A catch-up post, as I am still in a state of post-election torpor.

From the Oct. 16 Globe and Mail:

Ending months of speculation, CBC management has confirmed that it is not renewing the contracts of two of its star, veteran foreign correspondents, Don Murray in London and Patrick Brown in Beijing.

Despite their long careers sending dispatches from around the world as CBC staff employees, both had been working as correspondents under part-time contracts since 2006. These contracts had been renewed yearly.

CBC spokesman Jeff Keay confirmed that their contracts weren't being renewed, but said, "We hope to continue working with them." He added that Murray and Brown "are two of our best-known correspondents, whose work has been outstanding." The CBC gave no other specifics or reason for the decision, calling it "confidential information."

However, Tony Burman, the former editor-in-chief of CBC News and now managing director of Al-Jazeera's English-language news service, said the CBC's rationale is to save money, even though the salaries of both total less than $200,000 a year, a fraction of CBC News's $170-million budget.

"I think it's shameful that two of the CBC's most distinguished foreign correspondents would be treated this way," he said in an e-mail.

Frank suggested this would be happening in its Oct. 22 issue. It also had this less than flattering observation.

The real story, of course, was that Burman was eager to jettison the corros, both of whom were deemed expensive egomaniacs with their own agendas and the annoying habit of dismissing suggestions from The National as non-stories.

Quick question: What if the suggestions from Mission Control actually were lousy ideas? Is the quality of a journalist now determined by their willingness to amenably acquiese to bad ideas from their superiors? If so, then oh dear.

I suppose we shall see what role remains for Murray and Brown with the Corpse. But it's strange when an organization doesn't renew the contracts of people whose work its spokesperson describes as "outstanding."

If the salary numbers are accurate, that's not big money for people who are sometimes called upon to put their lives at risk to get the story.

Addendum

For context on the "egomaniacs" part, read this old post: Conrad on the worth of journalists