:09 pm)

RadioActive · March 6, 2018 6:13 pm

The woman who accused Bliss of some pretty disgusting stuff issued a lengthy statement condemning Bell Media for not properly protecting her during their inquiry and says while she’s sorry to see someone lose their job, people have to be held accountable for their actions.

And she adds that Bell didn’t even have the courtesy to tell her of the move until reporters started contacting her for reaction. She also claims three more women have come forward alleging Bliss mistreated them, as well.

She’s not happy with the way the company handled the entire thing.

“I was not prepared for CTV public relations to publicly name my harasser before even commencing its investigation, and name me as the instigating source for the investigation. Since when do corporations speak to the media about internal HR issues?”

“…I can see CTV’s lack of discretion having a chilling effect on people being willing to report harassment. Given the additional harassment I experienced online after CTV named my harasser and me, why on earth would anyone want to come forward in the future?”

You can read her entire statement here.

As for who replaces him as bureau chief at a very key time in Ontario politics, Colin D’Mello has been handling those chores since Bliss was suspended. There’s no word if it’s his to keep, but I’m betting he will.

cGrant · March 6, 2018 9:01 pm

Bliss is no longer suspended. He's gone.

Just a Radio Fan · March 7, 2018 10:11 am

I find this very interesting.

“I was not prepared for CTV public relations to publicly name my harasser before even commencing its investigation, and name me as the instigating source for the investigation. Since when do corporations speak to the media about internal HR issues?”
=12px
“…I can see CTV’s lack of discretion having a chilling effect on people being willing to report harassment. Given the additional harassment I experienced online after CTV named my harasser and me, why on earth would anyone want to come forward in the future?”

Did she not basically name herself in the blog she wrote making the accusations ? Then why is she blaming CTV ?

RadioActive · March 7, 2018 10:43 am

She never revealed Bliss's name in her original post, although it was pretty obvious in the way it was written. She's calling out CTV for publicly naming their now former reporter before there was an actual investigation.

RadioActive · March 8, 2018 8:28 pm

The National Post's Christie Blatchford takes on the Paul Bliss dismissal in a way only she can.

"Bliss was “disappeared” in a way not unlike those who went missing at the hands of the state in Argentina or the drug cartels in Mexico.

"As with most of them, he was convicted of no crime. Like them, he was merely suspected. In some cases, they were hunted down by death squads. Bliss was done in by publicly made allegations of sexual abuse and the climate of corporate fear wrought by #MeToo."

There was no other way this story could end but in Paul Bliss being 'disappeared'

markow202 · March 8, 2018 8:48 pm

Well lets hope that accuser is now happy...or in a state of "pure bliss"

TomTV · March 8, 2018 10:38 pm

I think it's somewhat outrageous to compare the dismissal of Bliss with people who are likely tortured and killed (usually quite horrifically) in those foreign countries.

Bliss did something that was clearly unprofessional and downright pathetic. He's an employee of a large corporation that has no choice but to investigate immediately once the accusation is made (lest, as Blatchford's article points out, they are seen as complicit in Bliss' actions).

Yes, it was a foregone conclusion that so long as Brown wasn't lying, that Bliss would vanish. Doesn't mean he won't resurface, unlike the "disappeared" in Mexico; he'll probably reappear in the US or at some competing network after some time has passed. See: Amanda Lang and Evan Soloman, who both had scandals and later wound up working for... (wait for it)... Bell.

Last edited by TomTV (March 8, 2018 10:38 pm)

ig · March 8, 2018 11:40 pm

TomTV wrote:
I
Bliss did something that was clearly unprofessional and downright pathetic. He's an employee of a large corporation that has no choice but to investigate immediately once the accusation is made (lest, as Blatchford's article points out, they are seen as complicit in Bliss' actions).
.

You have absolutely no idea if he did or not. You choose to believe the she said part of this fiasco but he never admitted to anything, nor was any proof other than her post offered.

cGrant · March 8, 2018 11:47 pm

Oh, c'mon, you mean social media outrage isn't real? I'm shocked here... I thought the Illuminati here never are wrong. 😏🤔

TomTV · March 9, 2018 12:58 pm

ig wrote:
TomTV wrote:
I
Bliss did something that was clearly unprofessional and downright pathetic. He's an employee of a large corporation that has no choice but to investigate immediately once the accusation is made (lest, as Blatchford's article points out, they are seen as complicit in Bliss' actions).
.
You have absolutely no idea if he did or not. You choose to believe the she said part of this fiasco but he never admitted to anything, nor was any proof other than her post offered.

