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Or sign-in if you have an account.The murder of British university student Henry Nowak is full of the expected tragedy and heartbreak, but also extreme injustice, rage, racial tensions, and what happens when an entire society goes mad on a particular brand of politics.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorSo naturally, CBC foreign correspondent Chris Brown skipped all that is interesting or relevant in the case, and instead presented his audience with coverage so outrageous that calling it propaganda would be an insult to Vladimir Putin. In an “analysis” article, titled How Britain’s far right hijacked the murder of Henry Nowak, he twisted the story by imagining a “far right” threat, rather than a story of reasonable concerns about how racial politics skewed the police response to the killing. (CBC news broadcasts of the story are only marginally better.)In the final moments of 18-year-old Nowak’s life, British police in Hampshire arrested him and ignored his pleas for help that he’d been stabbed five times. Nowak’s murderer, Vickrum Digwa, and his family conspired to cover up the killing and instead of calling an ambulance, called police to falsely accuse Nowak of racially abusing them. Police initially believed the story full stop and, according to bodycam footage released this week, cuffed Nowak and dismissed his repeated cries that he’d been stabbed with, “I don’t think you have, mate.” In reality, it remains unclear what led to the confrontation, but it may have had something to do with Nowak shooting video after noticing Digwa, a Sikh, was carrying a large ceremonial knife.This newsletter from NP Comment tackles the topics you care about. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThe case is appalling. U.K. police have been instructed to treat people differently based solely on their race. National “anti-racism” guidelines specifically advise against “treating everyone ‘the same’ or being ‘colour blind’” in order to reach “equality of policing outcomes.” In the years since the summer of Black Lives Matter, British police, like police elsewhere, have been more frightened of being accused of racism than of making a mistake like, say, arresting a murder victim as he is dying.As one police officer told Telegraph columnist Alison Pearson earlier this week, “Operationally, there are clear differences in scrutiny depending on ethnicity.”And, according to a survey, one in seven officers from the Hampshire Police, which was responsible for Nowak’s treatment, said they felt “controlled and pressured” after taking mandatory diversity training.The sentence doled out to Digwa, who was eventually arrested and tried for the murder, of life in prison with parole eligibility of 21 years, is being challenged as too lenient. Although evidence presented in court by a pathologist said there was nothing police could have done to save Nowak’s life, a national inquest has been scheduled to determine if police action or lack of action contributed to the death.Reporters don’t need to take a political position, as the CBC’s Brown has done, to explain this story, but, alas, even the pretense of objectivity is beyond the “Public Broadcaster.”Brown opted to centre his story around the protests that have erupted following the release of the bodycam footage. Rather than using that as a way into the describing the case, he used it as an excuse to dismiss the very concerns at play in how the police treated Nowak.Brown opens his story with this: “Henry Nowak’s family pleaded that his murder not be used to stoke hatred in the United Kingdom.” That sentence was followed with this: “But key figures from Britain’s far right appear determined to trigger another battle over race regardless.” After a couple short paragraphs with the most cursory of details of the Nowak murder, CBC presents a secondary headline, titled “White grievance.”Only passing acknowledgement of the justification for the protests is given. Brown is more interested in finding ways to counter Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage’s comments about “two tier” policing, and in pointing out that some anti-immigrant activists are involved in the protests. Brown quotes two so-called experts, but all they do is reinforce CBC’s thesis that the outrage over Nowak’s treatment by police has somehow been fabricated.Aaron Winter, a Lancaster University “sociologist” who studies the “far right” told CBC, “What you’ve seen … is a long-term ‘white grievance’ narrative that has really penetrated politics here.” He added, in reference to Farage’s Reform party, “It’s not because they care about the victims.”Citing a human rights lawyer who spoke to BBC, Brown described the claim of “two tiered” policing as “absolutely untrue.” But it is not just Farage who is making these points. Conservative Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said, in regards to race based policing, “I think the training that many of these police officers are having don’t have common sense in them.” Badenoch, who is Black, is not quoted by the CBC.Much of this analysis is certainly relevant to the broader coverage of Nowak’s murder and the fallout from how police behaved, but Brown appears so incurious that he downplayed everything else in the story and centred it around apparent concerns that it is being politicized for reasons unacceptable to the CBC.Apparently, it can’t possibly be genuine outrage at the objectively horrifying behaviour on the part of police, who were informed, at least in part, by anti-racism dictums. It must be, the CBC seems to think, that people have been manipulated solely over immigration politics.No counter-perspective was offered, no experts were interviewed with different opinions, no viewpoints were presented from actual protesters. What’s truly egregious is that there was not even an attempt at objectivity.And this was despite the CBC’s own Journalistic Standards and Practices that state, “We do not promote any particular point of view on matters of public debate.” The way CBC gets around that limitation is by using the “analysis” label, but according those same standards, analysis articles are “not to be a forum for the personal opinions or preferences of the author.” Anyone reading the Chris Brown story on Henry Nowak can see clearly that it is being used as a forum for his opinions. There is no other way to look at it.As a public broadcaster, the CBC’s pledge of impartiality is more than a promise, it is a necessary duty. If this this is how it wants to operate, as if its duties are merely suggestions, the government should privatize it; then CBC reporters can express all the opinions they want.National Post Get the latest from Carson Jerema straight to your inbox Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.