There would be no issue if the sentence ended there. However, there is another exception. It says: "[...] other than information that relates to its general administration". That means that the act does not apply to journalistic activities, but it does apply to information that relates to its administration.
The issue for the information commissioner is how to check that. Requested journalistic information is not related to administration. However, to make sure of that, she must check the information. The people at CBC say that the act does not apply and that it is up to them to make a decision, which must be accepted. They made the decision and asked that it be accepted, saying that we don't have that kind of jurisdiction. Since the matter involves journalistic information, the act does not apply.
As I was saying, that's a way to proceed I have never seen before. It is very complicated. It's easier to stipulate that the act does not apply to CBC, or to set out an exception for CBC, while allowing the information commissioner to check. That's really what the issue is. There are two possibilities. There is a case before the courts, and there is now an appeal of the decision.