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.
Sounds like a case for Tod Maffin to me!
POSTED OCT 22, 2003 AT 21:38 AST BY Steven Garrity (steven@actsofvolition.com)
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.
POSTED OCT 22, 2003 AT 22:38 AST BY OLIVER B
I know the federal government has strict look-and-feel guidelines for all of their websites (http://www.cio-dpi.gc.ca/clf-upe/guide/guide_e.asp). Would this be related to CBC, as a Crown corporation?
POSTED OCT 23, 2003 AT 07:25 AST BY Sean Walsh (sean.walsh@acadiau.ca)
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.
POSTED OCT 23, 2003 AT 19:19 AST BY LAWRENCE LEE
Maybe we can challenge them with competition... the Globe&Mail already provides RDF for their major sections:
http://www.globeandmail.com/generated/headlines/rdf/
Enjoy!
POSTED MAR 26, 2004 AT 13:49 AST BY Jim Ramsay (i.am@jimramsay.com)
Jim--
Can you make:
http://www.globeandmail.com/generated/headlines/rdf/
work in Radio's News Aggregator?
How do you use it?
POSTED JUN 26, 2004 AT 14:38 AST BY Pete Dako
