Globe public editor: Reporting on federal leaders is a tricky balancing act
Was it fair for the Globe and Mail to run a major piece on Liberal leader Justine Trudeau so close to voting day?
By Sylvia Stead, for the Globe and Mail
More than 10,000 words and 13 black and white photos. Last Saturday’s profile of Justin Trudeau has attracted criticism from some Globe readers who felt it was too much real estate and too positive for the man described in the front page headline as “The Contender.”
So was it fair to do so much on one candidate in a tight three-way race? And was it fair to run such a major piece so close to voting day?
First a little background and then an explanation from Gabe Gonda, Head of Features and Weekend.
For the background, the Justin Trudeau feature was available to print and online subscribers only. An excerpt of John Ibbitson’s book Stephen Harperwas published Aug. 1. It was just under 4,000 words and included two feature photos.
In February, the Globe ran another long feature (more than 3,000 words) from Mr. Ibbitson on the Prime Minister, headlined, “The Harper Effect.”
To read the rest of this column, please head to the Globe’s website, where this column was originally published.
H.G. Watson was J-Source's managing editor from 2015 to 2018. She is a journalist based in Toronto. You can learn more about her at hgwatson.com.
