Jesse Brown, Canadaland
Jesse Brown is the owner, publisher, reporter and editor of Canadaland. Jesse Brown serves all roles with no oversight, editing and fact checking his own work, which speaks to the veracity of the claims he makes. He got his start in traditional media, but parted ways with the CBC not long after he was disciplined by management at CBC radio for faking news content.
Soon after starting Canadaland, he become obsessed with WE Charity and the Kielburgers – writing story after story falsely accusing the founders and charity of various misdeeds, without ever landing any punches.
But the CSSG reignited his obsession. Jesse Brown tweeted constantly about the controversy and appeared on any talk show or news outlet that would have him. He went so low as to attack the Kielburgers' 80-year-old mother by repeating a lie from decades earlier. In 2000, Saturday Night magazine was sued for printing false claims about Theresa Kielburger. The magazine later consented to a judgement against them and paid Theresa Kielburger $309,000. In an effort to rewrite history, Jesse Brown repeated the same libel Saturday Night Magazine printed and is now being sued by Theresa Kielburger.
What you should know
Mark Kelley consistently misrepresented WE Charity's work in Kenya. He reported that 360 schools were built, when he was provided evidence, multiple times, that WE Charity had built and renovated 852 schoolrooms in Kenya alone. This included classrooms, libraries, science labs, dorms and other structures essential for learning.
CBC’s reporting lacked transparency, notably in showcasing permissions for school visits, explaining their method of counting schools, and describing how
WE Charity used donor funds.
There is a lack of local knowledge and understanding, given the limited experience of their lead producer in developing countries and their reliance on a non-journalist for guidance in Kenya.
CBC's misconduct - see for yourself
CBC lied about the number of schools WE Charity funded (in Kenya)
CBC falsely claimed that WE Charity built only 360 schoolrooms in Kenya. They said the number “360” was WE Charity’s own count. From the outset of its reporting, CBC knew that WE Charity built far more than 360 schoolrooms in Kenya but lied about the figure because the real number contradicted their false story about missing schoolrooms.
CBC falsely claimed WE Charity counted latrines as schoolrooms
The CBC falsely claimed that WE Charity “inflated” the number of schools it funded in Kenya by including latrines in its count of 852 schoolrooms. From the outset of its reporting, the CBC knew this allegation was false but lied because its entire donor deception story was premised on WE Charity’s full count of 852 schoolrooms being wrong.
CBC lied about WE Charity obstructing their investigation
The CBC falsely claimed that WE Charity was engaged in a cover-up to “block the scrutiny” by the CBC’s investigation. CBC's false claims of obstruction were essential to its preconceived narrative because it gave them an excuse not to visit or verify the 852 schools and schoolrooms WE Charity funded.