Well you can choose to believe Mr Bliss then, we both have our opinions based on our own biases. You have no idea if he did or did not either. My opinion, having known my fair share of men who do think it's perfectly fine to act this way, is that it's a credible claim that would not go out unless there was a strong measure of truth to it.

As I'm sure many would logically infer, if I were in this situation as Mr Bliss, and none of this happened, I'd be stating that over and over again on every social media platform from Snapchat to Facebook to MySpace. Patrick Brown at least has done this, because in this day and age, you can't sit back quietly and roll with the punches. If you truly are innocent, then you better counter back immediately.

We once lived in a time when a woman's claims were not taken seriously and ignored, the pendulum has swung the other way. And probably for the better (at least for now, until it goes too far and something catastrophic happens, if one were to already ignore the suicide of that Hollywood agent down in the US recently).

ig · March 9, 2018 1:00 pm

I believe the pendulum has swung too far.

With justice in the middle and revenge at the far end.

TomTV · March 9, 2018 1:27 pm

She didn't do it for revenge (again, this is in my opinion). One's view of what is "justice" vs "revenge" in a case like this depends on our own biases. If all the things happened exactly as Brown claimed, then is she getting revenge for bringing it up on social media? Or getting justice? I think she got justice - no one, male or female, deserves to be treated like that. And if they are, the perpetrator SHOULD be fired. That is unprofessional to the highest degree.

Seriously, if Bliss was interested in her sexually, he simply could ask her out on a date first... not try to force a spontaneous sexual encounter. I would love to hear his side of the story. I've been waiting for it. Let him speak up and give his side of those events.

But anyone in that situation, if they do try to twist the facts to cover up their own behavior, it'll only bring out other women accusers (at which point, things only get worse for the accused). Brown's reasoning for coming forward was that she saw the hypocrisy of Bliss in reporting on Patrick Brown's mistreatment of women, and felt the need to call him out on that hypocrisy. If it had been another CTV reporter who broke the story, I doubt she'd have posted anything.

ig · March 9, 2018 1:34 pm

If you want justice go to the courts.
If you want revenge, social media is the way to go.

cGrant · March 9, 2018 4:09 pm

TomTV wrote:
Well you can choose to believe Mr Bliss then, we both have our opinions based on our own biases. You have no idea if he did or did not either.

My take is a bit different than yours. If I may, IG isn't specifically believing Bliss' version of the facts. Mr. Bliss is entitled to being innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law. And, THAT is the version we all should believe. Our society is based on that edict. Blindly believing everything on social media or gossip is plain wrong.

I ask this... What solid and VERIFIABLE evidence do YOU have to prove his guilt? Either post it or recant. Thank you. 🤔

AMFM · March 10, 2018 10:37 pm

ig wrote:
If you want justice go to the courts.
If you want revenge, social media is the way to go.

Here Here Mr. Grant. Well spoken sir.

TomTV · March 11, 2018 7:51 am

cGrant wrote:
TomTV wrote:
Well you can choose to believe Mr Bliss then, we both have our opinions based on our own biases. You have no idea if he did or did not either.
My take is a bit different than yours. If I may, IG isn't specifically believing Bliss' version of the facts. Mr. Bliss is entitled to being innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law. And, THAT is the version we all should believe. Our society is based on that edict. Blindly believing everything on social media or gossip is plain wrong.

I ask this... What solid and VERIFIABLE evidence do YOU have to prove his guilt? Either post it or recant. Thank you. 🤔

He was already investigated, by his employer and subsequently fired. Also there is no Bliss version of the facts. He hasn't said anything as I noted. I, like I'm sure many people, are always willing to hear both sides of the story.

I don't need to recant anything to either you or anyone else. We as human beings are not omnipotent, and one can either allow all accusations to pass into the ether and shrug it off due to "lack of evidence" (which is precisely what has been done in all prior cases of such accusations prior to the MeToo movement, for decades, thus allowing the Weinsteins and his ilk to merrily carry on) or choose to believe (or disbelieve) based on one's own biases. You have yours, I have mine.

I personally never had any desire to see anything happen to Bliss, but he was investigated and a fired for what one would reasonably conclude was due to his inappropriate behavior. If there is another reason for his firing, would love to hear it. He has always had the chance to defend himself (as any of us would if publicly accused). It's equally the attitude like those who say "only the courts can decide" that allow the perpetrators to get away with this. Thank you.