OTTAWA (Reuters) – American diplomats in Ottawa fretted about the relentlessly negative image of the United States on television shows in Canada, according to secret cables released by WikiLeaks.
The cables — made public by the National Post newspaper on Wednesday — also showed U.S. officials felt Canadians had “an almost inherent inferiority complex” with respect to their powerful neighbor and most important trading partner.
One message in January 2008 showed diplomats were particularly frustrated by shows on public broadcaster Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
“The level of anti-American melodrama has been given a huge boost … as a number of programs offer Canadian viewers their fill of nefarious American officials carrying out equally nefarious deeds in Canada, while Canadian officials either oppose them or fail trying,” a diplomat noted.
The cable complained that viewers were variously treated to the sight of Americans assassinating a Canadian prime minister, trying to steal Canadian water, being ordered to launch bombing raids in Canada, and persuading Canadians to vote in favor of being taken over by the United States.
Full story: U.S. frets over bad image on Canadian TV: WikiLeaks | Canada | Reuters