Columns

Why does the Toronto Star publish opinion columns that readers judge to be outrageous, offensive, inappropriate? Columnists express their own views, not the views of the Star, which are expressed on its editorial pages, writes public editor Kathy English. They can and often do express opinions the Star does not agree with.

Continue Reading Star public editor: Columnists free to express outrageous opinions

Once you raise the issue that many in the media haven’t mentioned John Greyson’s orientation for “fear it would go worse for him,” as Margaret Wente wrote), The Globe and Mail's public editor Sylvia Stead says you need to very explicitly answer that question about why you have chosen to mention his orientation.

Continue Reading Globe public editor: Why John Greyson’s sexuality was relevant to Wente’s column

Can Toronto Star reporters take material from the Star's own archives? Sometimes, yes. But outright copying of a colleague's work is plagiarism, writes public editor Kathy English.

Continue Reading Star public editor: A clear case of in-house plagiarism

When the Ottawa Morning Show ran an interview with Terry Woodard, the widow of the driver of the Ottawa bus that collided with a train, there was quite a lot of reaction. The interview was raw and painful to listen to. Was it the wrong decision to air it? The complainant, Chris Young, thought it was sensationalistic and should not have been done, even if Ms. Woodard agreed to it. The CBC's ombudsman Esther Enkin says the interview was hard to listen to, but agreed with the decision to air it.

Continue Reading CBC ombudsman: Decision to air interview with Ottawa bus driver’s widow was correct

If you are a fan of page A2 in the paper and the corrections online, you will be interested to know how The Globe and Mail staff find out about errors, writes public editor Sylvia Stead.

Continue Reading Public editor: How the Globe discovers and corrects errors

When a then 25-year-old Ben Peterson launched a global media development organization called Journalists for Human Rights in 2002, he faced his share of critics, skeptics and naysayers for somehow tainting the notion of “objectivity” in journalism. Fast forward 11 years, Journalists for Human Rights has become Canada’s largest media development charity. And as its founder put it, “If journalism isn’t for human rights, what is it for?” Kathy English, the Toronto Star's public editor, writes that no journalist need stand down from being for human rights.

Continue Reading Star public editor: Journalists embrace cause of human rights

A reader wondered: “Why does The Globe persist in using the sexist … and outdated term ‘schoolgirls’ in reference to the victims of Paul Bernardo? Public editor Sylvia Stead writes it may be time to find a better description. 

Continue Reading Globe public editor: Time to find a different word to describe Bernardo’s victims

Especially during times of ethnic tensions, it is much more important to tread carefully and not make connections that aren’t proven or even real, writes The Globe and Mail's public editor Sylvia Stead.

Continue Reading Globe public editor: Nairobi map unfairly suggested a terrorist community

A complainant said a CBC News story from Calgary unfairly singled out the pit bull to sensationalize the story and that the media has created the bias against these dogs. But CBC ombudsman Esther Enkin did not find any policy violation.

Continue Reading Ombudsman: No bias against pit bull in CBC Calgary stories

Tyler Olsen, a photographer for the Chilliwack Times in British Columbia, had questions about CBC’s use of a photograph from his paper when they were covering a news story. He acknowledged it was allowed under a Copyright Act provision called fair dealing, but asked the CBC's ombudsman if the use of his photo was ethical, and what CBC’s practice is.

Continue Reading CBC ombudsman: A closer look at “fair dealing” is needed