This article was originally published by the Winnipeg Free Press and appears here with the editor’s permission. Thursday, Nov. 7, 1918 — 100 years ago today — was a pleasant fall day in Winnipeg, with the temperature hovering around 0 C. Based on today’s boundaries, Winnipeg was then a city of about 220,000 and had…
Community reporters have the opportunity to connect directly with their audiences. But are they earning reader confidence? Canadians aren’t so sure. Continue Reading Building trust at the local level
This story was originally published by Nieman Lab and appears here with its permission Big night! The U.S. midterm elections yesterday mostly went according to expectations: Democrats retook the House of Representatives, Republicans kept (and grew) their control of the Senate, and a variety of governor’s races went a variety of ways. Back when I was a…
The attacks on the media continue south of the border, but in this country, I believe readers understand the importance of fair and accurate news coverage. What a few don’t really grasp (based on some of the complaints I receive) is the difference between a fact and an opinion. But before we look at what…
More regular reporting on extreme weather patterns would help Canadians understand the real threat of climate change. Continue Reading We need a new kind of weather forecast
It is not news to tell you we are in the midst of a global crisis in media trust. While I find some consolation in the fact that recent studies tell us that Canadians trust their news more than do news consumers in other parts of the world, the overall data on trust in journalism…
The Toronto Sun has a history of columnists writing xenophobic pieces — but they are met with a shrug by the rest of Canadian media. Continue Reading We cannot continue to ignore the Toronto Sun’s toxic output
In covering deeply personal issues, journalism is quite different from the often one-dimensional world of social media. It uncovers how the vulnerable are treated, the problems they face and what could be done to help them. Those articles depend absolutely on people willing to openly discuss their job losses, health setbacks, depression or the loss…
The complainant, Andrew Douglas, Managing Editor of Frank Magazine, was concerned that CBC News had left the false impression they had broken a story he ran first in his magazine by the use of heated language and references to investigation. While his magazine published first, CBC News had its own tip on the story and…
Journalists should be careful when using social media posts to report what the public thinks, and should tell readers how the data was collected. Continue Reading When journalists report social media as public opinion