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Newsstand: January 9, 2015
On Wednesday, Bill Cosby drew a standing ovation from the crowd that had paid nearly $100 to see him in London. He'll perform again tonight in Hamilton. In the news: Global TV's Leslie Roberts is suspended indefinitely, consent will soon be a part of Ontario sex ed, and Jian Ghomeshi faced three new charges today.
Global Television anchor Leslie Roberts is on suspension from his newscaster duties at least until a full investigation has been conducted into his involvement in a PR firm, involvement that was undisclosed until the Toronto Star began asking Roberts about the company. Roberts is part owner of Toronto’s BuzzPR and had not disclosed this either to the public or to his own bosses. Several of BuzzPR’s clients have been either featured or mentioned on Global. Roberts says he has never crossed any lines of journalistic ethics, but admitted to the Star that it “doesn’t look good.”
As of this fall, the province’s sex ed curriculum, unchanged since 1998, will cover “healthy relationships and the topic of consent.” Five years ago, the Liberals, then led by Dalton McGuinty, attempted to revise the sex ed curriculum, but were pressured by parents and religious groups to reverse the changes. This time, the government included elementary school parents in the planning stages of the new curriculum. The Women’s Legal and Action Fund, a national legal clinic that educates older youth about consent, has praised the Ontario government’s decision.
Former CBC star Jian Ghomeshi appeared in court again yesterday after three more charges of sexual assault were filed against him. Ghomeshi pled not guilty, as he did with the first round of charges laid against him. Ghomeshi now faces seven sexual assault charges and one charge of overcoming resistance by choking, which carries with it a possible life sentence. Ghomeshi is out on $100,000 bail and living with his mother, having surrendered his passport and promised not to leave the province.