TORONTO - A Canadian broadcast watchdog has ruled that an "aggressive" Sun News TV interview was acceptable after receiving a record number of complaints from viewers.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council released its decision Friday regarding a June 1 interview between host Krista Erickson and Quebec-born dancer Margie Gillis.
During the interview, Erickson quizzed Gillis about whether it was appropriate that she receive government grants to support her dance work.
In its decision, the council ruled that there was no violation because Erickson was "entitled to be aggressive in her questioning and to reveal her personal biases."
Further, the decision pointed out that Gillis had the opportunity to state her position and chose to stay on the show through a commercial break despite the "somewhat heated" debate.
The council says it received a record 6,676 complaints about the interview. Last year, the council's national chairman Ron Cohen said that the watchdog typically received about 2,000 complaints in an entire year.