The complainant, Meer Sahib, thought the phrasing of a reference to the insurgent attacks that sparked the current action against the Rohingya people left the impression that the host of The National was “blaming the victim.” The visuals and the account of the military response provided a broader context in a very short report. There…
Why Melanie Joly was right to stay out of the news biz. Continue Reading First do no harm
The complainant, Chuck Erlichman, thought an article about the issue of property rights in relation to the shooting of a young Indigenous man was irresponsible and could fan racist sentiment. The story was flawed but publishing an article addressing the issue was not in and of itself a violation of policy. COMPLAINT In August of…
All We Leave Behind is an exploration of what we owe to those who help us find and share the truth. Continue Reading Carol Off’s powerful new memoir shows limits of what a journalist can do
The Star must draw clearer distinction between news and opinion. Continue Reading TORONTO STAR PUBLIC EDITOR: Readers need to distinguish news from opinion
Although we now live in a vast internet landscape with immense amounts of content, the diversity and quality of the news media we consume continues to be a concern. Large sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google should not be trusted to solve these problems. Internet news platforms have contributed to the closure of traditional news outlets that are…
The complainant, Mike McEwan, thought an opinion piece critical of the systematic mistreatment of Aboriginal people was expressed in a way that bordered on “hate speech.” There is a big difference between strongly-worded criticism and hate. Calling European settlers colonizers doesn’t come close. The piece was the legitimate expression of the author’s views. COMPLAINT You…
Last week a reader wondered, on Twitter, whether stories by John Ibbitson on Canada’s clandestine project to evacuate gay men from Russia to Canada “put gay Chechen refugees (or continuance of the program) at risk?” It’s an important question. Mr. Ibbitson first broke this story in early September with the news that for three months, the federal…
The complainant, Domenico Celli, thought CBC was deliberately lying when meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe pointed out some possible influence of climate change on hurricane Harvey. She was giving documented scientific information. She did not overstate the connection. COMPLAINT You objected to a comment made by meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe in a conversation with National guest host Susan…
