"It was an imperfect answer to an imperfect question." Stackhouse on pulling Ford "fat" article
ShareThisThe Globe and Mail made a mistake by publishing the Rob Ford "fat" article, editor-in-chief John Stackhouse told a roomful of journalists last night.
Stackhouse spoke on Oct. 21 at an event moderated by CBC's Ira Basen and hosted by the Canadian Journalism Foundation in Toronto.
A Ryerson University journalism student asked Stackhouse about the ethical implications of removing the Rob Ford article from the website. The article, written by Stephen Marche and published in the Oct 15 Saturday edition of the Globe, focused on the Toronto mayoral candidate's weight: "The mounds of fat that encircle Rob Ford's body like great deflated tires of defeat are truly unprecedented in Canadian politics."
Stackhouse admitted that, upon discovering the article online, he immediately had it pulled. He was surprised to find that the article had been published, despite the fact it "didn't stand up to a number of Globe standards." The question that wasn't asked: how did a story that didn't meet the paper's standards end up in print in the first place?
Basen pointed out that, by neglecting to provide an explanation for why the story was removed the Globe was failing to provide a service to its readers. Stackhouse said that the Globe doesn't have a comprehensive system in place for dealing with these kinds of situations. He said that the Globe chose not to provide an article explaining the decision because it didn't want to draw more attention to the article -- which, by now, is relatively easy to find online elsewhere. "It was an imperfect answer to an imperfect question," he said.
Here's the full live tweet recap of the event (click on "view more" for the full feed):
Stackhouse spoke on Oct. 21 at an event moderated by CBC's Ira Basen and hosted by the Canadian Journalism Foundation in Toronto.
A Ryerson University journalism student asked Stackhouse about the ethical implications of removing the Rob Ford article from the website. The article, written by Stephen Marche and published in the Oct 15 Saturday edition of the Globe, focused on the Toronto mayoral candidate's weight: "The mounds of fat that encircle Rob Ford's body like great deflated tires of defeat are truly unprecedented in Canadian politics."
Stackhouse admitted that, upon discovering the article online, he immediately had it pulled. He was surprised to find that the article had been published, despite the fact it "didn't stand up to a number of Globe standards." The question that wasn't asked: how did a story that didn't meet the paper's standards end up in print in the first place?
Basen pointed out that, by neglecting to provide an explanation for why the story was removed the Globe was failing to provide a service to its readers. Stackhouse said that the Globe doesn't have a comprehensive system in place for dealing with these kinds of situations. He said that the Globe chose not to provide an article explaining the decision because it didn't want to draw more attention to the article -- which, by now, is relatively easy to find online elsewhere. "It was an imperfect answer to an imperfect question," he said.
Here's the full live tweet recap of the event (click on "view more" for the full feed):
Comment Policy
J-Source invites comments on any content items or on any other topics relevant to journalism. Those posting comments are expected to adhere to standards of accuracy and fairness that would be recognized by those who practise, teach or study journalism.
- Comments are restricted to registered users. You must register with your full first and last name in order to be eligible to comment.
- Please communicate as effectively and intelligently as you would in a professional or academic forum, focusing on the issues at hand rather than the characters or characteristics of those involved.
- This forum is intended for discussion of the craft of journalism, not of the issues of the day that journalists cover; please do not post story tips or press releases.
- We moderate the forum for adherence to these standards of discourse, and reserve the right to decline any comment or restrict any user from commenting without giving reasons. Every effort is made to approve valid comments within 24 hours of submission.
 | Support J-Source | ||
 | Best online-only article or series | ||
J-Source and ProjetJ are projects of The Canadian Journalism Foundation in collaboration with leading schools and organizations Editor-in-chief, J-Source: | |||
Recent Posts
2013-06-18 18:08
2013-06-17 18:13
Attention journalists: Federal government makes data site more searchable
As always, the most comprehensive and up-to-date listing of Canadian open data sites can be...
Official list of Globe and Mail staff who took the buyouts
Why is this nice easy list of names with subheds not published as plain HTML (H2, OL, LI) with...
Do ethnocultural newspapers have a future in Canada?
Ethnic newspapers continue to provide a valuable role in transmitting information on Canadian...