An article in the Montreal Gazette condemns journalism for failing to show assertions by a British doctor that vaccinations could cause autism. Freelancer Neil Cameron notes: “The widespread fears about vaccination were created not only by Wakefield, by the grapevine fears of anxious parents, and by additional confused leadership by some celebrity nincompoops, but by…
Here’s another good article that perhaps we should all print and keep handy for the next time we find ourselves covering unspeakable tragedy. With thanks to Jane Hawkes of the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma for pointing me to it.
Interesting piece in the New York Times about how the media was quick to blame the shootings in Arizona on politics, the Tea Party, Sarah Palin and ramped-up rhetoric. I’m not sure I agree; it’s all too easy to just blame unexplainable situations on mental illnesses, but the point is one we should be considering.
Vancouver Province reporter Elaine O’Connor has been ordered by the B.C. Supreme Court to reveal her source on a story about a former Liberal MP. Province editor-in-chief Wayne Moriarty said they’ll appeal.
If you watch the news, you’ve probably seen a “look live”. That news-speak term means a reporter who appears to be live in the field, but was taped doing the introduction to their story, or sometimes their throw back to the newsroom or a different type of seemingly live hit, well before the show is…
Tom Gaglardi, owner of the Kamloops Blazers hockey team here in my hometown, has decided the sports editor of the Kamloops Daily News doesn’t get access to anyone on his team until he starts to write more favourably about them. The Daily has responded in print today. And here’s the most recent column by Gregg…
Colin Perkel of The Canadian Press has a masterful piece of journalism in today’s Globe and Mail on the day Michelle Lang and four Canadian soldiers died in Afghanistan. Thanks to Tom Hawthorn for pointing it out. (Ed note: The original version of this post credited the story to the Globe, where we found this…
On a recent Today Show, the host was interviewing a woman who lost her home in a California mudslide. It was an tearful exchange, but according to this entry in Dave Cullen’s blog, the interviewer missed an opportunity to show empathy, instead of going after more information. Cullen says a journalist needs to be ready…
There’s a compelling article in the Ryerson Review of Journalism that asks questions we should all be trying to answer about why we as an unchallenged rule immediately decide not to cover a suicide — unless, of course, it’s a “public figure.” Author Liam Casey says: “reporters have a duty to cover all aspects of…
The Toronto Star has also posted its photo faves and, for those of you who don’t have a chance to read the Star, you should check out the quality of work its photographers are doing, too. And for those of you on the East Coast, here’s the same thing from the Vancouver Sun.