Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Inside the Newsroom ("we", "us") handles personal data collected through this website. It applies to visitors who browse the site and to visitors who send a message through the contact form. It covers what we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and how you can ask us to correct or delete what you have sent.
The policy is written for readers, not lawyers. If a sentence is unclear, the contact details at the end of the page are the fastest way to get an answer.
At a glance
Questions about this policy go to the contact page or the phone number above.
Who we are
Inside the Newsroom is an independent educational resource about CBC News production facilities. We publish explanations of how a broadcast newsroom works day to day: the newsroom floor, the control room, the studios and sound stages, regional newsrooms, field production, and radio and digital news. The site is reading material. We do not run a news service, we do not take advertising bookings, and we do not ask visitors to register an account.
Our editorial address is 250 Front Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 3G5, Canada. Our phone number is +1-416-205-3311, and the office answers Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Both are the correct places to send a question about this privacy policy or about anything you have sent us.
Because the site is a reference resource, most visitors never contact us at all. This policy still applies to everyone who opens a page, and it applies in full to anyone who writes to us through the contact form.
We write about how news production works. We are not CBC and we are not affiliated with any broadcaster; we describe facilities and workflows for readers who want to understand them.
Nothing on this site is a request for personal information beyond what the contact form asks for.
What we collect
There are two ways data reaches us, and they are worth separating because they have different answers.
Contact form
What you choose to send
When you send a message through the contact form, we collect the information you provide, which may include your name, email address, and the content of your message. Nothing in the form is required beyond the fields needed to reply, and you decide how much detail to include.
Server records
What the web server logs automatically
We also collect basic technical information that a web server records automatically, such as your IP address, browser type, and the pages you visit. This is standard for any website: it arrives whether or not you ever fill in a form, and it is not linked to a name unless you have written to us and the two records need to be read together.
Cookies
Small files stored in your browser
We use cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. Cookies help the site function and help us understand how visitors use it. You can control cookies through your browser settings, and you can clear them at any time without losing access to any page here.
Why we collect it
Every piece of data on this site has a plain job attached to it. If a reason below does not match what you would expect, that is worth telling us about.
To answer you
We use the information you provide to respond to your message. That is the main reason the contact form exists, and it is the only reason your name and email address are kept.
To fix mistakes
Readers often spot an error before we do. We use messages to correct errors on the site and to improve the site's content, and we keep a note of the correction so the same mistake does not return.
To keep the site running
Technical information is used to keep the site working and to understand which pages are useful. If one page breaks for a group of visitors, the server records are how we find that out.
To meet legal duties
If the law requires us to hold or disclose something, we do that and nothing more. We do not use your message as material for marketing, and we do not build profiles from browsing history.
Retention
We keep contact messages only as long as needed to respond and to track corrections. In practice that means a message stays in our inbox while the conversation is open, and after it closes we keep it only if it recorded a correction or a decision about the site. Once neither applies, the message is deleted.
Technical logs are kept for a limited period and then deleted or aggregated. Aggregated numbers describe how many visitors reached a page and roughly where they came from; they no longer identify a single person, and we do not try to reverse that.
Sharing
We do not sell personal data. We may share data with service providers who help us run the site, such as hosting providers, and only to the extent needed for that purpose. They receive what is required to keep the site online and nothing else.
We may disclose data if required by law. If a request like that ever arrives, we disclose only what the request covers.
Your rights
You can ask us to access, correct, or delete the personal data you have sent us. To make a request, contact us using the details above. We will respond within a reasonable period, and if we cannot do what you asked we will explain why rather than leaving the request open.
Access
Ask what we hold about you, and we will describe it in plain terms.
Correction
Tell us what is wrong and we will fix the record, not just the reply.
Deletion
Ask us to remove a message you sent, and we will delete it unless the law requires us to keep it.
Cookies
Change or clear cookies in your browser settings whenever you like.
If you are not satisfied with our answer, tell us so. A second look is cheaper than a dispute.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The current version is always available on this page, and there is no archive of older versions to compare against: the page you are reading is the one that applies. When a change affects what we collect or how long we keep it, we will say so in plain language here rather than burying it in a revision list.
This policy is published alongside two related documents. The Cookie Policy explains the small files the site stores in your browser, and the Terms of Service set out how the site may be used. Both are linked at the top of this page and in the footer.
Contact
For privacy questions or requests, contact us at the editorial address or phone number listed above. You can also use the contact form, which reaches the same inbox. Please describe what you want us to do in your own words; we do not ask you to phrase it in any particular format.
Editorial address
Inside the Newsroom
250 Front Street West
Toronto, ON M5V 3G5
Canada
+1-416-205-3311
Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Write from the contact page and your message reaches the same inbox as a phone call.